As yours truly trudged up and down thesidelines last Friday night, I muttered to myself, “It’s too darnearly and too darn hot to play football.”

    Sweat trickled down both pairs of cheeks as I  kept statistics and watched Loyd Starbattle Bogue Chitto in the Possum Bowl. This game usually wasplayed in late September or October. However, scheduling problemsled to the decision to make it an Aug. 19 season opener.

    To their credit, Coaches Gareth Sartin of Bogue Chitto and RandallHuffman of Loyd Star had their teams ready to play. They had ledtheir respective squads through a grueling summer conditioningprogram of weightlifting and running.

    Pile on the full allotment of football equipment. Add theadrenalin-sapping excitement of an old fashioned Lincoln Countyrivalry and you can imagine the amount of lost fluids. Several ofthe players were sidelined by muscle cramps but they were able toreturn to action.

    For sure it was an exciting game and it lasted just over threehours. This scribe felt like he needed an I.V.

    One cramp probably would have sidelined many folks who werewatching the game from the sun-baked aluminum bleachers. Once thesun had set, the air was breathable again.

    Golly, gee, it has been an incredibly hot summer; one of thehottest on record. You begin sweating when you step outside yourair-conditioned home and walk to your air-conditioned vehicle.

    Deeply concerned about their players and their phsical condition,football coaches stress the importance of eating right and drinkingexcess gallons of fluids a few days prior to a football game. Yes,it helps overcome the heat and humidity.

    Personally speaking, we don’t have a problem with delaying thestart of the  school yearto the Tuesday after Labor Day and the first football game untilthat Friday. Consider the thousands of dollars that could be savedby not having to run the schools’ air conditioning units inAugust.

    In the meantime, make sure your football players and the bandmembers consume plenty of fluids before each game. Better to besafe than sorry.

    Ole Miss is hoping the heat index will be well past 100 when theBrigham Young University Cougars invade Oxford for a season-openingafternoon kickoff Sept. 3. If the weather and the Rebels’ defensecan’t stop BYU’s aerial attack in the first half, it should help inthe second half.

    

    Meanwhile, Professor Hoopla B.S., E-mailed in his weeklypredictions from Cody, Wy., site of the mammoth Buffalo BillHistorical Center. Hoopla said  it was snowing early Wednesdaymorning but it all melted by 10 o’clock.

    Hoopla posted a 9-1 record last week when he predicted the winnersof 10 games. Here’s his fearless forecast for this weekend,starting with a Thursday night special.

    Brookhaven at Lawrence County: It’s the start of a new season forthese old rivals and the earliest-ever meeting between them. Lookslike another nail-biter. Brookhaven 17-14.

    Brookhaven Academy at Copiah Academy: Another hot rivalry will havehumidity mixed in too as the Colonels and Cougars square off inGallman. Both teams can score. Brookhaven Academy 32-20.

    Franklin County at Loyd Star: The Bulldogs are for real. They chalkup victory No. 2 Friday night on William E. “Sambo” Smith Field.Franklin County 27-14.

    Bogue Chitto at Enterprise: Neighboring rivals are eager forbragging rights. Expect the Bobcats to do the most damage. BogueChitto 30-12.

    Wesson at North Pike:Jaguars will be in a mean state of mind afterlosing to Franklin County last week. That’s bad news for theupset-minded Cobras. North Pike 26-14.

    Heidelberg at Hazlehurst: Indians appear capable of making a run atthe Class 3A state championship if they continue improving.Hazlehurst 41-16.

    Oak Forest at Parklane: Pioneers hike their record to 2-0 with adecisive win over the Yellow Jackets. Parklane 44-20.

    West Lincoln at Resurrection Catholic: The Eagles have been busyrecruiting and it shows in this Saturday night special inPascagoula. Resurrection 35-12.

    In other Friday night action, Florence over Crystal Springs 27-19,McComb over South Pike 47-16 and Natchez over Jefferson County38-21.

 

    To contact sports editor Tom Goetz: E-mailtgoetz@dailyleader.com