“Man, am I ever sore.”

That observation was made by a high school football player onthe afternoon following Monday’s night’s game.

“I can hardly keep my eyes open,” added a teammate. “I fellasleep in government.”

Another player. “When my mother woke me up at 7 this morning, Ifelt dead. I said, ‘Mom, please let me sleep a little whilelonger.'”

For sure, Monday night’s heroes had a rude awakening Tuesdaymorning when school resumed as usual. They didn’t have the luxuryof a Friday night game which allowed them to sleep in on Saturdaymorning. They didn’t have a peaceful Sunday to recuperate some moreand heal those bumps and bruises.

Thanks to Hurricane Rita’s impending visit, last Friday’s gamein Lincoln County were postponed until Monday. Coaches worriedahead of time.

How would their players respond to the situation? Would they beable to play two games in one week, with just three days toprepare?

To make matters worse, Monday night’s weather resembled a sauna.Sweat trickled from every conceivable crevice. My clothes weresaturated. All I was doing was walking the sidelines, keepingstatistics. Imagine how the players perspired.

Certainly, this September will be remembered as one of thehottest on record. It also will be remembered for the plague oflove bugs which inundated the area.

Thank God, the love bugs don’t sting or bite. That would havebeen pure misery. Imagine flying fireants. Sounds like a horrormovie.

Two major hurricanes inside of 30 days. Lots of wind damage.Trees down everywhere. Electrical outages. Gas shortages.

Really, we were among the fortunate. Closer to the Gulf Coast,the poor folks suffered the loss of homes, belongings and lovedones. It was a tremendous national tragedy.

Certainly, there is hope for the future. Continue to pray forthe storm victims, especially the folks on the coast.

On the bright side, the football season appears to be back onschedule. That means Professor Hoopla, B.S., is primed and readyfor this weekend’s fearless football forecast. He predicted thewinners of 25 games last week and got 18 right.

Here’s a preview of this weekend’s winners, starting with twoThursday night specials.

Mize at Wesson: Cobras are for real. How wellthey stack up against the defending Class 1A state champions shouldbe interesting. Mize 25-16.

Jones County at Southwest: Are the Bears forreal? Bobcats join the believers. Southwest 20-10.

Brookhaven at Mendenhall: Call it an extendeddoubleheader as the Panthers eke out a victory over another groupof Tigers. Brookhaven 27-19.

Brookhaven Academy at Silliman Institute: Onceupon a time, the Wildcats were awesome. Brookhaven Academy31-12.

Bogue Chitto at Mercy Cross: This game will beplayed in D’Iberville. Bobcats are overdue. Bogue Chitto 28-14.

McLaurin at Loyd Star: Tigers appear to be tooquick for the Hornets. McLaurin 26-16.

Salem at Enterprise: Wildcats have shown a lotof potential thus far this season. Salem 21-13.

West Lincoln at Mt. Olive: Bears shake handswith one of the Class 1A state title favorites. Mt. Olive 47-7.

South Pike at Franklin County: Eagles have toomuch offense for the defense-minded Bulldogs. South Pike 32-12.

Port Gibson at Lawrence County: Cougars recorda second straight victory in the Region 6-4A race. Lawrence County27-16.

In other area games, Tylertown should stopNorth Pike 21-9, McComb should maul Florence 39-6, Hazlehurstshould humble Raymond 52-6, Copiah Academy should beat Riverfield27-10, Crystal Springs should surprise Bailey 14-8 and Parklaneshould trim Madison-Ridgeland 22-12.

Saturday’s scene should go like this.

Gulf Coast at Co-Lin: Homecoming brings out thebest in the Wolves. Co-Lin 16-10.

Ole Miss at Tennessee: Coach O. sees too muchorange in Knoxville. Tennessee 43-17.

LSU at Mississippi State: Bulldog fans won’t beable to gloat after the Bayou Bengals claw the Dawgs. LSU32-14.

Southern Miss at East Carolina: Golden Eaglesfinally play a game after dodging another hurricane. Southern Miss24-10.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Alcorn State: Bravesmust rebound in this SWAC contest. Alcorn State 28-19.

In other Magnolia State games, MaryHardin-Baylor over Mississippi College 29-10, Valdosta State overDelta State 38-28 and Belhaven over Union 22-7. Open dates allowMillsaps, Jackson State and Valley State an opportunity to promotetheir soccer programs.

In the SEC, Alabama over Florida 20-17, Auburnover South Carolina 26-15, and Vanderbilt over Middle TennesseeState 28-9. Arkansas, Kentucky and Georgia have open dates to healtheir wounded.

Write to sports editor Tom Goetz, c/o The DAILY LEADER, P.O.BOX 551, Brookhaven, MS 39602 or e-mailsports@dailyleader.com