The Democrat’s Jake Martin risked alienating some readers with his Sunday column in which he provided his predictions about how this football season will turn out for Natchez area high school teams.

Some may not agree with Martin’s picks, but one thing we can agree on is some of the best entertainment to be found anywhere can be found in our community on fall Friday nights.

Natchez has a rich history of producing great football players — from Green Bay’s Allen Brown in the 1960s to Tampa Bay and Miami’s Hugh Green in the 1980s to the Patriots’ Stevan Ridley of today — as well as many successful football teams.

We expect this year to offer Natchez area residents abundant opportunities for wholesome fun and camaraderie with others in our community.

The high school football season begins in earnest this Friday night.

To celebrate, each day of this week’s newspaper will include one of a series of football banner pages, which highlight the players of our high school football teams and the area businesses that support them. These pages feature team photos and rosters as well as this year’s game schedule.

We encourage you to take these banner pages and display them at your houses and businesses, and take them with you to Friday night’s ballgame and show your team spirit.

Also in Friday’s newspaper will be The Natchez Democrat’s 2014 Football Guide, which takes an in depth look at the strengths and weaknesses of area teams, leaders who are expected to emerge on the field of play, as well as the struggles each coaching staff is working to overcome.

Participation in team sports provides our young people with important life lessons. Let’s support that endeavor by getting behind our area high school football teams this season.