MORE TO FOOTBALL THAN JUST THE GAME

For high school athletes across the nation, football is the essence of autumn.

Every Friday night, at one stadium or another, they pull jerseys over their heads and trot onto the playing field.

The fans, if they listen closely enough, can hear the shouts of excitement and the loud crack of helmets striking each other.

But there is so much more to the game than kickoffs, tackles and touchdowns.

While sons, friends and neighbors battle it out on the field, fans may chat with one another, grab a hot dog or even toss the ol' pigskin around themselves.

Some pre-teens use the time to walk around and around the stadium, taking notice of the opposite sex.

Perhaps more than anything, high school games in a small town are social events.

Sure, there are ties to the alma mater and an interest in the game, but practically everyone who is anyone is at the local stadium come Friday night.

The better the team, the larger the crowd.

Which makes Jackson High School home games some of the most packed of all.

Jackson defeated Sikeston Friday night, 21-0, bringing its record to 4-0.

Families bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on, expecting the bleachers to be full. Last Friday, Bob and Joni Berry placed themselves on a hill beside the seats to enjoy their third game since they moved here five years ago. But there will be many more, said Mrs. Berry, because their 10-year-old son wants to go.

"He says he wants to see the game, but actually he just wants to run around with his friends," she said. ~

The Berrys used to attend the Charleston High School games but didn't know many people in Jackson for the first few years.

"Now," she said, "it seems like the right thing to do."

It doesn't take long for the Berrys to meet friends at the event, and while Berry watches the team, Mrs. Berry waits patiently for the halftime show.

"I don't understand football," she said. ~"I just clap when everyone else claps."

She said she gets upset and holds her breath when a player gets knocked down, but her husband, Bob, tells her "they're fine" and not to worry!

"It must be the mom in me," she said.

Even JHS students aren't there just for the athletics. Adrian True, a sophomore, is on the track team.

While he likes sports, there is more for him to do at a football game than keep track of downs.

Even school rivalries can be put aside.

"I come out to see my friends and meet new people," True said. ~"I've met a lot of people who came to see the other team."

But fellow student Christy Etherington, senior, knows the value of a good rivalry.

A member of Huck's Angels, a special pep group named for JHS Principal Vernon Huck, Etherington's T-shirt provided the ~"I" in the phrase ~"JHS KIX BUTT!" Her friends provided the other letters and the exclamation point.

The senior's other garb included a headband and war paint to show her support for the Jackson Indians.

She gets more excited about games against Jackson's biggest rival, the Cape Girardeau Central Tigers.

The week before JHS plays Cape next Friday, the high school will sponsor Spirit Week.

Teachers demonstrate their support at the games, too, often by working in ticket booths or concession stands. When there aren't enough volunteers, school officials begin recruiting.

That is why business education teacher Debbie Hoffman takes tickets. She would attend anyway.

"I'm here to support the students," Hoffman said. "It makes a difference when they see you are interested in extracurricular activities. It makes them respect you as a teacher."

Other teachers feel much the same and sit together in a certain section of the stadium every home game.

Biology teacher Mark Goodwin is the exception.

He doesn't get to sit. As concession stand sponsor, he cooks the hot dogs and fills the cups with soda. He prefers spending his time outside the stand.

~"I have to be honest," Goodwin said. "When someone is hired by a public school, he is given certain undesirable positions. This is mine."

It is a tough job -- Goodwin gets to the games at 5 p.m. to set up concessions. By the time student help arrives at 6, fans already want their food. The stand is overwhelmed at halftime, resulting in snack shortages and long waits. After the third quarter, Goodwin closes down. Cleanup comes Saturday mornings.

But the money goes for a good cause, to fund another major social event. It isn't like football, though. It is prom night.