Now that my youngest daughter is a proud member of the high school band, I recently got my first taste of that fall tradition that is celebrated in towns all over America – the Friday night high school football game.

Now, you must understand that the town I live in has a population of about 400 people, and the high school itself also has a student body of around 400 (basically doubling the size of town on any given school day).  A school that small is already at a disadvantage when it comes to the pool of talent it can draw from for sports and after-school activities.

When I was a wee lad, the local high school (and yes – it was my alma mater) just didn’t offer all of the fall sports that the other “larger” county schools had.  There was no football – we were a soccer school.  In the fall, you either played soccer, volleyball (for the gals), or you ran cross-country.  End of story.

You could also be in the band.  Back in the day, being in the high school band was serious business.  Over a quarter of the student body was in the marching band, whether it be as a musician or in the band front (the assorted rifle spinners, baton twirlers, flag wavers, and what-not).  It was also quite competitive.  The quest to be the county’s best band was as cut-throat and ruthless as the challenge to be its best sports team.  Our school had a great band.  When we hit the street (marching with over 120 kids) – you knew it.  Band also didn’t interfere that much with the fall sports, as there was no need for a half-time show at the soccer game, volleyball game, or cross-country meet, so it was easily possible to play a sport AND be in the band with little or no conflicts.

Fast forward to 2017.

Over the years, my little high school has joined the ranks of schools that offer a myriad of fall sports, such as golf, archery, girls soccer, and that beloved of fall traditions – football.

Now, as you can probably imagine, when you add more options for activities, but the student population remains the same size – something has got to give.  Students now have to make some hard choices, as juggling some of these sports and other extra-curricular opportunities becomes an almost impossible task.  Sure, a kid can play in the band and be on the football team (some do), but it’s not easy (and most parents will force a choice to one or the other out of sheer scheduling sanity).

The result?

Well, that once mighty marching band that routinely included over ¼ of the student body?  It’s down to about twenty-five kids.  Sure, we still have a soccer team, but now it also competes with the football squad for bodies.  The football team itself only suits up about twenty players, so as you can imagine, there is a lot of “ironman” positioning going on (students who play both offense and defense).  The center is probably also a defensive lineman, so he’s getting banged up all night with little or no breaks in between.

It’s hard to be successful at anything when you are trying to do everything.  Everyone does their best, but it is just difficult to be good – or even competitive – with those types of participation numbers.  On Friday night, the football team got beat 50-7 (they may not win a game all year).  The band performed their halftime show and the kids played their hearts out – sounding and looking as good as a band can with two dozen kids on the field.

Not to say that great things can’t happen.  We’ve got a tremendous boys soccer team this year.  It is one of those “once in a decade” situations where you gather a bunch of talented kids that are hitting on all cylinders.  The team is also loaded with ten seniors – all of whom can play – so the stars are aligned for a winning season on the soccer pitch.

So what does it all mean?  Well, I’ll dress warmly and do my part, cheering from the stands for the home team on Friday nights and clapping for the band at halftime, but I’m not expecting any miracles.

It’s going to be a rugged Homecoming game.