THE OPENING LINE

Monday, Aug. 27, 2007 | 7:12 a.m.

Growing up in a small town, I spent a lot of time pondering ways to get out, or what I would do once I did. In Kilgore, Texas (pop. 11,332 was what the sign at the city limits read), there wasn't much going on.

But this is the time of year, the start of high school football season, when I miss home the most.

Texas' infatuation with high school football is well-documented. But for me, it wasn't all about the game itself. Looking back, it's quite remarkable thinking about how the town nearly shuts down on Friday nights. After all, those jerseys didn't say Kilgore High School; they said just said Kilgore. One team for an entire community. Us against them.

It didn't matter if the game was in the stadium across town or two hours away. You would see the same faces, the same people with the plastic milk jugs filled with pennies that made such a racket when shaken.

The season offered relief on several fronts. You never had to worry about figuring out plans to entertain a date. It was understood that everyone was going to the game. At Thanksgiving, Dad used the high school playoff games at the Astrodome as a good excuse to get out of his in-laws' house.

When I got older and started covering football games for local newspapers, I had the opportunity to witness the same scene in town after town. For me on those occasions, "Friday Night Lights" had a different meaning. The light towers were a navigation tool. In those dark ages before Google maps, you'd merely have to point your car toward a town and drive until you saw the glow, and then make your way to the stadium.

High School Gridiron Tour, 6 and 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sam Boyd Stadium

You can get the feel of big time high school football in Las Vegas this weekend. Eight of the best teams in the West square off. Local fans will want to see the late games with Bishop Gorman vs. Kennedy of Seattle on Friday and Las Vegas vs. Madera from California's Central Valley on Saturday. The early games feature Archbishop Riordan of San Francisco vs. Archbishop Murphy of Everett, Wash., and Clovis East from California vs. Alta of Utah.

TICKETS: $12, $6 for students

ON THE WEB: unlvtickets.com

FIBA Americas Championship, Today through Sunday, Thomas & Mack Center

If you'd rather watch some hoops, check out LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and the rest of Team USA as they try to win a chance at golden redemption in Beijing.

TICKETS: $15 to $85

ON THE WEB: unlvtickets.com