Valdosta, Ga.
Valdosta High
Stadium: Cleveland Field at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, built in 1922, seats 12,000

Why it’s worth watching a game there: There is a tunnel leading out of the locker room. On their way out the players, usually 90-plus, use their helmets to hit the bottom of the roof, which is made of tin. roof. The noise can be intimidating, especially when a microphone is put next to the tunnel and pumped back in to a full stadium. An opponent in the ‘60s, after losing a dramatic game in the last second to the Wildcats, said the east end zone must be haunted. Every time Valdosta scores now, a ghost is flashed across the matrix scoreboard. Valdosta has played high school football for 88 years and has won 82% percent of its games. Average attendance is 7,500, big . Big games sell out. In 1988, Kenny Rose, a 17-year old player, died in practice. He wore jersey No. 39. The yard stripe at the 39-yard line is circled in black and gold. When the crowd chants "DEE-Fense” there is a reason. Valdosta has recorded 363 shutouts, in its history, which is almost one third of its games. Hundred-year-old pines and magnolias ring the stadium for a picturesque backdrop.

Notable: The Valdosta Touchdown Club, which raises money for the high school football program, is 57 years old and has 1,300 members. Charter members are still serving the club. Valdosta High has won 23 state titles in Class 4A and 5A. The Wildcats have been voted No. 1 in the country five times by USA TODAY and once by ESPN. The high school football coach at Valdosta makes more than $75,000 a year, which is more than some college coaches. Legendary coach Nick Hyder, who died of a heart attack at the school in May, 1996, had an overall record of 249-36-2 (.871).

Name dropping: Former players include Coleman Rudolph who played for Georgia Tech’s 1991 national championship team and New York Giants; Buck Belue, quarterback for the University of Georgia’s national championship team (1980); Willie Gary, defensive back for unbeaten St. Louis Rams.

By Ray Glier