Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

There’s always an excitement in the air this time of year as football season once again gets underway.

This state is crazy about football, and given Georgia’s national championship, you could argue that craze has reached an even higher level this year. We love our college football and NFL.

However, more specifically, this community is about as passionate as you’ll find regarding high school sports in general, but nothing tops high school football on Friday nights.

The first game is Thursday as LaGrange travels to take on Smiths Station in Alabama. On Friday night, Troup High, Callaway High and Lafayette Christian begin their seasons. 

We expect a big crowd on hand for all of them, as this community welcomes back football with open arms.

And while a lot of focus will be on the players, we also encourage you to remember the band, the cheerleaders, the color guard and so many others who play a role in the entire football experience. They work hard too perfecting their craft.

For the players, we hope that there will be lively home crowds, who cheer with professionalism but also keep it loud and difficult on opponents. We’re sure the Grangers, Cavaliers, Tigers and Cougars would love to see every seat filled on Friday nights.

The other fun thing going into this season is that all four teams have a chance to be really, really good.

We’ll be there along the way, writing about the ups and downs (but hopefully mostly ups) as each team chases a state title.

We hope to see you at the field.