THE 10 TOP REASONS To Spend Your Friday Nights Watching High School Football

Let the games begin.

Catchy line, but hardly one associated with high school football, perhaps our nation’s most-neglected athletic institution.

Sure, faithful groups of students and parents regularly go to the games. But to the general public, the idea of watching a bunch of teen-agers block and tackle barely registers on the interest scale.

Let’s face it, in the food chain of sports, high school football is a bottom feeder.

Just look at the state of affairs in Southern California. Television, except for some cable outlets, ignores the sport, and radio isn’t much better. But if you want to have your own talk show, nooooo problem.

Summer all-star games have dwindled to a precious few because of small crowds.

Only Rodney Dangerfield gets less respect.

Well, fear not, prepheads. In an effort to raise public consciousness and educate the masses, we offer a handy guide that details all the nuances of your favorite pastime.

Ready or not, the top 10 reasons to spend your Friday nights at a high school football game:

10 What, on a cold night, beats a hot dog slathered with chili? OK, don’t answer that. But occasionally one stumbles across some pretty good food at prep games, like the tri-tip sandwiches served at the 1993 Southern Section Division II final at Moorpark College. Avoid nachos, though. That canned cheese sauce is scary.

Gourmet tip: “Raider burgers” cooked over an open barbecue are a tasty tradition at Channel Islands, where Rose Graham has diligently run the snack bar for many years.

9 Adults decked out in loud colors, some ringing cowbells. If your team is winning, boisterous booster-club members will probably be leading the cheers. If the team’s losing, you may overhear a group of them plotting to get rid of the coach. Some boosters have been known to turn violent--just ask former Canyon Coach Harry Welch and Moorpark Coach Rob Dearborn. Welch was grabbed around the neck after one game and Dearborn was assaulted after another. Hey, this is only football, guys.

Despite the occasional hothead, every school needs boosters, who are easily identified by their vast amounts of school-oriented garb. Few football programs could function without their fund-raising efforts.

8 Unusual renditions of the national anthem. It’s called the Star-Spangled Banner, but after some high school bands get through with it, a more-appropriate title would be “Variations on a Theme by Francis Scott Key.” Just think of the fun you’ll have picking out your favorite sour notes. Still, most marching bands do a fine job and put on spirited halftime shows. Drum majors are cool.

7 Plays drawn on the back of bar napkins. The quarterback bounces a lateral pass to a wide receiver, who scoops it up and stuns a duped secondary by throwing a bomb to a streaking receiver. Hours of practice go into devising these gems of deception, the football equivalent of a magician’s sleight of hand. They’re called funny things like flea-flicker, hook-and-ladder and fumblerooski. When they work, the crowd goes nuts. Heck, even when they fail, they’re still entertaining.

6 Electronic malfunctions that ignite hysteria. Watch out when the lights go out, it could cost your team a touchdown. That’s what happened to Kennedy in 1989, when running back Ontiwaun Carter had a scoring run called back because of a power outage on the play. It wouldn’t be football season without at least one bank of lights going out or a scoreboard shutting down during a game, forcing the officials to keep time on the field. The atmosphere of chaos is a kick.

5 Pep squads with death wishes. The cheers and dance routines are fine, but for real excitement it’s hard to beat those death-defying human pyramids. The girl who climbs to the top deserves the same respect as a receiver who risks his neck on a crossing pattern or a quarterback who hangs in the pocket against a heavy rush. It’s like watching a high-wire act work without a net.

4 Activities that would lead to an arrest anywhere but on the sidelines. They scream. They stomp. They throw their headphones. Yes, we’re talking about those esteemed leaders of young men: coaches. One of the lasting images of the 1993 season was seeing a coach (who shall remain nameless) dive on the field and pound the ground after his team fumbled away a touchdown chance. “I need to calm myself,” he said afterward. And deny fans the pleasure of watching a grown man lose it? Get serious.

3 An opportunity to wish upon a rising star. Some of the more-illustrious names who have passed through area high schools include quarterbacks John Elway (Granada Hills), Bob Waterfield (Van Nuys), Joe Kapp (Hart) and Tom Ramsey (Kennedy), and running backs Charles White, Anthony Davis (San Fernando) and Russell White (Crespi), who is Charles’ nephew. Senior running backs Durell Price of Sylmar and Ted (Touchdown Teddy) Iacenda of Hart might join that list some day.

2 The biggest extravaganza a bake sale can fund. If you’re home this fall and happen to see what appears to be paratroopers dropping from the sky, don’t worry, it’s probably not a foreign invasion. Just the neighborhood high school celebrating homecoming. Parachutists, girls riding in the backs of vintage cars, dads in tuxedos . . . this once-a-year gala is the prep football equivalent of the Academy Awards. “The envelope, please. And the winner is . . .”

1 Moves seen on MTV’s The Grind, but never on the Lawrence Welk Show. Darrell Dent, a standout at Montclair Prep last season, followed his touchdowns by performing the Butterfly, a high-stepping, arm-flapping dance move. Not bad, but for true originality, few players can match the eccentric who played at a South Bay high school a few years ago. The team’s star running back was suspended for a game after missing a practice because he didn’t get back in time from attending a Grateful Dead concert in Oakland. The player drove a Volkswagen van, wore a nose stud--even during games--and was reputed to have a closetful of hippie clothes. Jerry Garcia would have been proud.