BY LINDSAY VANHULLE
TRAVERSE CITY -- Dave Isbell will only miss a football game in Traverse City for two reasons: sickness and family.
Well, maybe one reason.
"Family events I can postpone 'til Saturday," said Isbell, of Traverse City, who sat with his wife Jennifer on the away side of Harry T. Running Stadium at Thirlby Field.
That's right. The away side. Wearing a navy baseball cap celebrating St. Francis High School's 2008 state football championship.
Of the three high school teams that play on Thirlby Field, St. Francis was the first to kick off their season at home with Friday's game against Benzie Central.
Traverse City's West and Central were on the road.
Even a driving rain didn't stop the diehards, like Isbell, who sits on the opposing side because it's quieter and thinks junior varsity games are "just as good" as watching varsity.
"I don't care if it's West or Central or St. Francis," Isbell said. "I cheer for the local team."
In northern Michigan, the nearing of fall means football. Pass by most high school fields on Friday night and you'll hear it -- the muffled roar of the crowd, the clanging of helmets, the peppy beat of the marching band.
The stadium lights stand tall and bright against the darkness of town, especially late in the game. To the fans, there's no place else to be.
"They talk about it all summer long," said Dave Jackson, athletic director for Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools. "There's always a lot of anticipation about this first football night."
In Frankfort, the end zones are freshly painted purple and gold, the school's colors. St. Francis cheerleaders warmed up in blue rain ponchos.
School won't start for another week, but spectators said the first game of the season is the unofficial start of fall. The number of fans who fill stadium bleachers always picks up, they said, when classes resume.
John Butcher is still a regular in the stands a decade after his son played for Kingsley, but maybe not as loyal as he once was.
"You can definitely see the difference when the kids are actually in school," said Butcher, who lives near the football field. "A lot of it has to do with how much of a winning team they have."
That may be true for the grown-ups. But students say the actual game is only part of the fun.
Benzie Central seniors Phylicia Ruso and Callie Baker, both 17, attend most of their school's football games. They drive to away games, like the one Friday in Traverse City, if they're not too far away.
"We get more dressed up for home games," Callie said, adding that students don school colors and face paint to support their friends on the team.
She looked at Phylicia, then added, "I can't believe we're here in the rain."
