Most days, it was a handful of fellas fresh out of their third or fourth class just raring to blow off steam. In fact, your average lunch period functioned much like a newspaper: you’d sit down and almost always learn something you didn’t know.

And, I suppose, the language was a bit more colorful than that of your daily newsprint.

But, almost always, sports appeared somewhere in the conversation, and it was especially around the football team I observed an interesting pattern. These were guys that defended the school’s name on the gridiron, and whether or not they were your favorite person that week, you always rooted for ’em.

I didn’t try out for football, but bounced between the cross country, golf and soccer programs with little expectation for myself other than getting out of class early once or twice a week. The closest guys, though, were the football players. The big dudes.

Just about everybody knows about high school football.

The community showed up on Friday night. It was a big deal, at least to a small, Catholic school in Kansas with just a couple hundred students. But none of that pageantry or tradition is why a high school student should try out for a varsity sport, only the byproduct.

I’ve covered sports across all three levels — preps, college and the pros — but the main draw to high school sports for me is the impact a robust, well-funded athletic department has in the community around it. In an era where interscholastic athletics are being pushed out for unaffordable club teams, it’s vital Utah continues doubling down on building successful high school sports programs in the years ahead.

Face it, you’re likely not going pro

We put a lot of pressure on our children to perform well at every level of life.

Parents, and increasingly the media nowadays, have created a business out of evaluating and prospecting which young athletes will go to which school — and even as far as estimating how much their name, image and likeness is worth.

It’s not to ridicule those who study, train and put in the hours — much the opposite — but it’s important to look at that process as a major tool in developing our incoming generations for the future, even if they miss the cut for college sports, or even varsity sports.

The data on high school sports participation is sturdy.

A small circle of high school athletes (roughly 1 in 57) will ever make a Division I roster, according to public data from the NCAA. Conversely, the overwhelming majority of high school dropouts, as evaluated across 14 U.S. school districts, were never involved in a varsity program, according to reporting by Athlete Assessments and four-time Olympic rower Bo Hanson in his pitch for high school sports.

“As children get older, the time they spend practicing for and playing each sport they participate in increases. Soon they have to choose between sports, as their lives become more hectic,” Hanson said. “Then the pressure of school kicks in and more children fall by the wayside, feeling like they don’t have enough time to play sport, despite the emotional and physical advantages that participating in sport gives them.  The draw of TV and video games can also contribute to the dropout rate with youth sports, let alone the myriad of other choices today’s youth can make.”

Stronger teams, stronger communities

There’s a reason why so many kids say “P.E.” when asked about their favorite class. Coaches make things fun, and a lot times those first couple of physical education classes can become the catalyst for a young student’s favorite sport.

A lot of those same P.E. teachers are involved with local programs, either in coaching or officiating, for their love of the game. The same love goes for our high school coaches, who often take up these extra coaching positions for a modest bonus. Sometimes they’re coaching because their father coached, or because they have a son or daughter coming up. Or maybe, they’re a retired police sergeant who just loves softball.

School districts would be smart to keep these community figures around. Just this month, the National Federation of State High School Associations provided several insights into building stronger schools through its nationwide parents survey.

• “An overwhelming majority (91 percent) of the respondents supported the environment, culture and education-based model of school sports and activities. Unlike non-school options for sports participation, education-based sports operate within school expectations, routines and responsibilities. These may include academic standing, attendance, adult guidance, student conduct and the broader goal of keeping students engaged.”

• “More than 90 percent of the parents said their student feels safe and welcomed in the school environment and that the environment is supportive of students. Parents said the experience emphasizes growth and development, not just outcomes or results.”

• “Across the full sample, 68 percent of parents say their child’s experience in high school athletics/activities provides something unique that cannot easily be replaced outside of school. If participation opportunities are reduced, underfunded or moved outside of schools, families may lose something they do not believe can be fully replicated elsewhere.”

Are you on the fence?

One of the biggest mistakes a high school student (myself included) can make is misinterpreting a varsity letter for the varsity experience. The experience is keeping a routine, making memories at practice, asking questions and testing the limits of healthy competition. These are good things, and it’s the same reason we groaned and moaned when a one-hour P.E. class ended after seemingly 20 minutes all those years ago.

Already missed tryouts, you say? Nonsense.

Email a coach. Join the cross country team on weekend runs. Spend a few bucks on an old, worn-in catcher’s mitt. Take up your friend on that round of golf. You don’t need a letter to have a good time, and odds are most of those varsity jackets end up in some dusty old chest anyhow.

Connect with Standard-Examiner sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standardexaminersports.