It's the last Friday in October, Halloween weekend, and we're loading up the equipment and heading north on Highway 5 toward Camdenton.
The regular season is behind us, and tonight Lebanon and Camdenton meet in the first round of the district playoffs.
I've made that trip plenty of times over the years, including three times as a football player for Lebanon. We didn't win any of those games, so I'm probably not the guy anyone needs giving advice on how to beat the Lakers... ever.
But I remember playing them.
My sophomore year, we had a really talented senior class and every opportunity to win that game. We just couldn't finish it. My junior year wasn't particularly memorable for the right reasons, but my senior year was different. We lost by a touchdown, and while I couldn't tell you every play, I still remember how I felt afterward.
It's funny what sticks with you from high school. There are plenty of things from those years I couldn't tell you much about today, but I remember those games.
We've spent this week sharing scores from past Lebanon and Camdenton matchups, going back to 2008, and I've enjoyed reading the comments as much as putting the posts together.
Former players remembering games they played in. Fans bringing up moments from years ago. People from both communities sharing their side of the rivalry. Some of those games happened nearly 20 years ago, and people still have plenty to say about them.
Reading those comments has made me think about the games we're covering now. Twenty years from now, somebody might be looking back at one of our broadcasts, remembering a play or a moment that meant something to them.
I like knowing we're helping preserve a little of that.
But tonight isn't about the games I played in or the scores we've been posting all week. It's about this group of Yellowjackets and what they can do against Camdenton.
And I'm looking forward to this one a little differently than I would have a few years ago.
For Jacket Nation Sports, August 1 is pretty much the unofficial start of our busy season. From then until the last football game, whenever that might be, our lives revolve around practices, content, sponsors, travel, and Friday night broadcasts.
There are long days, late nights, and usually a few ideas we've talked ourselves into that sounded a lot easier when we came up with them.
It's a lot. But I love it.
Football brings a lot of people to Jacket Nation Sports. That's not a secret. We're working hard to grow audiences for basketball, volleyball, baseball, and the other sports and activities we cover, and football gives us a chance to introduce more people to that work.
But after three years of doing this, football season has started to mean something different to me, too.
We've gotten to know a lot of these kids.
Some better than others. Some through our Creator Program, others through interviews, games, or just running into them around town. And some we've watched play for years without ever having much more than a quick conversation.
Those relationships have changed how I watch the games.
When we started Jacket Nation Sports, Scout and Levi were two of the first kids who believed in what we were trying to do. They were willing to help when we were still figuring a lot of it out ourselves.
They've graduated now, and we've felt their absence. Not because we're looking for someone to replace them, but because they became part of what made doing this enjoyable. We learned a lot from having them around.
And we've continued getting to know more kids along the way.
I remember Beckett York getting his first start as a sophomore after an injury during the jamboree. We've watched him play football and baseball over the last few years, and now he's a senior getting ready for a playoff game against Camdenton.
Malachi Simmonds is another kid we've gotten to know pretty well. We've watched him develop as a football player, but through our Creator Program, we've also had the chance to work with him and see what he can do away from the field.
Gage Starnes is a sophomore. We're still getting to know him, and we've got a couple more years to watch his story develop.
And then there's Austin Johnson.
Austin was also part of our Creator Program, and I've gotten to know him personally. He got hurt against Carthage in Week 2 and spent most of the season working to get back on the field.
I've seen some of the frustration and emotion that came with that. It's one thing to watch a kid get injured during a football game. It's another to get to know him and see what not being able to play has been like.
Last Friday night at Waynesville, Austin finally got back on the field.
Lebanon won 56–23, and there were plenty of big plays to talk about. But seeing Austin out there again was one of the things I was happiest about.
A few years ago, I would've watched that game as a Lebanon fan, excited about the win and getting ready for the playoffs.
I still watch that way. But now I'm also paying attention to things I probably wouldn't have noticed before.
And those are just a few examples. There are plenty of other players on this team, along with coaches and everyone else involved, who've put a tremendous amount of work into this season. We don't have to know every kid personally to appreciate what they've done.
I think that's one of the things I've enjoyed most about Jacket Nation Sports. We started out wanting to cover games and give people a better way to watch Lebanon sports. We're still doing that, but we've also gotten to know some really good young people in the process.
Some of those kids have even helped us get better at what we do.
Tonight, we'll head to Camdenton with a little extra responsibility.
Because it's the postseason, our broadcast will be on MSHSAA TV, where viewers will have to pay $10 to watch. That's not a decision we make, but we understand that when people are paying for something they've watched free all season, they expect a good experience.
So we'll spend the day making sure the cameras, graphics, audio, and everything else are ready. Kevin and David will be preparing for the call, and the rest of us will be trying to make sure they have everything they need.
There will probably be something that doesn't cooperate. There usually is.
But that's our job, and it's a job we take seriously.
What I'm looking forward to most, though, is the football game.
I've spent the week reading comments from people who played in this rivalry years ago, remembering a few of those games myself, and getting ready to head back down Highway 5.
Only this time, I'm going with a group of people who have spent months working to make sure everybody back home can watch.
And we're going to cover a team full of kids we've spent the last few years getting to know.
I want to see Beckett and the rest of these seniors keep playing. I want to see Austin get more opportunities after everything he's worked through. I want to see what Malachi, Gage, and the rest of this team can do against Camdenton.
I want to see Lebanon win.
And yes, part of me just wants another Friday night. Another week of figuring out how we're going to get everything done, another road trip, another broadcast, and another chance to watch these kids play.
We've been doing this long enough now that I know football season doesn't last forever. Neither does high school.
But I'm not quite ready for either one to be over.
So let's go beat Camdenton and worry about all that another week.
Tonight's Class 5 District 5 playoff matchup between Lebanon and Camdenton will be available through MSHSAA TV for $10. You can find it here:
https://www.mshsaa.tv/?B=4691835