The wait is finally over.

It’s been six month since the New Orleans Saints upset the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl, and while I’m a fan of basketball, baseball and soccer, something was missing.

And that something was the smack of shoulder pads hitting each other and the cheer of the crowd when a team makes a thrilling play or scores a touchdown.

But last Friday night, I finally got to hear those sounds again.

Yes everyone, football season is finally here.

I know the games don’t count yet, but it’s still guys putting on jerseys and helmets and competing against another team.

The NFL began playing preseason games last week and our local high school teams had jamborees on Friday to get ready for their opening games Friday night.

There were two jamborees in Natchez on Friday, which gave local fans a chance to see a multitude of teams and get a taste of what the 2010 season might be like.

Natchez High hosted a jamboree that included Jefferson County, Wilkinson County, South Pike and J.J. McClain, and Cathedral hosting a jamboree that included Trinity Episcopal, Wilkinson County Christian and St. Aloysius.

I was at the Cathedral jamboree, and I have never seen D’Evereux Stadium as full as it was on Friday.

Cars were lined up way down the road leading to the stadium.

Trinity played St. Al in a game that lasted two 12-minute halves and Cathedral took on WCCA in another 24-minute contest.

Sure, the teams didn’t look that sharp, but the fans didn’t really much care because they knew football season was back.

And fans of the Natchez-based schools all left the jamborees relatively happy on Friday, as each Natchez school won.

Trinity beat St. Al 24-0, Cathedral beat WCCA 22-6 and Natchez High defeated South Pike in a 12-minute game 13-0.

But those jamborees are just the tip of the pigskin.

High school football in Mississippi begins for real next week, as both MAIS and MHSAA schools will start their regular seasons.

In the past, the MAIS schools started their seasons a week before the MHSAA schools did, but that has changed this season and both associations will begin their seasons on the same week.

LHSAA schools will have to wait a couple of more weeks, as they don’t kick off their seasons until Sept. 3.

That’s the weekend the college football season will get started.

Southern Miss will get the 2010 college football season started on Thursday, Sept. 2 when they play at South Carolina.

Most of the rest of the country, including Ole Miss, Mississippi State and LSU will get their seasons started on Saturday, Sept. 4.

Ole Miss begins its season against Jacksonville State while Mississippi State plays Memphis and LSU faces off against North Carolina at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The action keeps getting better the next week, as the NFL kicks off its regular season.

The defending champion Saints will open the NFL season on Thursday, Sept. 9 against the Vikings in a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game.

And for you Saints fans who are also fans of Mississippi State, get the remote control ready, as the Bulldogs are also playing a huge SEC game against Auburn that same night.

We’ve all gotten a taste of the pigskin. Now in the next few weeks, we’ll be getting the main course.

And it’s going to be good.