Well, that was fast.

It seems like just a few days ago I went up to Free State High to meet starting quarterback Craig Rosenstengle for the first time.

A day later, I went over to Lawrence High to chat with LHS captain Quintin Rucker.

Both young men were full of promise and poised for big seasons. Neither disappointed during a fall sports season that came and went as fast as any I’ve been around.

Maybe the fall season went fast because I had looked forward to it for so long. Since entering this business, I always had wanted to cover games on Friday nights at Haskell Stadium. This fall I saw seven. My record was not so hot for the home teams, though.

But that hardly mattered.

It was a vastly different season for Lawrence’s two biggest high school football teams.

The Lions struggled most of the way, while Free State delivered a solid encore to last season’s record-setting performance.

Both provided several great memories along the way.

It was a breakout season for Free State tailback Chucky Hunter. I knew Chucky was good, but his ability to run hard and make people miss made my jaw drop more than a few times. I can’t imagine what he’ll do for dessert as a senior.

While Hunter was by far the flashiest player in Lawrence this season, a few others simply put their heads down and ran hard. Free State’s Ryder Werts was a joy to watch at fullback. I’ll never know what makes guys look for contact when they’re running the ball, but Ryder did it every time, much to the dismay of opposing defenses.

The same could be said for LHS backs Tyler Hunt and Clifton Sims. Neither player ever shied away from contact.

There were dozens of big-time performances this season but the thing that stood out the most was the way so many underclassmen stepped up.

It seemed like LHS had a player go down with an injury every week. And every time one did, another was there to take his place. That’s good coaching and great heart by the athletes.

It might not have been ideal for this season, but it will pay off big time in 2008.

The same was true at Free State, where underclassmen gradually stepped to the forefront throughout the season.

It won’t be easy for either football program to replace its outgoing seniors. But because of the way so many sophomores and juniors stepped up, next season could be a big year for both schools.

The first day of fall practices for 2008 is roughly 278 days away. Let’s hope the time passes as quickly as the 2007 season did.