By Robert Hudson

The end of the NFL lockout yesterday brought me excitement, but it also served as a reminder that football season is right around the corner.

Football is easily my favorite sport.

It doesn’t really matter what level it is if a couple of teams are tossing around the pigskin, I’ll likely be paying attention.

When I found out I would be covering sports here at the paper, I immediately set my sights toward August.

Whether it’s getting to see the new faces of each team or hearing the sound of the bands, high school football season always gets me excited.

Growing up in Mobile, high school football was a way of life.

There are well over 20 high schools in the Mobile area, so there was no shortage of games to watch.

So once I got settled here in Selma I made sure to take a closer look at the local high schools.

It’s been an interesting experience getting to know the coaches and players, finding out the strengths and weaknesses of each team, and figuring out when each team’s practice begins.

It didn’t take long to figure out the difference between the Hornets and the Saints or where each team finished last season.

The more difficult process has been figuring out just exactly what each team is made of and who will rise to the occasion and lead their team when it matters most: on Friday when the lights come on.

It’s a pretty difficulty task, considering no team has yet to take the field.

It’s the reason I look forward to the upcoming season.

I remember when I played high school football, I saw the first game of the season as an opportunity to show how hard I had worked in the offseason.  Now, from a spectator perspective, I see the first game as a chance to get acquainted with the teams of my new hometown.