2022 Year In Review

2022 Year In Review

After the last two years, it’s hard to say that a season was unusual. 2020 had so many twists and turns. Including spring games until June in New York City. Last year, there was some turbulence with scheduling. And I hurt my back after my trip to Arizona and things went downhill as the season went on.

This year, I was mostly healthy. Though getting older is not without its pitfalls. And things seemed to go on as planned. But my entire year had been affected by things including the economy and personal matters. I usually have a rather open personal life in the fall for football. And just work a bit more in the first eight months of the year. 2022 wasn’t that year. Continue reading “2022 Year In Review”

2021 Year In Review

2021 Year In Review

After an unimaginable 2020 season, this year was a bit more relaxed. Though rushed. With the previous season ending in June, there was little downtime before the 2021 season started. This affected my usual summer plans, as well as made the financial planning a bit more precarious. I wasn’t sure, in the summer, just how much I would or could do. But, I was intent on doing as much as possible. And though a lot was ‘old’, there was a lot of ‘new’ thrown in. Including my month long trip around the middle of the country. Continue reading “2021 Year In Review”

2020 Year In Review

2020 Year In Review

Unlike in past years, I can safely say that 2020 was a year unlike any other. As the season neared, there was an increasing likelihood of there not even being a season. Covid-19 was having its way with most everyone’s plans. And at some point I had resigned myself to just going with the flow and see what happens.

And for better or worse, 2020 had turned into one of my most memorable and somehow enjoyable seasons I’ve ever had. My third full year covering games for PA Football News took me on a wild ride to places I both wanted to go but hadn’t and places I never knew I wanted to. And I managed to knock off a few bucket-list worthy locales along the way. Continue reading “2020 Year In Review”

2018 Year In Review

2018 Year In Review

This was an interesting year. In 2014, I saw 127 games during the high school football season. Which was 27 more than I had ever seen in a single season. Since then, my goal has been seeing games in new places, rather than just going for the most I could see. Last year saw new trips to South Dakota and Minnesota. This year, the plan included a few new places. In addition to games at Ball State and Tennessee Tech, I happened to find state title games in North Carolina. In all, I attended 118 games on the season. Continue reading “2018 Year In Review”

2017 Year in Review

Burgettstown v. Brownsville -- September 30, 2017
Burgettstown v. Brownsville — September 30, 2017

2017 Year In Review

After two years of seeing fewer games than the previous year, I stemmed the tide this year attending 86 high school football games in person. Due to scheduling, my wife only attended 24 with me. She traveled everywhere except Texas this season. But with work and schooling, decided to stay in whatever hotel we were staying.

As with previous recaps, this is a breakdown of my travels. This year, I attended games in 13 different states. One state new for the first time: South Dakota. Of the 19 weekends, I attended games on 18 different weekends. My first game of the year was August 17th in Strawberry Plains, Tennessee. And the last game was on December 22nd in Arlington, Texas.

I attended games in 49 different stadiums in 48 different cities or towns. I saw 165 different teams this season. 90 of those teams for the first time.

Continue reading “2017 Year in Review”

2016 Year in Review

2016 Year In Review

I attended the fewest games in a season since 2011, though still managed to attend 84 high school football games in person. My wife attended 63 games alongside me. And despite attending 43 games fewer than I did in in 2014, I had a very good reason. Earlier this past year, my wife and I welcomed our first child. A beautiful, little girl who both requires and deserves a lot of my time. And, throughout her first eight months, she attended 48 games with us.

Keeping with previous years, this is a breakdown of my travels. This year, I attended games in 9 different states. I attended games on 18 different weekends. My first game of the year was August 18th in Clinton, Tennessee and the last game was on December 17th in Arlington, Texas. I watched games in 51 different stadiums in 50 different cities or towns in 9 different states. I saw 145 different teams in those 84 games. In all the games I attended, the only game I missed part was Niles McKinley-Girard. The line was much longer than I expected and got into the game a few minutes after kickoff, and with the ensuing lightning delays, we left during the second delay at the end of the third quarter.

In games I’ve attended, there were 4,198 points scored, for an average of 49.97 points per game (1.00/game more than last year). The cumulative score was 3,010 to 1,188 for an average score of 35.833 to 14.143 compared to 34.61-14.361 average last year. There were 13 shutouts–three more than last year despite 13 fewer games attended–and the most points scored was 96 by Richland Springs in a 6-Man championship game in Texas. The most for an 11-man game was Meadville (PA)’s 67 against Grove City (PA).

Most games witnessed in one week was 12 in Week 17 (Wednesday through Saturday) in Arlington, Texas. The fewest games in one week was 3 in Week 2. I didn’t attend a Thursday game that weekend.

Continue reading “2016 Year in Review”

2015 Year in Review

2015 Year In Review

After three straight years attending at least 100 high school football games in person, I fell just short of triple digits this year. Mostly due to my own decisions on which games to attend. I attended 97 high school football games. My wife, who I married earlier this year, though, managed to attend 90 of those games. Which puts her at 204 in the last two years. Of those 97 games, two were 8-man games in Iowa.

Continue reading “2015 Year in Review”

2014 Year in Review

2014 Year in Review

Shaker Heights v. Stow-Munroe Falls in Shaker Heights, OH -- 9/27/14
Shaker Heights Archway — September 27, 2014

After two straight years of watching 100 high school football games in person, I blew by that number with ease. This year I had several big weekends around the country and had reached 100 in time for a Thursday night game in Baltimore in Week 15. By the end of the season, I had witnessed in person 127 high school football games. My girlfriend was with me for 114 of them. Of the games I saw, 3 games were 8-man (Iowa and Nebraska) and 1 was 9-man (Minnesota).

Now, as I’ve done in the past, this is a breakdown of my travels. This year I had seen games in 15 different states. I saw games on 19 different weekends. My first game of the year was on August 21st in Chattanooga, Tennessee and the last was on December 27th in Boca Raton, Florida. I watched games in 53 different venues in 52 different cities in 15 different states. I saw 240 different teams from 17 different states play. Of the 127 games I saw, 124 were complete games, while three games were finishes that I saw after another game ended (once), that was a postponement that had already played a quarter (once) or I was sick and arrived around halftime (once).

Continue reading “2014 Year in Review”

2013 Year in Review

 2013 Year in Review

September 6, 2013 - Hickory v. Greenville
September 6, 2013 – Hickory v. Greenville

Once again, I went into the last week of the season in line to see 100 games in a year. This year, I had seen 90 games through 17 weeks with Texas’ planned ten championship games remaining. For the third year, I drove to Arlington, Texas for those games and must admit it should be on the bucket list of any high school football fan. After the Cedar Hill-Katy game, I had totaled 100 games for the second straight year.

As I’ve done the past few years, this is a breakdown of my travels. Continue reading “2013 Year in Review”