It will be here before you know it...

Byrnes' running back Shakeem Wharton, a key cog in the Rebels' state championship run a year ago, leads a talented attack that has aspirations of a repeat.

It’s almost as if you can sniff it in the air… football days are near.
As the NFL and NBA divvy through paperwork in an effort to avoid work stoppages, the Friday night lights are guaranteed to shine in 2011.
Few states shone more brightly than the Palmetto State last year, sporting the nation’s top prospect in South Carolina signee defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney (South Pointe) and the Gatorade National Player of the Year in Northwestern quarterback Justin Worley, bound for Tennessee.
Bricks are being laid for the upcoming season, seen through various offseason camps and drills at the crack of dawn. Camps open at the end of the month, and with every passing day a new beginning draws closer.
Several teams will begin their respective campaigns in familiar territory; Byrnes, after dispatching rival Dorman in the state title game, again is considered an odd’s on favorite in Class 4A’s Big 16 ranks. Scott’s Branch enters a new season winners of two consecutive Class A- Division II titles, while Abbeville won its first state title since 1996.
Deep in talent, Class 2A king Central (Pageland) despite losing quite a number of players key in its title run to graduation, believe it has more than enough left in the cupboard to defend its crown in 2011.
Two other state titlists open summer camp with questions.
Gone for Northwestern, the Class 4A-Division II champion which finished ranked No. 4 nationally in the RivalsHigh 100 poll, is not only Worley --but also legendary head coach Jimmy “Moose” Wallace. Taking his headset is Kyle Richardson, whose play calling has helped turn the Trojans’ “Air Raid” attack, which in recent years has set the bar in terms of offensive production.
Two of the past three Class 3A championship trophies reside in Myrtle Beach, both having much to do with the heroics of its quarterback. A new era begins under center for the Seahawks, with inexperienced C.J. Cooper and Carolina Forest transfer Tyler Keane to vie for the job.
For the rest, hope springs anew; last year’s inadequacies meaning nothing, potential is all that matters.
The heart of the summer may be just over the horizon, but in that same location is football.