And it's here in a big way.

No question the Panthers rule the football jungle here in the Charlotte region (and beyond), but ACC football with UNC, NC State, Clemson and Wake and the SEC with the Gamecocks are major parts of our lives, and major points of emphasis in our coverage.

We've always covered high school football with passion and excitement. But this year we will be adding to our award-winning show in many ways that will bring you closer to all the action. We’ll have more cameras, more microphones and more people in the field to bring you more highlights and interviews. We have always done it twice as good in half the time, but this year the Friday Night Blitz is beefing up and expanding to 30 minutes. And you can watch the Blitz again and again! We bring you the highlights first at 11:15, and you can find the entire show on the web and we will be re-playing the Friday Night Blitz, Saturday morning’s at 6am for you early risers!

We're kicking the whole season off with an hour-long special Thursday night at 8pm! Langston Wertz, Jr., and Cliff Mehrtens from the Charlotte Observer will be in the studio with me, and we'll be talking to coaches, players and taking questions from you, the fans, via e-mail. The Friday Night Blitz Kickoff Special will preview the season, with storylines to watch, star players to keep an eye on, and teams that will be making noise all the way to the state finals.

We're lucky that Mr. Wertz will be joining us in the studio every Friday night, starting this Friday. Having covered prep football here for years, he brings a unique perspective and outstanding reporting to the show. Our teammates at the Observer and Charlotte.com will also be kicking off the season with a Preps Plus section Thursday morning that will be something you'll want to keep with you until the season is over.

And keep WCNC.com's Friday Night Blitz section on your favorites list as well, as we'll have the Blitz Ticker with live scores throughout each Friday night, so even if you're at a game you can check scores from your cell too. We'll have the best plays of the week, the top games of the week, message boards for plenty of fan debate and all the highlights ready for you to watch.

Don't forget my blog either, every Tuesday. See you Thursday night!