As football teams from Suffolk prepare to take to the fields on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, another exciting season of fall high school sports is nearing its end.

Lakeland High School is set to play in the semifinal round of the Southeastern Division tournament on Friday in Norfolk, and Nansemond-Suffolk Academy will play in the finals of the Virginia Independent Schools Athletics Association near Charlottesville on Saturday. Previously, Lakeland’s field hockey team lost a heartbreaking double-overtime chance at the state championship to Cox High School.

With the exception of field hockey, which LHS coach Tara Worley has branded as the signature sport for her school by stringing together years of wildly successful teams, Suffolk has never really been known for its fall sports. There have, to be sure, been the occasionally successful football teams. But there’s always a feeling in Suffolk that folks are waiting for the start of basketball season.

This year’s success outside in the crisp autumn temperatures, however, has resulted in a growing level of support this fall for the city’s high school sports teams. And that’s a great thing. High school athletes benefit as much as college or professional athletes from the support of people who call themselves “fans.” It encourages them and motivates them to see the bleachers full of people cheering them on.

Of course, with both remaining fall sports teams on the road this weekend, there are not likely to be as many of those fans to cheer on Suffolk’s behalf. Nonetheless, players and coaches at both high schools should know the city is proud of them and wishes them the very best.

Go Suffolk!