The countdown has begun.

The bags of charcoal are being stacked, the processed meats and condiments stockpiled, the ice chests waiting in anticipation to be filled and the sports packages on our television providers have begun to renew.

The football season is coming up on us quick and it won’t be long until the demeanor of many River Parishes residents is set for the week by a play gone one way on the other on our Friday, Saturday, Sunday blitz from prep to college ball to the Saints (or the Aints once again depending on some outlooks I have heard for the season).

Here in St. John the Baptist Parish, and likely Louisiana as a whole if not the entire southern portion of the country, work has been ongoing. There is no such thing as the offseason.

Players play in 7-on-7 leagues, workout together and study plays and film throughout the summer and into the first official practices in early August, leading into fall scrimmages in mid-August and jamboree games on Aug. 28 and finally the beginning of the season on Sept. 4.

This year the Tulane University football program, comprised of 99 players 11 of which hail from the River Parishes, opens up even before the prep season on Sept. 3 against Duke.

The less River Parishes laden LSU football team opens up play Sept. 5 against McNeese and the Saints begin their season Sept. 13 versus the Arizona Cardinals.

For many of us all of it is not soon enough. So be sure to watch out for L’OBSERVATEUR’s annual football guide that will be going out to your homes and stands around the region Aug. 22. However, up until that date we will be rolling out a new football feature focused on each of the high schools in the River Parishes in every edition of the newspaper starting this week with a focus on Riverside Academy’s shuffling of quarterbacks.

This is all to say that soon enough these sports pages will be bursting with all of your latest football news.

Stay tuned.

Kyle Barnett can be reached by phone at 985-652-9545 or email at kyle.barnett@lobservateur.com.