Back in August, thousands of high school football players from across the area gathered at their respective schools for the first day of two-a-days. But it didn’t start there.

Back in the summer, those thousands of athletes ran and lifted and bled and sweat to get ready for the season to come. But it didn’t start there.

Years before that, those thousands of boys signed up for the high school football team in hopes of etching their names in history. But it didn’t start there.

Years before even that, thousands of parents signed waiver forms to allow their kids to play youth football. But it didn’t start there.

Where it started is different for each player. Maybe it was a parent’s encouraging pat on the shoulder, or a coach’s loud slap on the helmet. Maybe it was too quiet in their bedrooms at home to be satisfied, or too loud at a Friday night football game to be ignored.

But make no mistake: every player in the area has it.

For the majority of players in the area, it’s already been snuffed out. The season has come and gone, and there’s nothing left to do but reflect on what was, and what could have been.

For a select few, though, it lives on, growing more real by the second.

Irving Nimitz defensive lineman Damon Williams has it, and though the Vikings face defending champion Allen in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday, he’ll fight for it.

Frisco Liberty quarterback Malcom Hill has it, and it’s going to give him an extra boost of speed during the Redhawks’ game against Rockwall-Heath.

Coppell linebacker Jared Parham has it, and he won’t let Keller take it from him.

Flower Mound Marcus running back Dagan Newsome has it. Just wait until you see what it means to him Saturday against Grapevine.

Carrollton Newman Smith quarterback Aldo Quiroga has it, and it’s helped him lead the Trojans to their first playoff berth in over two decades.

For every team left standing, and every player on those teams, it is alive and well.

Like I said, where it started is different for each player, each team, each coach, each fan.

But for everyone with a team still in the playoffs, it – the dream – starts anew this weekend.

We’ve finally arrived at the last week of the high school football season. It seems like just 11 weeks ago that we started on this journey.

Any coach will tell you that it’s not how you start; it’s how you finish. And in that case, there are many teams around the area that need to finish strong.

Playoff spots are on the line in almost every district, but the process can often be confusing. Here’s a brief overview of the playoff positioning guidelines:

-In class 5A and 4A, the top four teams from each district make the playoffs.

-Those four playoff teams from each district are then divided into two divisions. The two largest schools by enrollment are put into the Division I playoff bracket; the two smallest schools by enrollment are put into the Division II playoff bracket.

-The better of the two Division I teams gets the higher seed, and the same goes in Division II.

-In class 3A (which really only applies to Carrollton Ranchview in this area) and below, the top three teams in each district advance to the playoffs, with the biggest school playing in Division I and the smaller schools playing in Division II.

That can be confusing, I know. But suffice to say that the most important thing is just getting into the playoffs.

As such, I’ve broken down each area team’s path to the playoffs entering the final week of play.

One more thing to note: if there is ever a tie between three or more teams for a playoff spot, each district has its own method of breaking the tie. They range from points scored to a coin flip, and they are usually unknown even to coaches. So, keep that in mind when reading these playoff scenarios.

Now, onward!

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Carrollton Creekview: Clinches a District 9-5A playoff spot with a win over Richardson and a W.T. White win over Richardson Berkner. A win over Richardson and a Berkner win over W.T. White would result in a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots between Creekview, Berkner and Richardson. A loss to Richardson and a W.T. White win over Berkner would result in a three-way tie for the final playoff spot between Creekview, Berkner and W.T. White. A loss to Richardson and a Berkner win over W.T. White would eliminate Creekview from playoff contention.

Carrollton Newman Smith: Has clinched a District 10-4A playoff spot, and will be the lower District 10-4A seed in the Division I bracket.

Carrollton Ranchview: Eliminated from District 9-3A playoff contention.

Carrollton R.L. Turner: Eliminated from District 10-4A playoff contention.

Coppell: Has clinched a District 6-5A playoff spot, and will be the higher District 6-5A seed in the Division I bracket.

Flower Mound: Clinches a District 6-5A playoff spot with a win over Coppell or a Flower Mound Marcus win over Hebron. A loss by both Flower Mound and Marcus would result in a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots between Flower Mound, Marcus and Hebron.

Flower Mound Marcus: Clinches a District 6-5A playoff spot with a win over Hebron. A loss to Hebron and a Coppell win over Flower Mound would result in a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots between Marcus, Flower Mound and Hebron. A loss to Hebron and a Flower Mound win over Coppell would eliminate Marcus from District 6-5A playoff contention.

