Now that summertime is nearly over, well not actually the season of summer but more or less with children going back to school to end their summer break, it is time to start talking football.
This summer and spring have been really productive on the diamond sports side of things with the Ethel High School baseball team winning the Class 1A South State Championship before falling in game three of the state championship series in walk-off fashion to Tupelo Christian Prep. 
Since then, the summer league teams at Hugh Ellard Park have put together some pretty good all-star squads with the 12U ASA Class “C” All-Stars claiming a state title and the Dixie Youth 9U All-Stars winning, dominating actually, the Dixie Youth World Series in Searcy, Ark., after finishing second in the state championship series.
As our thoughts fall away from baseball and softball, maybe not entirely if your son is the second coming of Chipper Jones or Mike Trout, they turn to football. Mississippi is blessed with things of the gridiron nature in abundance, with many Magnolia State high schools comprising the ranks of the 1A through 6A leagues who are all chasing that mighty golden football that is awarded each December. The 2016 title games will be played at Mississippi State University after the MHSAA decided to move the games from Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in Jackson.
Ole Miss hosted the 2015 Championship games and from all that I could gather while in attendance, most of the fans liked it much better and were excited for 2016 in Starkville.
If high school football is not your “thing,” which I totally would not understand, Mississippi is rich in the junior college ranks as well. We have Goodman to the west, Scooba to the southeast and Booneville to the northeast and many more choices in between.
If football is what we are looking for, football is definitely what we will find in Mississippi on a Thursday or Friday night in the fall. I will tell you like some old sports dude once told me when I was asking him for directions to a particular football field, he said, “Just drive ‘til you see the lights.” I have utilized that bit of information more than once through the years, and it has paid off nicely in towns such as Mayhew and Sebastopol.
When everything is dark, just follow the glow; that did lead me to a power plant one time, but that is a story for another day.
The Big 3, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss, bring much excitement into their respective seasons as well. Ole Miss and MSU fans are ready for another tear inducing, nerve wracking, friend losing, divorce causing, and whatever else is painful and far-fetched season of SEC football and the up-and-coming Eagles of Southern Miss look to build on a successful year in 2015 with a new coach in former Alcorn State head coach Jay Hopson.
I find it interesting that a Southern Miss grad (Hugh Freeze) coaches Ole Miss while an Ole Miss grad (Hopson) coaches Southern Miss. Whether we get behind one of the Big 3 or follow Jackson State, Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi College or Delta State, football season in the State of Mississippi is about to take over Thursday and Friday nights as well as all day on Saturday.
It is happening, and I am ready, people…wait, the Saints are not actually in Mississippi, but they will pretty much take over Sunday for me or Monday aight, maybe even a Thursday. I’m sure we can find a few Patriot and Bronco “fans” to agree with that as well. If you like football it’s about to go down, kick off in minus 3, 2, 1….August 19 to be exact.
