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Tommy Palmer's Sports Comment - It's never too early to talk about football
Lots of optimism in Statesboro looking towards the fall
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Tommy Palmer

Tommy Palmer Sports Comment 3-8-2011

Listen to Tommy Palmer's Sports Comment

      March Madness is underway in most areas around the country, but here in Statesboro and the surrounding area it's time for spring sports and that means one thing - Football is just around the corner!
      There is a reason that I mention that football is just around the corner, and for the record, the 2011 regular season kickoff is just six months away.
      It's been a while since we locals have had the luxury of heading into the college and high school football seasons with visions of championships in clear view. I'm convinced that both Georgia Southern and Statesboro High School have the opportunity to hang banners at Paulson Stadium and Womack Field this fall.
      I would venture to guess that at the beginning of last football season, there were not 10 total fans who would have wagered that the Georgia Southern Eagles or the Statesboro High Blue Devils would still be playing in the semifinal round of their respective college and high school playoffs, only one week away from a championship game. That's how 2010 played out, and now optimism for the 2011 season is at an all-time high for both teams and their supporters.
      I am certain that head coaches Jeff Monken at GSU and Steve Pennington at SHS prefer to be a bit more reserved when it comes to scoping the landscape of the upcoming 2011 football season, which is still some 26 weeks away. For me however, it's wait patiently until they kick it off in late August and early September and then enjoy watching these two teams go to work.
      Surely there are still many questions to be answered next fall before we can crown the Eagles or Blue Devils as champions, and here are a couple to ponder over the next few months. Number one - Will the Statesboro High School Blue Devils continue to be that special team that has never lost in the Georgia Dome, the home of the Georgia High School Association football finals. Number two - Does Alabama realize that they are playing a different GSU this year than the one they took to the woodshed last fall? That was Georgia State - This is Georgia Southern! There's a big difference.