Frisco: Eliminated from District 9-4A playoff contention.

Frisco Centennial: Eliminated from District 9-4A playoff contention.

Frisco Liberty: Clinches a District 9-4A playoff spot with a win over McKinney or a McKinney North win over Frisco Wakeland. A loss to McKinney and a Wakeland win over McKinney North would result in a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots between Liberty, Wakeland and McKinney.

Frisco Wakeland: Clinches a District 9-4A playoff spot with a win over McKinney North and a Frisco Liberty win over McKinney. A win over McKinney North and a McKinney win over Liberty would result in a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots between Liberty, Wakeland and McKinney. A loss to McKinney North and a Liberty win over McKinney would result in a three-way tie for the final playoff spot between Wakeland, McKinney North and McKinney. A loss to McKinney North and a McKinney win over Liberty would eliminate Wakeland from playoff contention.

Hebron: Clinches a playoff spot with a win over Flower Mound Marcus and a Flower Mound win over Coppell. A win over Marcus and a Coppell win over Flower Mound would result in a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots between Hebron, Marcus and Flower Mound. A loss to Marcus would eliminate Hebron from playoff contention.

Irving Nimitz: Has clinched a District 7-5A playoff spot, and will be the lower District 7-5A seed in the Division II bracket.

Irving MacArthur: Clinches a District 7-5A playoff spot with a win over Irving and a Grand Prairie win over South Grand Prairie. A win over Irving and a South Grand Prairie win over Grand Prairie would result in a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots between MacArthur, South Grand Prairie and Duncanville. A loss to Irving and a Grand Prairie win over South Grand Prairie would result in a four-way tie for the final playoff spot between MacArthur, Irving, South Grand Prairie and Grand Prairie. A loss to Irving and a South Grand Prairie win over Grand Prairie would eliminate MacArthur from playoff contention.

Irving: Cannot clinch a District 7-5A playoff spot outright. A win over Irving MacArthur and a Grand Prairie win over South Grand Prairie would result in a four-way tie for the final playoff spot between Irving, MacArthur, South Grand Prairie and Grand Prairie. A loss to Irving MacArthur or a South Grand Prairie win over Grand Prairie would eliminate Irving from playoff contention.

Lewisville: Eliminated from District 6-5A playoff contention.

Little Elm: Has clinched a District 5-4A playoff spot, and will be the lower District 5-4A seed in the Division II bracket.

The Colony: Eliminated from District 5-4A playoff contention.

It’s the Oct. 30 edition of Tepper’s Take, and they’re doing the monster mash.

FIRST WORD

It’s the scariest time of year, and not because of Halloween.

No, now is the time when the men are proverbially separated from the boys. It’s crunch time in high school football, and with just weeks remaining in the regular season, seasons and dreams are on the line.

Told you it was scary.

But the terrifying situations vary from team to team, stadium to stadium, and even player to player. All of them, though, could be cause for fans to scream.

For a number of area teams, this weekend presents an opportunity – and perhaps a final one – to claim a coveted spot in the postseason.

Hebron could use a win over Southlake Carroll to vault into the playoffs. Irving MacArthur and Irving face difficult games necessary to their postseason hopes against South Grand Prairie and Duncanville, respectively. Carrollton Creekview’s game against Lake Highlands and Carrollton Ranchview’s game against Fort Worth Castleberry are perhaps the most critical of the season.

Other teams are looking to solidify their already strong playoff chances this weekend.

The winner of the Mound Showdown between Flower Mound and Marcus will be in the driver’s seat for a spot in the postseason. The same goes to the newest rivalry in Frisco, when Liberty takes on Wakeland for a stranglehold on new life in the playoffs. And Coppell can all but lock up a playoff spot with a win against Lewisville.

But it’s not just the games themselves that are scary. Many of the players themselves are going to be giving opposing players and coaches nightmares throughout the weekend.

Hebron will be faced with the daunting task of slowing down Southlake Carroll running back Tommy Avers, a truly frightening assignment. Irving will have to slay Duncanville’s two-headed monster at wide receiver, Darrin Brown and Jalen Parker.  And it’s hard to envy Flower Mound’s job of slowing down Marcus running back Stephen Hopkins.

The costumes will be spooky, and the dark night will cause some fear this weekend.

But the true terrors could be under the lights on the football field.

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Before you start this column, think back to your childhood. Or, if you’re a child reading this, think back to yesterday.

The biggest day of the kid calendar was your own birthday. It was the unquestioned highlight of the year; after all, that was the one day that really belonged to you.

