First and Tundra

Can't wait for your football fix? Go north to Alaska, where the prep season is already underway and there's no need for Friday night lights because it's still light at 9:30. But that will soon change, when the state begins its rapid plunge into winter. That is why two-a-day practices start in July and the season begins in early August. In late October, the state title game is played. "You really don't want to be playing football in Alaska in November," Dimond High receiver Mike Melendez said. Only 29 high schools play football, reaching from Ketchikan, at the southern tip of the state, to Barrow, located north of the Arctic Circle. For players, getting noticed by college coaches is next to impossible. "You play your butt off, but most colleges don't have us on the recruiting circuit," Dimond defensive end Austin Mallory said.