Jonas Pope IV/Herald Sports Editor

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To a sports writer summer time is like cruise control. You sit back in your drivers seat, take it easy and just go with the flow of things. Towards the end of July after all the summer baseball and softball teams have finished up, a person like myself takes that time to recharge the batteries and prepare for the gauntlet of fall sports that's just around the corner.

I went on a little vacation to cool my jets, recharge the engine and prepared mentally for the marathon of high school sports that will begin in full swing next week. So from late July until early August I was counting down my last few free Friday's I had remaining, with this past Friday, August 8th, being the last one for a long time.

So how did I spend my last Friday as a free man? I'll tell you how - on the sidelines at a football scrimmage. I can't help it, I told you all before that I am a football junkie. And it's that time of the year!

I attended the inter-squad Red-White scrimmage at Northeast Academy Friday night, even though I tried to talk myself out of going. Trust me, I had tons of other things I should have been doing. I kept telling myself, ‘there is plenty of football ahead,' or ‘it's pretty much just a practice, go out and enjoy your Friday night while you still can.' In the end I couldn't convince myself and before I knew it I was in my truck and talking the short trip to Lasker, and arrived 10 minutes early- yes to a scrimmage. I couldn't fight the urged, I had to see some hits and I needed to see it bad. It was a chance for me to see my first live action of 2008 and I wasn't going to miss it.

Unfortunately I'm drawn to Friday night lights like a mouth to a flame. Even when I try to stay away I can't fight it. I could have sat at home and kicked my feet up, but my rational was that after being spoiled sitting down during basketball and baseball season, I needed to get my football legs back under me by pacing the sidelines Friday. Coaches, players and referees need scrimmages to get back into the swing of things and so do sports writers. At least that's what I told myself to make me feel better.

Football consumes my life 12 months a year, but I'm only tempted from August to January. A guy can only watch so many games on NFL Replay. It's time for the real thing and I'm pinching my nose and jumping in feet first. Now I can eat, sleep and breath football.

My nephew is playing football for the first time in his life in Raleigh. Since the start of practice I call him on a regular basis to find out how practice is going, what kind of drills they are doing and more importantly how does he like full contact. Each time I get the feeling I'm more interested in talking about the game a lot more than he is. Well he better get use to it.

I was able to get a sneak peak Friday, but starting this week things will be on full display for Roanoke Valley fans. I mean the summer passing league was fun to watch, but now we are really getting down to business. I'm glad I was able to get started a week earlier.