Football fans brave heat for start of season

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KIRKWOOD, Mo. — Friday night was the beginning of football season for some schools in the St. Louis region. For the season to happen, some districts decided to delay the start time to create more tolerable conditions.

What can be better than Friday night football with a special appearance by the extreme heat? Fans and school officials in Kirkwood figured out how to make the best of it.You can call it Friday Night Lights with another source of light shining down and causing hot temperatures.

Jason Brown brought his little bundle of joy.

"She's going to be 10 months in about three days,” he said as he held her close.They were in the stands to see Kirkwood High School take on DeSmet Jesuit High School."It's a little cooler. You don't have the sun beating down on you,” he said as he waited for the game to start.The way he planned to get through the extreme heat was with a portable fan.“This is the MVP of the game,” he said as he fanned himself and his family.Water was on hand for band and school leaders who ensured players took precautions through mandatory water breaks. They delayed Friday night’s game until 8."Knowing that the sun still doesn’t go down till right about 7 or 7:15 ... we made that decision for the wellbeing of everyone involved [Friday] night,” Kirkwood athletic director, Corey Nesslage, said. Good neighbors were also doing their part. A group of young ladies set up a lemonade stand as fans flocked to the game. Folks said they appreciated it."They're usually like ‘Oh that’s so sweet of you,’" 11-year-old Ella Montgomery said.

"It's really fun to see people wave at us and smile,” her little sister, Emma Montgomery, added.It's the little things that mean a lot like the sun setting over an excited crowd of spectators. "It shines right on our grandstand so moving back to 8 [helped] make sure the crowd is not sitting right in the sun,” Nesslage added.Because after all, Mother Nature can't stop Friday night football.

More schools in the area will kick off their football seasons on Saturday when temperatures aren't expected to be as hot.