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I graduated school in '88. I still love to watch high school football. Tonight we drove an hour away to see a local 1A "powerhouse" school play. Pierce City is very solid. They will be decent but not as good as last year. Next week I am going to another game elsewhere.
How many of you still like to watch high school ball?

I love watching high school football. My daughter's a cheerleader, so I hit all of the games to "support her efforts". She & my wife bought it until they noticed I never went to the basketball games she cheers for.

I haven't been to a game since my high school days, but I definitely enjoy reading about the local teams and players and how they're faring in the game after high school.

High school football is even more fun to officiate! Well, most of the time anyway! I've been a high school football referee for a long time and I've always got the best seat in the house. Better yet, they pay me to be there! I can tell you that the game you watch from the stands isn't always the "game" that's going on down on the field.

If you're an American football fan, you owe it to yourself to check out a local high school game. They normally play Friday nights starting around 7:00, it's only a couple of bucks to get in, the popcorn is fresh, and you'll see very athletic kids playing their hearts out for the love of the game. Just remember to lay off the referees!

League, I also ref (basketball, volleyball and softball) and would rather watch a high school game than any other level. I enjoy watching kids playing for the love of the game rather than for money. I've been tinkering with the idea of teaching high school and coaching volleyball and golf. We'll see...

I do baseball, softball, basketball, and football but football is by far the most enjoyable for me. Good luck with the coaching thing. I tried it the last two years with my 10 year old's basketball and baseball teams and it didn't work out so well. The kids were fine but the parents were another story.

For me, high school football is the greatest. My old school has gone to the state championship the last three years straight. Lost all three, but hey- what a ride!
GO EDGEWATER EAGLES!

I love HS football.......I go to the local games and don't know a soul playing.
They hit hard and play fair for the most part. Mama's kids are out of school
and my son is not in HS yet but i love the games.

Here's a story my wife reminds me of when I comment on a football official's call:

My wife and I were just dating at the time and I had to referee a Saturday Homecoming game for a large local high school. I asked her to go with me and she agreed and sat in the crowded stands (3000+ fans) on the home team's side. I was the linesman and my position was on the line of scrimmage, across the field from the home stands.

It was a tough, close game and in the 4th quarter the home team's receiver ran an out route right in front of me, made the catch for a big first down but he was juggling the ball as he went out of bounds. I had to move to get out of his way so I was only a step or two from him and saw very clearly that he did not have possession when he ran out of bounds.

The problem was that the home fans could not see that he was juggling the ball as he stepped out of bounds and when I emphatically made my "No catch, juggled ball, incomplete pass, signals the crowed erupted in the loudest boos I've ever heard at a high school game. The game was played in an outdoor enclosed stadium and the boos just echoed loudly from across the field.

I take pride in my officiating and while I have made unpopular calls in the past, I had never been booed. On the way home, after the game, I asked my future wife what she thought and what she did when the boos started. She told me that she was sitting in the crowded stands with strangers and she hadn't mentioned that she was at the game "with the referee." She said when the boos started she got nervous but when she looked around and saw everyone around her booing their lungs out ........she started booing me too!

She's never gone to "work" with me again!

League, that is TOOOOO funny. Before I started refing, my son played basketball and in one particular game I was giving it to the refs pretty good. Well, after another "no call" I was giving it to the ref and he stopped the game and asked for the court manager to come sit by me. So the court manager which was the home teams vice principle came and sat with me the rest of the game to make sure I behaved myself. He was actually a pretty nice guy. I think my son was bit embarrased, but his team mates loved it.

I'll go to a HS football game once/season. But when HS basketball and wrestling starts I try to go to all of the hometown games and matches.

Being a referee has got to be tough! Half the crowd is going to boo you when you make a close call! Being a coach can't be too much fun either, as I listen to some of the parents in the stands. Its amazing how much they all know about the sport, tactics, etc... Much more than the coaches.

I've been both a referee and a coach and believe me........being a referee/umpire is a whole lot easier! As a sports official you see all kinds of behavior from players, coaches, fans, and parents but if you're a good official all you have to do is work hard and meet your own high standards. The rest, I don't have to deal with. Or better yet......the "rest" don't want to have to deal with me! I've ejected players, coaches, irate parents, chain gang members, and even an announcer once, but that's a whole nother story! As a referee I only have to be responsible for myself and my own conduct.

A coach? Forget it! You're not really just a coach. You're a babysitter, a psychologist, a taxi driver, and an ATM! And those are only the things the parents call you to your face. "What do you mean my little super star isn't playing shortstop and batting 4th today?" "It's your fault he looked at three straight pitches right down the middle. You aren't teaching him to swing the bat!" Or, "Why isn't my son playing more? How do you expect him to learn how to dribble if he's not in the game?"

Maybe if you brought your little super stars to practice on time and more often they'd learn the basic fundamentals and have fun playing the games. Or if you stopped yelling different (and conflicting) instructions to him every two seconds maybe he'd relax and play to his true ability! Better yet Mom and Dad, accept the fact that junior here is never going to be a 1st round draft choice, but if you let him learn and play the way most coaches are trying to teach him to, that he'll be a better player, a better person, and he'll play for more than just one year because you berated him to the point that you've killed all the fun for him!

That's my rant for the day, but believe me......I was only warming up!

I'll follow our local team in the paper but usually don't go to the games. I started playing football when I was 10 and played straight thru til my senior year in college. After playing college ball, I personally find high school ball is too slow to watch.

I do every now and then. One bad thing is our High School football team plays quite pathetically and they keep getting injured last week one got a concusion and some others got hurt as well.

but they are still fun to watch.

Hey were you coaching my team????