Friday night. Lights. Action. Popcorn popping. Kids manning the concession stands, serving $1 hot dogs and 50-cent candy bars. Cheerleaders leading the crowd. Kids flirting. Parents in agony and ecstasy.
It’s the classic American scene staged on fields across the nation.
Tonight, high school football gets serious with a full slate of games.
The glamour game matches two-time defending state champion Mullen, ranked No. 1 in The Denver Post/9News preseason poll, against No. 4 Chaparral.
“It’s a chance to play the best and see where we are at,” Chaparral coach John Vogt said.
But that’s hardly the only game in town.
Up in Loveland, Thompson Valley coach Michael DeWall will be dealing with a case of the jitters. Not just first-week jitters, but first-week-at-a-new-school-that-didn’t-win-a-game-last-season jitters.
DeWall inherited the 0-10 Eagles when he moved over after eight seasons at Class 2A Platte Valley, where he won the 2007 title. He’s spent the summer, as he puts it, “trying to change the culture.”
“That’s been the biggest difference right now,” De-Wall said. “After eight years at Platte Valley, the culture was established. It was less work to get to where I felt real comfortable on Friday night. There’s so much that goes on under the radar that people don’t see on Friday nights that goes into making a great program.”
And how’s this for a first test? Thompson Valley gets crosstown rival Mountain View, the preseason Class 3A No. 1 whose campus is a 15-minute drive across Loveland. The game is one prong of the battle for city bragging rights, with Loveland High completing the triangle.
And the weekend tests are not limited to Friday night. On Saturday night, in eight-man football on Colorado’s high plains, third-ranked Walsh plays at No. 4 Hoehne. Let the games begin.
Ryan Casey: 303-954-1983 or rcasey@denverpost.com
AROUND TOWN
The Sky Sox are the limit.
It’s been an up-and-down Triple-A season — in more ways than one — for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. With player call-ups and options down, and streaks up and skids down the Pacific Coast League standings, they’ve about seen it all.
This weekend, the Sky Sox put a cap on their season with a four-game homestand against the Sacramento River Cats, starting today and going through Monday.
For Rockies fans, it will be a chance to see some familiar names among manager Stu Cole’s crew, including first baseman Brad Eldred (.263, 28 home runs in the minors this year); outfielder Jay Payton (.330, 36 doubles); and second baseman Kaz Matsui (.253).
For Sky Sox fans, revel in the Security Service Field promotions, including fireworks on Friday and 50-cent hot dogs on Sunday.
STAY ON THE COUCH
Pennant chase heats up.
The Rockies get the national TV treatment Saturday during a three-game series against the NL West-leading Padres in San Diego. Or, more accurately, the Rox will be in the regional spotlight, as one of three games airing on Fox in the afternoon.
Fox stumbled into a hefty set of games with severe divisional implications. Along with Rox-Pads, the net will air NL Central-leading Cincinnati vs. St. Louis and AL division leaders Minnesota vs. Texas.
The Rockies have been tied with the Cardinals in the wild-card standings of late, so Fox’s cutaways from the Colorado game to highlights of the other games will, for once, be welcome.
The Rockies’ game airs at 2 p.m. on KDVR-31.
GET OFF THE COUCH
New 5K Sets the Pace in City Park.
The Labor Day weekend is prime time for late-summer runs and rides and hikes, with a calendar jammed full of races from Cheyenne to Crested Butte. Some are mainstays; some are favorites.
But City Park in Denver on Sunday will welcome a new race to the holiday weekend — the Set the Pace for Prostate Cancer 5K runs Sunday, staring at 8:30 a.m.
Kids can do the Dash for Dad 100-yard run, or clans with attention-depleted wee ones can complete the one-mile family fun walk.
Whichever way, whatever distance, the race sets out to promote prostate cancer screening, education and research. See for more information.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
The beach meets the mountains.
A day after the Wide Open Tour kicked off its beach volleyball stop in Breckenridge last month, the top-dog AVP Tour folded in a coincidental but far-reaching move that has altered the netters scene across the country.
All of a sudden, the Wide Open became the elite league. And in the AVP’s void, several smaller tournaments took on bigger, better fields.
Which brings us to this weekend’s Motherlode Volleyball Classic in Aspen. The 38th edition of the venerable tournament is bracing for a flood of high-quality teams and a bigger bracket.
For fans, it means mountain beach volleyball with skilled, entertaining teams. Tournament runs through Monday. For schedules, check .
Nick Groke, The Denver Post
