ZACHARY - High school football is a back with some teams wrapping up their first scrimmages Friday night.

The regular season doesn’t officially start until next week but that didn’t stop the Zachary High Broncos and the West Feliciana High Saints from putting on a show.

The first play from scrimmage was a kick return ran back all the way to the other side for a Zachary touchdown.

There were lots of firsts Friday night as players, coaches and fans navigated the coronavirus restrictions at a football game for the first time.

Another first for Zachary was a new sticker put on the back of players helmets, a symbol that the brotherhood of football is more than what color jersey you wear.

Kickoff was a moment that everyone has been waiting for since last season ended.

“It feels great to be here right now,” Zachary Football head coach David Brewerton said.

Players were fired up to hit the field and to hit someone else besides their teammates.

“I gotta give it to our kids, training the whole summer time and fall, not knowing whether it’s going to happen or not. They came to work every day so I’m very proud of them for that,” Brewerton said.

Fans were also fired up to see some live, in-person football for the first time in what feels like forever.

“It’s just great, we’re so glad to be back,” one fan said.

There were, of course, a few changes fans were greeted with at the gate like temperature checks and a face mask requirement.

Something else different Friday night, a small yellow and purple number 77 sticker on the back of Zachary players helmets to honor Denham Springs High School football player Remy Hidalgo, who died last week after collapsing at practice.

“At the end of the day, when you line up against people and you want to get after them and you want to try to win. But at the end of the day we’re all brothers out here and we all love the same game and we all try to play it the right way,” Brewerton said.

The two teams, usually district rivals, saying this is bigger than the game they all love.

“It had a profound effect on our kids over the past couple of weeks, just talking with them every day about it. What the Denham Springs community is going through right now, and their football program and their school it’s just terrible. We pray for them every day after practice and hope they’re able to get through this,” Brewerton said.

Be sure to watch the Friday Night Blitz every Friday during football season on WBRZ Ch. 2 or WBRZ Plus at 10:30 p.m.