Finally, the day of days arrived. You giddily jumped out of bed and ran downstairs for your party. It’s your moment.

But there’s no cake. No balloons. No hubbub. No nothing. In fact, you weren’t even allowed to have those things. You might get a pat on the back, or a high five. But for all intents and purposes, no partying.

Which brings me to football.

Most football players never score a touchdown. In fact, there’s probably 40 percent of football players who never even touch the ball during a given season.

So why is it that whenever someone does achieve the ultimate individual achievement – scoring a touchdown – that we penalize them for celebrating?

I’ve thought for a while now that the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty assessed for excessive celebration on all levels of football is silly. It’s like having birthday with no party.

The argument against is, of course, that it is showing up the other team or that it glorifies the individual as opposed to the team.

The former, I think, is patently absurd. The team has a chance to stop the player from scoring; if they get their feelings hurt by watching him do the Chicken Dance, maybe they should worry about becoming good enough to stop them.

The individual versus team celebration is an interesting argument, but one that I think my solution would solve.

My celebration solution: every player gets five seconds after crossing the goal line to do whatever they want. The only exceptions are doing anything vulgar or inappropriate. Any celebration that lasts longer than five seconds would be penalized.

That way, the onus of the celebration is completely on the scorer. Want to include your teammates? Go for it. Want to dance all by yourself? Go right ahead.

Wouldn’t this make the game more fun? And isn’t that what it’s all about?

I never got to score a touchdown in my prestigious (ahem) football career. But if I did, I probably would have had a hard time politely handing the ball back to the referee.

Instead, I’d want to have my cake and eat it, too.

It's the Oct. 16 edition of Tepper's Take, and... chocolate microscopes?

FIRST WORD

Humans are, by nature, risk-averse. That’s why we have seatbelts, potholders, safety nets and those little plastic things that cover up the electrical outlets.

But sometimes, it’s necessary to take a risk in life. That’s why we have NASCAR, firewalkers, trapeze artists and forks.

So when it comes to football, especially at the high school level, which should you be? Risky or risk-averse?

I bring this up because of a few situations I noticed last weekend. First on Thursday, I watched Missouri coach Gary Pinkel opt to go for the touchdown on 4^th-and-goal from the 1-yard line instead of kicking the field goal. Mizzou quarterback Blaine Gabbert scored a touchdown, though Missouri went on to lose, 27-12.

On Friday, I watched Colleyville Heritage punt twice on 4^th-and-2 or less against Euless Trinity, both times near midfield. Heritage lost, 21-0.

On Sunday, I watched the Kansas City Chiefs, after scoring a touchdown with seconds remaining to pull within one of the Cowboys, kick an extra point instead of going for a two-point conversion and, presumably, the win. The Chiefs lost, 26-20 in overtime.

Three different games, three different leagues, yet one overwhelming lesson: it pays to be risky.

Too many times in high school football, we see coaches take the easy way out. Punt it on fourth-and-short to play the field position game. Opt for the field goal instead of going for the touchdown. Kick the extra point instead of going for two.

But the stats say that being risky pays off. Football Prospectus claims that the average success rate of the two-point conversion is between 50 and 55 percent, meaning that it is at least as beneficial as the extra point and perhaps more so. And a paper by UC Berkeley macroeconomics professor David Romer suggests that going for it on fourth-and-anything less than five is almost always the right decision.

It’s time to shake this notion that coaching conservatism is worthy of praise. We should be cheering on bold decisions; that’s what sets great coaches apart from good coaches.

So go for it, coach. I’ve got your back.

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Football coaches will tell you that if you gain 500 yards of total offense, you should win the game.

After all, 500 yards is an offensive explosion at any level of football. In the NFL so far this season, teams have gained 500 or more yards just 2-percent of the time.

In Division I college football this season, there are just six teams averaging over 500 yards per game (including three – Houston, Texas A&M and Texas – in the LoneStarState). Still, that’s just six out of 120 teams, five percent.

But in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, there are seven teams in 5A and 4A that average over 500 yards a game. In fact, the top ten area offensive teams in 5A and 4A average over 480 yards per game.

Sure, these are just numbers; you can get numbers to prove anything, you say. But I contend that these inflated numbers are due to a general decline in defense across the state.

It’s not all the fault of the defenses. With advanced offenses like the spread and even stronger (and faster) weapons, teams are running roughshod over defenses that have no idea how to counteract them.

