Time to catch Pioneer fever once again

The clock is ticking, and time is winding down as the Pioneer football team prepares to open its 2006 schedule.

Approximately 56 hours from now, depending on when you read your Wednesday edition of the Southern Standard, 56 young men will travel to Bradley Central to test their gridiron skills against the Bears for the first time this year.

A lot of hard work by these young men over the past several weeks has led to high hopes of yet another successful season.

Last year?s team raised the bar for future Pioneer teams after winning five games, and there?s no doubt in my mind this year?s team can produce the same winning results.

From what I can tell, the work ethic these kids have had this year matches every drop of sweat shed by last year?s team. If they don?t achieve the same results, it won?t be because they didn?t put forth the effort.

The enthusiasm shared by the players, coaches and fans last year will be hard to match this season. The community has a lot to be proud of, and this year?s Pioneer squad needs and deserves the same overwhelming support.

Now granted, the road trip Friday night to Bradley is no short trip. It may be hard for everyone to make the game, and that?s understandable.

But if you do plan on taking the ride over the mountain, let?s make sure the Pioneers have a loud reception when hitting the field.

Last season we started a little thing where fans wore their red shirts to the game. I have to admit, I wasn?t too sure what kind of response we would get, but it turned out to be a very special addition to all the games.

Last season?s fan support was more than most of us could have imagined. Looking up from the field and seeing a sea of red was always a big morale booster for the Pioneers, regardless of whether they were winning or losing.

Now I?m not trying to take it upon myself to get this thing started again, but it sure would be a fine tradition to get started.

As many of you may know this year the Pioneers will dress out in either blue or white. The white jerseys will be for road games and blue jerseys will be for home games.

I?m not asking everyone to go out and buy a blue and white shirt, but it would be pretty cool to dress in the same colors as the team. Last year, Fridays became known as ?Red Friday,? and I?m sure if you want to continue with the red it will be just as effective as it was last season.

If you don?t want to have to keep up with what color to wear when, then let?s just narrow it down to blue or red.

The main point is to keep the fans and community involved in supporting the Pioneers. All the tailgating done at home games ? and even road games ? put a little spirit back into Friday night football here in Warren County.

Last year, Friday nights during football season became an event no one wanted to miss. It?s going to be up to the fans once again to keep the spirit going, regardless of the number of wins or losses this season produces.