Well, I suppose if you’re going to make your debut as a sports correspondent, you might as well do it with a football-filled weekend.

And around here, we take our football pretty seriously.

My daddy would tell you there are “5 Things a Southern Girl Needs to Understand”: Jesus, family, the dog, football, and everything else—in that order.

I’m still working on whether the dog comes before football.

Zsa Zsa says she knows where she stands.

But before I get into all that, I suppose I ought to introduce myself properly.

I’m Charlie Parker Reeves, though nobody around my daddy calls me that. To him, I’ve always been CP.

I grew up around a man who believes he is rarely wrong, especially when football is involved. He hunts. He fishes. He watches high school football, college football, and the Falcons. He has an opinion about all of it—and he will gladly explain that opinion whether you asked for it or not.

So naturally, I learned to have one of my own.

And after spending a little time away, I have to tell you something I didn’t expect:

There really is no place like home.

Friday Night Lights & Homecoming

There is just something about Homecoming in Villa Rica.

The purple and gold. The marching band. The cheerleaders. The parents in the stands. The alumni who somehow know everybody’s business. The kids dressed up for the occasion. And that familiar feeling that, for one night, the whole town belongs to the Wildcats.

Friday night, Villa Rica welcomed Cartersville Woodland to Sam McIntyre Stadium for Homecoming, and the Wildcats certainly knew how to put on a show.

After Woodland opened the scoring with a field goal, Villa Rica answered—and then answered again, and again, and again.

By the end of the night, the scoreboard read Villa Rica 42, Woodland 3.

And let me tell you, there was a whole lot of purple and gold smiling in those stands.

The star of the night was senior running back Emmanuel “EMan” Ajayi, who found the end zone five times. He ran for touchdowns, caught one through the air, and helped turn what started as a close game into a very long night for Woodland.

Villa Rica scored 42 unanswered points after Woodland’s early field goal.

That’s what I call a Homecoming present.

But, of course, football wasn’t the only thing happening Friday night.

Homecoming royalty took the field, too.

This year’s Homecoming King was Morgen Thompson, and Homecoming Queen was Laila McKay.

And whether you’re sixteen or sixty, there’s still something special about seeing those students walk across that field while their families cheer them on.

Because that’s the thing about Homecoming.

It’s not really just about football.

It’s about coming home.

Then Came Saturday in Athens

Now, I don’t know about y’all, but Saturday has always belonged to the Dawgs in my house.

And this Saturday didn’t disappoint.

The No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs welcomed Vanderbilt to Sanford Stadium and took care of business with a 38–14 victory.

Quarterback Gunner Stockton threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns, and Georgia’s passing game was clicking all afternoon. The Dawgs moved to 5–0 on the season, which is exactly the sort of information my daddy likes to hear while sitting in his chair pretending he’s the head coach.

I watched the game the way any respectable Georgia girl should—with plenty of cheering, a little yelling at the television, and at least one person in the room saying, “I told you they were going to do that.”

That person was Daddy.

Naturally.

And Then There Were the Falcons

Monday night brought another Southern football tradition: the Falcons and the Saints.

And honey, Atlanta came to play.

The Falcons walked into New Orleans and walked right back out with a 45–24 victory.

Bijan Robinson opened the night with a 59-yard touchdown run, and Atlanta’s running game kept the pressure on all night. Brian Robinson Jr. added three rushing touchdowns of his own, while Michael Penix Jr. connected with Jahan Dotson for a fourth-quarter touchdown.

The Falcons improved to 2–2, and if you ask me, that’s a mighty fine way to end a football weekend.

Especially when your team is wearing red and black.

Coming Home

But here’s the part Daddy probably won’t understand.

The best part of this weekend wasn’t the scoreboard.

It wasn’t the touchdowns.

It wasn’t even watching Georgia win.

It was being home.

There’s something about being back where everybody knows the school colors, where Friday night means football, where Saturday means the Dawgs, and where somebody’s daddy is always ready to tell you exactly how the game should have been played.

It’s familiar.

It’s loud.

It’s a little ridiculous.

And I missed it.

I missed the Friday night lights.

I missed the smell of the concession stand.

I missed hearing people holler from the stands.

I missed arguing about football.

And, if I’m being honest, I even missed Daddy telling me I don’t know what I’m talking about.

I know. Shhh…

That’s a shocking confession.

Of course, I didn’t come home alone.

I brought my girl Zsa Zsa with me.

She’s my four-legged football companion, occasional critic, and full-time expert at finding the warmest spot in the house during a game.

She doesn’t care who wins.

She cares about snacks.

She knows a good tailgate party when she smells one.

Frankly, she may be the smartest one of us.

So, that’s me.

I’m CP.

I’m a Southern girl, a football fan, a daddy’s daughter, and apparently now a journalist.

And if this first weekend back home taught me anything, it’s that there is always another game, another story, another opinion—and probably another argument waiting around the corner.

Lucky for you, I’ve got plenty of opinions.

And Daddy has plenty of them too.

I’ll see y’all next Thursday.

Until then—

Go Wildcats!

Go Dawgs!

Rise Up!

And Zsa Zsa says somebody better save her a HotDog.

— Charlie Parker “CP” Reeves

Sports Correspondent

🐾 Zsa Zsa’s Sideline Tip:

Want to be ready when the CPA comes calling at year-end?

Keep your receipts together, keep your books up to date, and don’t let your paperwork pile up like dirty football jerseys after a Friday night game.

And remember, if your books are making you growl more than a Bulldog on game day…

Call somebody who knows what they’re doing.

— Zsa Zsa
Chief Sideline Supervisor & Professional Snack Inspector