Shelley: Not a bad way to start the season

Last week the high school football season kicked off in fashion.

Rarely does a season opener come with such drama and excitement as the Wadley-Horseshoe Bend game, or as much build-up and spectacle as the Handley-Heard County game.

Starting with Thursday night, walking into the Wadley stadium I wasn’t expecting to see much of a ball game.

I’ve heard Horseshoe Bend was going to be a major contender this year and since Wadley’s numbers are down, I didn’t give the Bulldogs much of a chance.

Never will I underestimate those guys again.

Wadley came out on a mission. They were a team on fire in the first quarter. After the score became 20-0 in Wadley’s favor with just over three minutes left in the opening quarter, I was beginning to think the game would be a runaway for the Dogs.

I underestimated the strength of that rivalry though.

Horseshoe Bend came charging back and took the lead.

The pace of the game slowed in the second half from the break-neck speed of the first half.

Wadley crept back into contention. Then the safety with a little over five minutes left in the game put Wadley ahead by one point.

I don’t remember ever hearing the Wadley crowd go that crazy. It was something else.

In the end, the Generals won it. But if I were a Wadley fan, I sure wouldn’t be hanging my head.

Yes, it was one of those losses that just crush you when it happens. I know the feeling all too well from my high school days. But with around 22 kids on the roster, putting on that kind of show for the home crowd and giving it every last once of effort is nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing at all.

And that was just the first game of the season.

My message to the Wadley players is if you play every game with the intensity I saw Thursday night, only good things can happen for the program this year.

I was skeptical about how the Bulldogs would do this season. Not any more. The bar has been set high after that game. If in nothing else but intensity and effort.

Friday night I went to Wright Field to catch the Handley game against Heard County. A classic Alabama versus Georgia football game.

There seemed to be a lot of those games Friday night. Central Phenix City beat Shaw, Ga., Oxford beat Carrolton, Ga., Briarwood Christian beat Eagle’s Landing Ga., and Barbour County beat Stewart County, Ga.

Handley’s win over Heard County was another notch in not just the Tigers’ belt, but the belt of Alabama high school football.

Adding to the excitement of the first Friday night game in Roanoke were the pre-game festivities.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen or even heard of a helicopter delivering the game ball on the field prior to the game. Much less at a 3A school.

But that’s how they do it at Handley High School. Big time programs bring a big time spectacle.

The game, of course, didn’t disappoint. It was exciting but not in the same way the Wadley game the night before was.

There was no roller coaster of emotion for the Handley Tigers Friday night. It was strictly business as usual. Which at Wright Field, is pretty darn exciting.

It was more or less an offensive exhibition for the Tigers. Needless to say, I had plenty of big plays to pick from for our web exclusive Play of the Week.

It’s what I’ve come to expect from a Handley game. Lots of grinding. Lots of dashing. Lots of deadly rushing.

That’s my kind of football. Chew up the clock and gobble up chunks of yardage with excellent blocking and stellar running.

And I can’t forget the defense for Handley. Again, it’s typical Tiger defense. They hit you hard and they hit you fast. Then they give the ball back to the offense. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Like I said, my kind of football.

So if the rest of the season is as exciting as the first week, we’re all in for quite a treat around here.