They are our family, in our picture albums, a part of us. We love them; we cherish the memories and cling to the friendships we share, always remembering the bond that is high school football—that force that sends you tired, bleeding, sore, and driven headlong into your opponent just to drive him into the wall in the name of team and pursuit of victory.

So parents, I write this to implore you: we’re losing good ones. Good coaches and good teachers are leaving the profession because it’s so hard to do it with integrity.

And I promise you, I’m in this thing, 100%—through all the wins, and all the losses. I’ll take the grumpiness and the racing mind. I’ll take the distractedness and the tired eyes. I’ll take the long conversations about the same frustrations over and over again.