D'HANIS, Texas – When you hear the saying “Friday Night Lights” in Texas, you automatically think of high school football.
But in D’Hanis, a small town 50 miles west of San Antonio of no more than 900 people, “Midnight Madness” is what the town looks forward to the most.
“Midnight Madness” is an annual tradition where the high school football team begins its football camp at the stroke of midnight.
The 10th annual “Midnight Madness” was held Monday morning. The D’Hanis seniors look to continue the tradition they once attended as kids.
“Doing this Midnight Madness, I remember coming (to see) my brother doing this back when he was in high school and thinking, ‘This is what I want to do’ and here I am,” said senior Tyson Zinsmeyer.
“I’m really excited for senior year hoping to inspire a new crop of kids coming up to come out and do this because it’s really what we look forward to,” said Zinsmeyer.
D’Hanis head coach Troy Langfeld began the tradition with the idea of getting rid of the Monday doldrums and to start the new season on a high note.
D’Hanis has made the playoffs every year since starting the midnight tradition.
“The energy level is so much more on the first day and the kids come in and have a good time with it,” said Langfeld. “It’s tradition now, we don’t want to change anything now, we don’t want to take a chance (and) ruin our streak.”
The tradition extends into the community as well, as many of the parents players attend and watch the early-morning practice, even if it means to only wake up a couple hours later for work.
“It’s for the kids more than anything and we come out here get excited about the season and we’re looking forward to a great season,” said Esteban Quintanilla. “If we have to lose a little bit of sleep and drink an extra cup of coffee in the morning to get to work, we’ll do what we got to do.”
The D’Hanis Cowboys open their season against an old rival, the Sabinal Yellowjackets. The two schools have not played one another in three years due to district realignment.