The moment most of America has collectively waited on for almost nine months is arriving. Football is in the air.

As grass is mowed and fields regress to a healthier shade of green — unlike the Hall of Fame game — the adrenaline can once again flow in blood streams like the Mississippi River.

Alonzo Stevens has delivered a message to local high school football players during the Fellowship of Christian Athletes watermelon gatherings to be model players in the hallways, and that winning happens during the summer months and Friday nights only prove it.

Which is true.

Without the trust established among teammates and the faith to believe in the coaches’ schemes, Friday nights would be a wild chase for the oblong ball made from pig skin. It also begins with those who’ve risen to the occasion to inspire teammates and give them the confidence to execute.

Leadership also means knowing when to fall back and take wisdom from peers, teammates and others who’ve been in that situation.

This fall should see some good football in Vicksburg and Mississippi.

Vicksburg coach Marcus Rogers freed his Gators from Warren County and let them travel to camps in New Orleans, Georgia and a few state colleges to see how his athletes stack up.

Porters Chapel Academy suffered a blow when an accident involving four of the school’s athletes cast a dim cloud over its promising season.

St. Aloysius lost more than 10 seniors to graduation, but should see new leaders rise up.

Warren Central has three big playmakers in Kamren Ellis on defense, Shaun Walton at receiver and quarterback Jesse Wilson that are poised to have stellar senior seasons and usher the team back to the MHSAA playoffs.

Speaking of playmakers, the 2016 edition of The Vicksburg Post’s Playmakers football magazine provides resourceful information on the team’s upcoming season, features on players and those who help make Friday night the fiesta it is. It will be in the Aug. 17 edition, two days before the season begins with the Red Carpet Bowl.

Shine your cowbells and enter the swamp for another unexpected ride associated with football.

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Alex Swatson is a sports writer for The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at alex.swatson@vicksburgpost.com