When I’m courtside, by the dugout or on the sideline, people often ask me what my favorite sport to cover is. I don’t have an easy answer to that question, as any sport has its benefits, whether the stories are more fun to write, the pictures turn out better, the games are more exciting or the environment is intense. But when August rolls around and it’s time for some Friday Night Lights, it’s hard not to lean in that direction.
I didn’t have long to get hyped for Marion County’s season opener Friday night, as we at the C-P office were spending long hours throughout the week putting together this year’s football magazine. It was quite the process, as it usually is, to put it all together, but it’s always a rewarding feeling when you pick up that first copy after it arrives by mail.
But when I made it to CA just before the Cougars took the field against Cathedral, I felt a rush of adrenaline that I had not felt since December. I’ve covered some big games since then, including a state championship in basketball and baseball, but nothing compares to a big-time football game. For starters, the fan turnout for a football game trumps every other sport under the sun in the South. An entire community comes together for the boys in pads, no matter if it’s the season opener, a playoff game or any other game. It’s appointment viewing, and, put simply, it’s a spectacle.
This game felt different, though. Columbia Academy hasn’t done a whole lot of winning post-Covid, and fan attitude has followed those lines. It’s not exclusive to CA, but plenty of fans show up for the first half and leave after the halftime ceremonies, either by the band, cheerleaders or dance team. That tends to happen when the football program isn’t in top condition. CA as a program has been middling as of late, but you wouldn’t have thought it if you were there Friday night.
It had to have been one of the largest crowds at CA in the last decade, and there was no mass exodus to the parking lot at the intermission. The Cougar faithful stuck around, despite all the momentum shifting towards Cathedral’s side after CA threw a 99-yard pick-six at the horn. But this feels like a new Columbia Academy program, and much of that is thanks to Joey Hawkins, the new head coach who came out of a seven-year retirement this offseason. Despite comeback victories being a rarity for so long, the fans in the stands had faith. And that resonated on the sidelines when the Cougars were able to dominate the fourth quarter and win 25-21 against an MAIS Class 5A opponent.
Seeing a beautiful passing game is a sight to behold, but when it comes to high school football, I love a physical running game. CA ditched a shotgun-centric attack in favor of a variation of the Wing-T, similar to what Jeff Davis County and Bassfield before it perfected, and it worked like a charm in Week 1. Cathedral defenders had hands on their hips while the Cougars continued to run it down their throat until Carson Stuart scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the game. Jackson Speir perhaps best categorized the game with a play, as, with time winding down and CA needing a first down to put the game on ice, he bulldozed through a would-be tackler to plow forward for a first down, allowing quarterback Noah Fortenberry to end the game in victory formation.
The joy displayed by players, coaches and fans was tangible, and it’s exactly what makes football stand out above all other sports.
The Pickoff
College football is back. Though it may be called Week 0, there is at least one game that has real stakes for the 2024 season – well, one. The Florida State Seminoles and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets travel to Dublin, Ireland to open the season Saturday, with FSU looking to continue its momentum after its playoff snub last season.
Georgia Tech should give Florida State a strong test, and the variable of playing overseas adds an entirely new element to this ACC clash. It could be a 40-point Florida State win, it could be a three-point Florida State win. I think the ‘Noles pull it out, but I’m hoping it’s a tight game that kicks the season off right.
Play of the Week
This one was a no-doubter in Marion County.
In the aforementioned football season opener, CA trailed 21-12 early in the fourth quarter. On the Cougars’ first offensive snap of the period, quarterback Noah Fortenberry, who had thrown two interceptions already, aired it out downfield for freshman Bentley Myers. When Fortenberry let go of the ball, the freshman speedster was blanketed by a Cathedral defender as he was streaking down the sideline. Myers had waved his hand in the air early in the route to call for the ball, and his quarterback trusted him enough to throw caution in the wind. By the time Cathedral’s cornerback turned his head to find the ball, it was already in the hands of Myers, and he broke away to reach paydirt after a 77-yard score.
The pendulum completely swung in CA’s favor, and it propelled the Cougars to their first 1-0 start since 2021.
