Out of all of the days in the Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm (and possibly Hurricane at some point) Fay has decided it is time to threaten North Carolina.

Based on the forecast track Sunday morning, it appears that the storm is predicted to hit Florida, then come up through Georgia and South Carolina, and eventually getting into North Carolina on Friday.

Go figure.

Those of us who have been in North Carolina for some time know all-to-well what a tropical storm can do to these parts, even if it's not a hurricane when it gets here. I don't think we're expecting a Fran-like scenario based on what I saw on the weather forecast this morning, but does anyone remember Alberto?

It happened in June a few years ago. Alberto hit the Gulf states, then proceeded to come up through North Carolina. It caused flooding like I've never seen in Raleigh, and it wasn't even a tropical storm when it hit.

Well, high school football season officially gets underway Friday

On Monday, Aug. 18, prep sports at WRAL are changing. You won't get the prep sports coverage you get now, you'll get more coverage, more in-depth coverage, and more resources for you to use.

Something that you will see on Monday is question and answer web chat. You ask your questions, we will give you our answers.

So, if you have a question about prep football, send it to us now by leaving a comment on this blogpost, or by sending an e-mail to Nick Stevens at stevens@ncsportsreport.com.

We'll pick out some of your questions and answer them on camera.

If your question isn't answered, don't worry, we may answer right here on this blog, which will also be changing on Monday.

We'll take questions until Friday morning at 8 a.m., so get them in now. Feel free to ask as many questions as you'd like.

Stay with WRAL-TV, WRAL.com, and 99.9 FM The Fan this football season for the best high school

Last season, Green Hope and Panther Creek battled each other for the last two spots in the Tri-8 Conference. There are signs that things could be different this season.

Based on what we know from the preseason, the Tri-8 should be down overall this season.

Panther Creek will have its first class of seniors, while Green Hope coach Steven Katz will be starting his second season.

Falcons ready to make move back to the top

The Falcons have done well in 7-on-7 competition over the summer, even against conference foe Middle Creek who is expected to compete for the conference championship in 2008.

If you know anything about me, you know that I'm not a fan of 7-on-7's. It's basically like playing catch. I know the big guys don't get much credit, but you put a 250-pound defensive linemen in someones face and it will impact how they throw the ball.

Katz knows a lot about turning programs around too.

Before Katz made the move

Well, after all of the conversation that we have been having during the month of July about who is better than who, who will win what, and who the sleepers are - I thought you might like to know where I think teams stack up against one another.

There may be some surprises, but we'll see how things pan out.

1) Wake Forest-Rolesville
2) Southern Durham
3) Millbrook
4) Jordan
5) Leesville Road
6) Garner
7) Southeast Raleigh
8) Apex
9) Middle Creek
10) Enloe

So, let me provide some commentary. I think the No. 1 team preseason is clear, but I think Southern Durham is a close second. I'm also giving Millbrook a lot of preseason credit. I think they will be a force in the eastern part of the state this year, but I think Jordan could easily tie with them as the No. 3 team in the preseason poll.

Then we get to Leesville Road and Garner. Preseason, until proven otherwise, I think these two teams are very even, and again, I think

There are two parts of the year where I am in a sports-related awe. The first is the whole month of March. Having grown up on Tobacco Road, college basketball is a way of life. But the second is high school football season.

High school football is different than every other level of football. It's local. It's in your hometown. And more than likely, you know the players.

There is nothing more exciting than being a part of a school that goes deep in the playoffs. As a high school student, nothing is better than beating your rival team, especially if your Pop Warner teammate is on it.

And that is why I love the start of high school football season.

Everyone thinks their team has a chance to take it all. No one has a losing record. Everyone starts with a clean slate.

You can watch 7-on-7's in the summer, but lets be honest, how much can you really learn about an 11-man football team playing with 7 guys? About as much as I learned in my last math class.

Each