I cannot believe that this high school football season is over. The coaches have worked hard to get the players ready for each game. The newspaper was full of high school football statistics. You could read about the teams that were able to win many games -- and then there were teams you read about that did not.

Yes, obviously, the football team with the most points wins the game. Think about these young football players, though, and you will realize that the highest score is not the only way they can "win." The world these guys live in makes them face situations that cause them to grow up so much faster than past generations. Divorce, family problems and peer pressure are just a few examples of what they face in their young lives. We can only pray that they have respectable adults to depend on for guidance.

These young men attended high school, practiced in extreme heat, came home usually too hot to care about eating much supper, then faced an evening of high school homework that sometimes lasted until after midnight. They woke up the next day and began this routine again. I know this routine firsthand because I am the proud mom of a Branchville High School Yellow Jacket football player.

No, the highest score at the end of a Branchville football game might not have belonged to our team, but you can bet these guys showed us what being on a "winning" team really means. This was the first varsity football team that Branchville High School has had in many years. I sat with the other families and watched our team come out onto the field, full of determination and perseverance. I can only imagine what it must have been like, looking across a football field at players on much, much larger teams, knowing that these other players had many more years of experience. I can definitely tell you what it felt like as a mom!

Just because the scoreboard showed a win for our opponent, do not think for one moment that this stopped our players. These guys and their coaches were out practicing again on a Monday afternoon, just like all the other teams.

I am proud to say that my son is a Branchville High School Yellow Jacket football player. This football season has gone by quickly. After a few games, I began writing this letter. I looked forward to every game that the Yellow Jackets have played. I cannot imagine not being in the stands, to watch with pride, as my son and his teammates represented their high school, even if it meant driving as far as two hours away. Some people might not understand why a parent would drive that far to a game. Well, have you ever been sitting in the stands and one of your son's teammates tells your son to turn around? Then, you see the smile and surprise on your son's face because he did not expect you to be there. You said the game was "too far away." I will never forget that night. Our children grow up too fast to let opportunities to support them slip away.

The Branchville Yellow Jacket coaches are great role models. We are fortunate to have their support. These men worked with our team and kept our players' spirits up, no matter what the outcome of their games. We all can learn a lesson from this football season. Sometimes life can be tough and it does not always turn out the way we expect, but we need to do our best in any situation that we face. I respect and admire the Yellow Jacket football players and their coaches. I am so proud of them!!

GO JACKETS!

-- Sherri Fogle, Branchville

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