But there is a school of thought – one to which I subscribe – that says defense is becoming more and more of an afterthought in today’s game. After all, if you can simply outscore the other team, it doesn’t matter how many yards you give up.

Take, for example, the recent game between Plano West and McKinney Boyd. The teams rolled up a combined 1,303 yards as Plano West won, 84-40. It’s clear that there came a point where the teams said, “OK, let’s just try to outscore the other team.”

It’s entertaining football, to be sure. But is it the best football?

Wouldn’t you rather see a 7-3 Flower Mound game, or a Frisco Wakeland shutout?  What about a Coppell goal line stand, or a game in which Irving Nimitz holds the opposing team under 100 yards?

Maybe I’m alone in this, but defense still matters to me. Apparently, quite a few area coaches disagree with that notion.

It's the Oct. 2 edition of Tepper's Take, and I can't fight this feeling anymore.

FIRST WORD

I made my first of what should be many treks out to Arlington’s newest monstrosity on Monday night, joining 90,587 of my closest friends to watch the Dallas Cowboys play the Carolina Panthers.

For me – and most people in attendance – the game was secondary. The new stadium was the star of the show.

My immediate reaction to the stadium is, like most others, awe. Cowboys Stadium is gargantuan and ornate. It’s cartoonishly big, the kind of place where you expect Wile E. Coyote to start dropping anvils. And it’s gorgeous, a temple to America’s Team (or at least a monument to the guy who owns America’s Team).

But with about 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, while Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme was throwing yet another floater, I started to become the only somber guy on the party deck.

This place, this palace, was certainly bigger and more beautiful than its predecessor, Irving’s Texas Stadium. But was it better?

Texas Stadium has become a sort of Mecca for high school football fans. State championships have been won there. Hail Marys have been caught there. Hopes have been justified and dreams have been crushed there.

Sure, in the twilight of its life, it became run-down. Some might even call it a dump.

But wasn’t it our dump? Wasn’t it the place where high school kids could run onto the field and feel like Deion Sanders, even if they’re a backup left guard?

With all of the amenities that Cowboys Stadium has, it lacks perhaps the most important one: heart. And for all of the things that Texas Stadium didn’t have, its lack of sterility made it what it was.

I can’t even fathom a high school football playoff game taking place at Cowboys Stadium. That would be like bowling in the Taj Mahal or holding a wrestling tournament in the Oval Office. It’s too nice for high school football, if that makes sense.

We loved Texas Stadium not because it was pretty, but because it wasn’t pretty. It was our place, our little temple, our joint that we could anxiously tap our steering wheel while driving past.

Jerry Jones’ billion-dollar kingdom is truly a sight to behold, and I encourage everyone to see it. But don’t forget our little place down the road, the one where so many memories were made.

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It's the Sept. 25 edition of Tepper's Take, and it's too late to apologize.

FIRST WORD

If you didn’t grow up in Texas, this is a very strange time of year for you.

Take my colleague, Carrollton/Farmers Branch/Addisonneighborsgo editor Jennifer Hall, for example. She was pretty much born and raised in Tacoma, Wash. As a result, some of our local cultural traditions escape her.

The biggest confusion for Jennifer? Homecoming.

And really, how can I explain it? It is, on its face, one of the most bizarre traditions that we continue to this day.

“Well, you see, you ask a girl to go with you to the football game…”

OK, simple enough so far. Go on.

“…maybe you go to dinner before or after the game…”

Again, no problem here. Sounds like a typical date in high school. I don’t see what’s so weird about this.

‘…and you buy her a giant fake flower with ribbons and bells and bows and teddy bears.”

Oh yeah. That whole thing.

I guess the only way to explain it is that it’s just what we do. We make mums and garters for our dates at homecoming. No greater symbolism, no deeper meaning. It just is.

If there is any sort of deeper meaning for this admittedly strange tradition, it speaks to just how culturally relevant high school football is in our communities. The homecoming game is an event that the community rallies around.

And it’s not just the game either. Schools from Irving to Frisco, Carrollton to Flower Mound also use this as an opportunity for community service for the betterment of their city. School spirit flows freely through the hallways during the week leading up to the big game, including the traditional homecoming parade, one of the community events of the year.

And, of course, there’s usually a dance to cap of all of the festivities. All in all, it’s a weeklong celebration of friends, community and football.

Again, it’s all very hard to explain to people like Jennifer who haven’t grown up here. It’s an admittedly strange phenomenon that most outsiders would dismiss as silly.

