"We're starting with a bang."
That's what Southlake Carroll coach Hal Wasson said about Friday's opener against Allen.
The fans should certainly get a lot of bang for their buck. Allen (No. 1 in SportsDay's area 5A rankings) vs. No. 2 Carroll at Dragon Stadium. You've got to love how high school football teams don't have to worry about BCS rankings that could scare them into playing a creampuff schedule.
Of course, part of the reason Allen and Carroll are playing is because not a lot of teams want them on their nondistrict schedules. That's one reason you see a lot of heavyweight matchups early in the season. (DeSoto-Arlington Martin and Cedar Hill-Denton Guyer are also this weekend).
"For it be a Zero Week game and not a playoff game, that makes it better," Allen coach Tom Westerberg said. "The kids can relax a little bit, knowing that it's not a win-or-go-home deal."
Nothing will be on the line except pride. But that will be enough to make Friday night an intense battle. And even for coaches such as Wasson and Westerberg, who have coached for years and have been on the sidelines for much bigger games than this one, Friday night will be something special.
"Every Friday night's fun," Westerberg said. "Just the electric atmosphere. You never get tired of that."
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