Every football fan has a trigger, and it could be almost anything.

For some, it’s when NFL teams report to training camp or the release of the latest NCAA or Madden video games. For others, it’s as early as the release of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine or as late as the Little League World Series on TV.

No matter what the trigger is, there’s one moment every year when a euphoria rushes over football fans, when it’s undeniable — the season is upon us.

Waco High’s Oshema Johnson makes a catch in front of Cleburne’s Jose Martinez (10) and teammate Jeremy Collins (left) last season.
Duane A. Laverty/Tribune-Herald

Mine hit much later this year than normal, thanks in large part to the Texas Rangers soaring to the top of the American League West and looking like a true contender for the first time in what seems like ages.

But on Thursday, there was no denying it. My time had come.

While athletes from area teams filled out questionnaires and had their mug shots taken at the Trib’s annual High School Football Media Day in Baylor’s “B” Association Room at Floyd Casey Stadium, I wandered trying to make sure everything was in order.

Content that I had a moment to kill, I decided to listen in on a conversation between coaches Grady Rowe of Troy and Tim Seward of McGregor.

The topic was the events of Nov. 6, 2009, when their respective schools dueled for the District 16-2A championship.

For the record, McGregor won the game, 50-48, in triple overtime, to clinch the crown and an undefeated regular season en route to a berth in the state quarterfinals. It was an absolute classic, a game nobody involved with soon forget.

But that’s not what this conversation was about.

The coaches recalled how there was a lot of smack talk flying from both sides early in the contest, but by the end, a sense of mutual respect had overshadowed any hostility.

Seward even remarked that his Bulldogs were excited about winning for about a minute before they were too tired to celebrate anymore.

As Rowe and Seward continued to converse, I glanced nearby and saw that Troy and McGregor players had staked out spots at adjacent tables and were trading friendly banter back and forth.

Apparently, the respect they’d gained for one another on that fateful November evening hadn’t been lost.

It’s an interesting dynamic about sports. After the initial jubilation or agony from the final result fades, players on both teams begin to realize just how special the game actually was and it’s a moment that binds them.

In fact, one of the questionnaire items asked, “If you could play for any school in Central Texas — other than your own — which one would it be?” One McGregor player replied, “Probably Troy, for the simple fact that they’re an even match with us.”

Certainly last year, it was as even as it gets.

Oh, by the way, McGregor and Troy just happen to be the only two teams from the former 16-2A that are still in the same district under the new alignment. They’ll meet again Oct. 15 in Troy, and here’s hoping for another great game.

But none of that mattered Thursday — at least not to me.

No, all I could think of for the brief time I listened to Rowe and Seward was the rush that had come over me because it was actually here, and there’s no turning back.

Welcome to football season.

jorts@wacotrib.com

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