Editor’s note: This is the second in a six-part series chronicling the history of football in Warren County.

Throughout the last century, high school football has flowed through the fabric of Mississippi like a river.

Always changing, always helping to shape the landscape of society, yet always present, the game has evolved from its poorly organized roots into the modern staple of fall we know today.

In the early days, the game was still finding its way.

Leagues and teams started, stopped and started again. Schedules were an unorganized jumble for a while, then gradually evolved into the 11- and 12-game marathons fans know today. Protective equipment was nearly prehistoric, catastrophic deaths and injuries were all too common, and some rules bordered on barbaric or silly by modern standards.

Through trial and error, a working system gradually evolved. Leagues with real staying power formed – although a state playoff system was absent for a half-century – and new rules made the game safer for all involved.

As time passed, traditions and rivalries came and went but the game was always there. Through war, depression and social upheaval, football has always been a backdrop – and in many ways a mirror – of the day.

The game helped hundreds, and perhaps thousands of boys in Warren County grow into men. Some left memories like vapor trails that were there one minute and gone the next. A precious few became legends.

This is their story.