Finally the time for the return of Friday night lights

It is high school football time and credit the organizers of the Cumberland Falls Pigskin Classic with bringing the annual opener to Redhound Football back with a vengeance.

While Corbin and Williamsburg will not be lining up against each other, fans will be able to see both programs at Campbell Field Friday night as the Yellow Jackets will play in the first game against Oneida, Tennessee.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

High school football is constantly about changes as players graduate and new players are called upon to take up the slack.

Who is going to step up and fill Gavin Thomas’ shoes at Williamsburg?

Thomas definitely made quarterback Sydney Bowen look good on a number of occasions hauling down passes in spectacular fashion after Bowen seemingly threw it up for grabs.

Jayden Rainwater, who is returning for his senior season, appeared to be developing that knack, so Bowen will again have that safety net.

In addition, Bowen has a year of experience under center to call upon. He will be one of the Jacket leaders in 2021.

I have witnessed it time and again, but I am still amazed how Coach Jerry Herron, Jr. can appear on the brink of disaster knowing so many players are graduating in May.

Yet when the Jackets hit the field in August, the beat goes on and the winning continues.

Williamsburg is rolling out 48 players, which is double the number of some Class A teams from a team that went to the Class A final four.

In the second game, Corbin is going to play its first game under the new and improved Campbell Field lights against Christ School out of Arden, North Carolina.

Christ School won its first North Carolina State Football title in 2020. Head Coach Nick Luhm resigned, though he is continuing to teach at the school.

Corbin Coach Tom Greer has continued to seek out some stellar competition for the Redhounds in an effort to get them ready for the playoffs and the eventual matchup with the likes of Johnson Central and/or defending state champion Boyle County.

Defending 4A runnerup Franklin County, Pulaski County from 5A and Simon Kenton and Campbell County out of northern Kentucky are all on the schedule.

In addition, there are district opponents Knox Central and Wayne County.

I think if he could get the game, Greer would eagerly load up his Redhounds for the trip to Louisville to perienial 6A powerhouses Trinity or St. Xavier.

For those of you who saw the Redhounds in action in 2020, the 2021 version is going to look very familiar. Quarterback Cameron Combs has Seth Mills in the backfield.

TreyVeon Longmire, who is moving to the backfield, along Mills, Dakota Patterson and Brody Wells will be among Combs’ arsenal of weapons.

The Redhounds must replace two of their top tacklers on defense, but return a number of defensive starters.

If you look at the Corbin football stats from any given game in 2020, it is multiple players on both sides of the ball making contributions. Coach Greer has shown that knack for filling the holes created by graduations while the younger players increase their impact with another year under the belt.

Whitley County has several pieces returning led by quarterback Caden Petrey.

Petrey will have a number of his receivers back including Mason Croley and Sam Harp.

How balanced will the Colonels be on offense as they seek to replace leading rusher Woody Lawson?

Whitley County will also be returning several of its top defensive players including several that got playing time as freshmen in 2020.

Painful as that experience was, they are returning to the field having with first-hand knowledge of varsity football.

And what impact will new Coach Zeke Eier have on the attitude at Colonels Stadium?

When a new coach is speaking to the faithful upon being hired, there are the traditional words about it being the ideal job and not wanting to go anywhere else…until the next ideal job comes along.

Having heard the speech multiple times, it is difficult to take it seriously. Coach Eier is coming from the University of the Cumberlands Football Program, so it remains to be seen if there is another ideal job out there.

If he can get the students at Whitley County High School to buy in, he can go a long way in improving the program just by pumping up the number of players. A win Friday at Perry County Central would give the Colonels some momentum going into Eier’s home debut on Aug. 27 against Corbin.

As I said in a previous column, local high school football needs a Whitley County program that is competitive.

Lynn Camp is also attempting to rebound, coming off of a winless campaign in 2020 and a head coaching change in the offseason.

New Coach Mark Huddleston is hitting the field with 21 players, down slightly from the 26 that suited up for the Wildcats in 2020.

Huddleston’s debut, which had been scheduled for Friday night against Jellico will now occur on Aug. 27 during a road trip to Frankfort.

The Jellico game has been rescheduled for Sept. 30.

Senior quarterback Tylen Smith is among the returning players with varsity experience.

Again, painful as it was, multiple players have varsity game experience.

Again, from a previous column, class A football is great because just a few of the right players can have a big impact on a program’s fortunes from one year to the next.

Huddleston and the Wildcats are going to face several tests this season, including the semi-annual bus ride to Williamsburg. But that is set for late October, and the only thing on the Wildcats’ radar right now is the arrival of Jellico Friday night, which is a winnable game.

Lynn Camp quickly ending any talk about an on-going losing streak will make it an even smoother transition for Coach Huddleston.

Barring something unforeseen, Corbin and Williamsburg are again playing football into December in class 4A and A, respectively, while Whitley County and Lynn Camp take huge steps on the road back to respectability in class 5A and A.

Fluke plays, the next Rudy Rutiger or Vince Papale making a play, or any of a million other things could upset the entire apple cart. Be sure to get out to the local fields on Friday nights and root the Hounds, Jacket, Colonels and Wildcats on to victory!