On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced it would broadcast this year’s Iron Bowl live to U.S. troops deployed around the world.

If you ever doubted the impact of football in the lives of Americans – and not just those of us in the South – that move should reinforce the impact this fall sport has on our lives.

Luckily, we here in Pike County don’t have to wait for a rivalry weekend to enjoy top-notch football. And, in case you haven’t heard, we have a couple of big games on tap in Pike County this weekend.

First, on Friday, the Pike Liberal Arts Patriots will play for the AISA Class AAA state championship at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium.

Getting to the state championship is quite an accomplishment, for any team, and the boys who play on the Pike Liberal football team deserve kudos for their hard work on, and off, the field this season. Regardless of what school you normally support, we hope you’ll take time on Friday to support the Patriots … in person or in spirit, and cheer on the team that is representing our community in a state championship.

It’s an accomplishment and a terrific opportunity to build community spirit.

And then on Saturday, we hope you’ll head back to Movie Gallery Stadium for the Troy-Lafayette football game. The match-up could be key in determining who wins the Sun Belt Conference title and the right to represent the conference in the New Orleans Bowl. The Trojans and the Ragin’ Cajuns of ULL are tied with one conference loss each. This heads-up match will leave one team in first place and in the driver’s seat headed into the season’s final conference games.

We all know how important fan support can be to a team on the field. Think back to the Troy-Missouri game in 2004; or the Middle Tenn game in 2007. Our Trojan fans were in the stadium, throughout the whole game, and their enthusiasm spurred the players throughout the game.

It’s time to show that enthusiasm once again. We need to be in the stands – dressed in cardinal, if you can – and ready to cheer on the Trojans.