Thursday night kicks off the 2001 football season for some area high schools.

Some Butler County football programs have new coaches, and some programs will be going through an adjustment year.

For example, in McKenzie, Shane Smothers will be kicking off his first year as the head coach and already he is bringing a new fever to the team -- and many parents are quite excited. "We had about 20 parents there," said Smothers, referring to a midnight practice that lasted until 4 a.m.

Alvin Briggs also is facing his first year at Greenville High School and Rico White is a first-timer at Georgiana High. With both playing and coaching experience under their belts, both should lead their schools to successful seasons.

Finally, Charles Oswald, a 1959 graduate of Greenville High School will take on the team at Greenville Academy. "I think we should do well, because the team only graduated four seniors this year," he said.

With new coaches moving in, many players and parents have high expectations for their football seasons.

But, one thing to remember is that success can only be accomplished as a team and bad attitudes can spoil the fun for everyone. This year, keep faith not only in the team, but also in the coaches' ability and experience to teach each team the true lesson of being successful.