If Week 1 of the high school football season is any indication, 2025 is going to be an exciting year.

Week 1 had exciting games, some surprises and thrilling finishes.

I was working the sideline at Ridgefield, where Prairie beat the Spudders 46-44, when Ridgefield coach Scott Rice saw me and said: “If you were hoping to see a good game tonight, you got one.”

In fact, The Columbian sent four staffers and two correspondents out to games on Friday night, and five of those games were decided by five points or fewer.

But Week 1 also gave us controversy, including one in particular.

Tied 17-17 with three seconds to go, the Union Titans lined up to kick a 23-yard field goal for the win.

The snap was good. The hold was good. And the kick was … well there’s no other way to say it … the kick w

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