Are you ready for some football?

I know I am. It’s finally that time of the year where Friday nights are filled with bright lights, Saturdays are filled with all-day football binges and Sundays are complete with the best that football has to offer.

My emphasis this year is on Friday night, where I’ll be a part of the best local sports team in Newton County in CovNews Sports. Each week will showcase at least one local game at Sharp Stadium – which will be sunsetting as the main home venue as each team will get their own stadiums – as well as many games on the road.

There are so many compelling storylines within the games that I’ll be watching for this year. 

The art of the two veteran quarterbacks Deron Benson (Newton) and Payton Shaw (Eastside) is easily the most intriguing. In an age of the transfer portal hitting the high school level, Benson and Shaw have been long-term starters for their respective schools. I’m curious to see how they fare in their senior seasons.

I’m also interested to see the further ascension of Kevin “Tootie” Hartsfield, a sophomore running back that gained national attention as a freshman last year. Now as the lead back for Newton, Tootie is looking to prove that he’s one of the best sophomore running backs in the country.

Over on Highway 36, the potential in Alcovy intrigues me, too. The Tigers have a solid quarterback in Eastside-transfer Trey Bryant. Adding in some new offensive and defensive weapons will give the Tigers all the opportunities possible to improve from their 2-8 record last season.

With Social Circle, new quarterback Remi Farmer is also turning heads. Adding in players like Devon Usand and Elliot Hamilton will keep the Redskins competitive in a region where they will have to compete against Jasper County, Putnam County and Lamar County.

It’s also a goal for our outlet to provide more exposure to Covington Academy and Peachtree Academy. For a small newspaper like us, we do our best with the resources available. Thankfully, it seems hopeful that we’ll have some additional coverage for both of those local teams, too.

While the idea of football season returning excites me, I’m just as excited to see each of the local band programs.

I’ve had some great conversations with each of the Newton County Schools’ band directors and I know that they’ll continue to deliver an amazing product. As a former band kid, I got to play against Social Circle’s band for five years. I know they’re a legit band program with a great sound.

So while I’ll be at these games for football, I’ll also be extremely supportive of the local bands. And you should be, too.

Everyone should also be supportive of the local cheerleaders, support staff and boosters. They all pour their heart and soul into this, and are deserving of the recognition.

With all of that said, I’d like to leave each of you with one last sales pitch. Go to these football games. Support your local football teams. Support your local bands. Support your local cheerleaders. Support everyone involved. It’s a cheap, yet fun Friday night (and sometimes Thursday and Saturday night) activity that has something for everyone.

If going to the games doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, then stay up to date with CovNews Sports. We’ll have Friday night’s results in your weekend paper ready for your viewing pleasure. We’ll also be active all season long on Facebook, X and Instagram for live updates, photos and other deep dives into the game.

We’re in for an exciting season. I hope you’re ready for it. I know I am!

Evan Newton is the managing editor of The Covington News. He can be reached at enewton@covnews.com.