One down, who knows how many more to go

One year deep in sports coverage I find myself right back where it all began and I can't believe it.

Football practice begins tomorrow (Friday), and it's like a dream come true, as it certainly is for many of the common fanatics.

It seems like the end of the world when Super Bowl parties come to a close and although there's baseball and Nascar, there's not another outdoor football game for eight months – not unless it's in your back yard.

At that same point in the dwelling process one may recall the wonders of fantasy football, knowing Saturday is game day (and a reason to say "bite me" to jack frost), and knowing Sunday afternoons will be dedicated to a computer screen and flat-screen plasma.

Every year by at least April most have completely forgotten about these things that with which we so seriously dread to part ways.

It's about time to do some research on the high school teams. Although I don't really believe it, at one point in last year's chaotic season it began to look like I was bad luck for both Knightdale and East Wake. It seemed the team I didn't cover each week either played better, or won the game. Of course, there were only four wins between the two teams, but that made me believe the jinx even more. Relief came in the final
game of the season as I realized one of my two teams had to win in the game against each other.

Well, I'm hoping this year to prove words like these are fighting words – that I should have my hind-end worn out for even speaking in such a manner.

I haven't heard much from Knightdale, but know the new coach Kamelio Johnson is a good guy with a knack for work ethic. Unity seems to play a key role with a young team in a setting like Knightdale, and not to say coach Dunbar couldn't translate the work on the field, but a complete overhaul in the way things are done may be just what the team needs to get the ball rolling.

All I can say for East Wake is what I know from listening to the players during other sporting events. They seem to think things will change this year, and the tone didn't sound self-centered or big-headed. It sounded more like "we certainly aren't going 2-9 this season, I don't care what we have to do."

For the teams, and for myself in foolish guilt, I hope this proves true when the banners are broken and the first helmets clash. We're in the one-month range now, almost time to pump up the pride.