The chill of the fall air. The sound of the drum cadence as the band marches off the field, and the buzz of the crowd in the stands. The smell of pork chops and popcorn in the breeze. Now the lights are starting to take hold against the sunset sky.

It’s time for kickoff.

For local high school football coaches such as Ottawa’s Chad Gross, Streator’s Jay Slone and Seneca’s Terry Maxwell, those days when they were making the blocks and tackles are still some of the best memories they have.

Gross played center, defensive line and long-snapper for the Pirates for two years, with 2002 his senior season, before playing at St. Xavier University in Chicago.

“We always had great crowds, and playing at King Field was special,” Gross said. “Our coach, Tim Jobst, was always talking to us about the past traditions, the history, and how it was about representing all of the past players that put on an Ottawa jersey. I also feel like our coaches had us well prepared for every game we played. It was a great time in my life.

“Really, back then our rival was Geneseo. It seemed like the conference title came down to that game, and we were fortunate my two years to beat them. That’s not to say the games against Streator and La Salle-Peru weren’t special for all of us, they were for sure, but winning a conference title was our team’s biggest goal.”

Slone played linebacker for Hall of Fame coach Rich Zinanni at Bishop McNamara only his senior season in 2012 after tearing his ACL as a sophomore. He then went on to play at Valparaiso University, where he was a four-year letterman, two-year starter and two-year captain. The first-year Bulldogs head coach was an assistant coach for Herscher last season.

“Some of my best memories are going through walk-throughs while the junior varsity game is finishing up and just seeing more and more people filling the stands, and then everything getting louder,” Slone said. “The atmosphere is always electric at Bishop Mac, and there were so many expectations. It was just pure excitement to be able to go out on the field and battle with your brothers.

“Friday night high school football is about as special as it gets. You prepared all week, mentally and physically, and now you get to show what you can do. It’s a cool feeling to have those butterflies leave your body when you hit someone for the first time in the game.

“I really miss that.”

Maxwell said he started playing football in third grade. At St. Joe-Ogden, he was a three-year starting offensive guard under Hall of Fame coach Dick Duval before playing at Olivet Nazarene University.

“I guess it was the stereotypical small-town atmosphere on a football Friday night where everything in town shuts down and everyone in the community is at the game,” Maxwell said. “We had a pretty good program and made it to the [Class 2A] state championship game my senior year. The program was on a pretty good streak of making the playoffs, and as a player, you wanted to keep that going.

“I just have so many great memories from playing high school football.”

Gross, who has been Ottawa’s head coach for the past seven seasons, says a lot has changed since his days of putting on the Pirates uniform.

“Back then, obviously, before social media and such, we weren’t really friends with guys on the other teams,” Gross said. “Nowadays, the kids are friends, work out with each other in the offseason and use the options they have now to communicate with each other. That said, I think the kids are able to flip the competitive switch when the games start.

“I don’t think there were many teams that ran the shotgun formation very often or the spread, and now it’s a rarity, at least in our league, when we face teams that aren’t in that formation nearly every play. The game has evolved into a more wide-open game.

‘But I think the biggest change since I played is football is a year-round sport. If you were a multi-sport kid when I was in high school, you focused on that sport and only that sport during the season. I feel like now these kids are expected to stay somewhat engaged in every sport, no matter what season it is. It can be tough, and as a coach, you have to be flexible."

Slone may be more nerve-racked on the sidelines than he was on the field.

“I actually think I’m more anxious now than when I was a player, and that’s because of not being in control,” Slone said. “As a player, you can make plays; as a coach, you have to trust that your coaching has put the kids in the right spots and given them what they need to make plays through practice.”

Maxwell, who has been the Fighting Irish’s head coach since 2021, says he still gets everything he felt as a player, minus playing.

“I feel like now, as a coach and especially being here in Seneca where we’ve had some success the last few seasons, a lot of those feelings I had as a player in high school are the same feelings I have now on game night,“ Maxwell said. ”I still have the same emotions. I still get butterflies, and I still get nervous. You just obviously have to handle those things differently.

“It’s been exciting to see our community get behind and embrace our football teams the past few years. You can feel the energy from our crowd when you run out to take the field. It’s not the same as when I was a player, but it’s hard to beat that feeling.”