I was flipping through the channels last night and stumbled upon ESPN2 and the Old Spice High School Football Showcase, featuring Texas powerhouses Sulphur Springs and Rider.

The game had almost everything: Good execution on offense countered by some fine defensive play and a close contest to the end. What I didn't see was every seat filled. When the cameras panned to the stands, they were about halfway full, which led me back to my high school days in the 80s.

Growing up in football-rich Western Pennsylvania, Friday nights were all about football at my alma mater, Butler High. The routine was just that -- routine: We rounded up the troops at a little before 6 o'clock and started the 30-minute walk to the stadium, stopping at a local bakery to pick up donuts for the trek.

If we got sidetracked -- even for a minute -- we were pressing our luck because the lines were long and fans were sometimes turned away. I'm guessing around 4,000 fans consistently filled the stadium to root on the Golden Tornado (don't ask about the mascot!) and we were a team to be reckoned with in the state's highest classification.

Any time I talk about Golden Tornado football, my first story is about the night we took on and beat Central Catholic, a Pittsburgh-based power that had a guy named Dan Marino throwing its passes.

So think about going out and watching some high school football sometime soon. There's some potentially good matchups tonight with Arundel visiting Old Mill in Anne Arundel and Joppatowne traveling to Havre de Grace in Harford, among others.

Watching Dunbar's record-breaking senior running back Tavon Austin or state champion River Hill and its efficient play on both sides of the ball is worth the price of admission alone.

-- Glenn Graham