But to us, it’s a part of life in the community. And a pretty cool one, if you ask me, as odd as it may be.

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It’s the September 18 edition of Tepper’s Take, and I’m really happy for you, and I’m gonna let you finish, but Matt Wixon wrote one of the greatest columns of all time! One of the greatest columns of all time!

FIRST WORD

This week, I bring you seven thoughts – and seven thoughts only! – on recent developments in the high school football arena.

1- It’s easy to forget about a good team when they lose one of their first three games, but such is the case with Ranchview. The Wolves dropped a tough road game to unbeaten Gainesville to start the season, but they’ve righted the ship. A solid win at Crandall has them rolling behind quarterback Matt Haselroth. And remember the name Xavier Williams, a strong running back that is also a receiving threat (or is it a strong receiver that is also a running threat?).

2- The question I get asked more than any other is, who’s the most underrated team? Which team isn’t getting enough love but will sneak up on other good teams? My answer: Irving Nimitz. The Vikings are undefeated so far this season, and quarterback JJ Gaines is a true star, leading Nimitz in both rushing and passing. Combine that with a legitimate defensive stud in safety Eddrick Loften, and…well, just remember that I said this when they knock off district favorite Duncanville on Oct. 9.

3- I kind of feel bad for The Colony. This is a pretty good young team with a solid running back tandem of Michael Jackson and Chima Akolam. The problem is, they’re in a juggernaut district in 5-4A, having to face Denton Guyer, Denton Ryan and LakeDallas. But don’t be surprised if they hang tight with those teams.

4- It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: what an enormous, program-changing win for Coppell over Highland Park. I was at Plano’s Clark Field when the news of the upset came through, and the entire press box gave impressed nods. Welcome to the Big Boy Table, Cowboys. Grab a drumstick.

5- Frisco Wakeland has two of the best wins that nobody’s talking about. Winning at Saginaw is nice, and traveling to RoyseCity and beating them in their own barn is a terrific win. That’s a place that opposing teams just don’t win. Keep your ears perked up for quarterback Tyler Kirkindoll and Co.

6- Do you realize that District 6-5A has four of the area’s top 11 passers in 5A? Yep: David Piland of Southlake Carroll is fourth, Hayden Hawk of Coppell is sixth, Kyle Aubuchon of Hebron is seventh, and Paul Millard of Flower Mound is 11th. That’s firepower.

7- I can’t decide which Carrollton Newman Smith player I like more: quarterback Aldo Quiroga or running back Randall Joyner. Both have been instrumental in Newman Smith’s revival and present “lurking monster” status. But with most ties, I default to the guy with the cooler name. Sorry, Randall.

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It’s the September 11 edition of Tepper’s Take, and for those about to rock, we salute you.

FIRST WORD

Fantasy football has become ingrained in the American psyche. What started off as a couple dozen dorks sitting around reading box scores in the newspaper has exploded into several million dorks sitting around reading box scores on the computer.

So, of course, being neighborsgo’s resident dork, I love fantasy football. It’s a way to get me even more interested in one of my favorite sports than usual. There’s something primitive and wonderful about beating your older brother two years in a row for a league title that means nothing except bragging rights.

But last weekend, during a weather delay while covering the Allen-Monterrey Tec game for The Dallas Morning News, I got to thinking: how would I build a high school fantasy football team?

Would you start it around a hard-nosed running back like Frisco Liberty’s Malcolm Hill? He’s the kind of player that can make any team a dominant force in the ground game.

What about making the foundation of your team a savvy quarterback like Carrollton Newman Smith’s Aldo Quiroga? After all, the quarterback is considered the most important and powerful position on the field.

There’s certain wisdom in starting your high school fantasy football team with a deep-threat wide receiver, someone along the lines of Hebron’s Kurt Walker. You definitely need a player to stretch the field, and a player like Walker can go a long way toward doing that.

But what about building your team around a dominant defensive player, like Coppell’s Jared Parham? Putting heat on the quarterback and wreaking havoc on the running backs often takes the pressure off the rest of your team.

Perhaps the safest bet would be to start around someone like Flower Mound Marcus defensive tackle Daniel Noble, a big burly body that can stuff the run. After all, most defensive coordinators will tell you that stopping the run is priority No. 1.

The amazing thing is that teams across the area have built teams around all kinds of different players, on both sides of the ball.

That’s what makes high school football so much fun, I think: dozens of teams with dozens of personalities.

So tell me: how would you start your fantasy high school football team?

Remember: there’s no wrong answer.

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