Editor's Note: Matt Gambill is a senior at Dover High School and a wide receiver/defensive back on the DHS football team. His Varsity Insider column will appear each week throughout the season.

It won't settle in until Thanksgiving and it won't bring the tears until late November, but it will simmer beautifully over the next three months. 

It's finally here, the 2009 high school football season, for me and nine of my teammates, our senior season. I've seen seniors go through this process for a couple of years and everyone copes with it differently. My question is, how we will cope?

It was a rugged, but fun preseason for all of us seniors. We enjoyed ourselves and took it practice by practice knowing it's our last. The preseason is always a challenge. The coaching staff always has something new that challenges us both in the physical and mental aspect of the game; even the four seniors that have been starting since the 2007 season have struggles. That's what preseason is for - to experience challenges we are going to face during the season and later in life and that's something the coaching staff at Dover really stresses.  

Now that we have scrimmaged and seen where we stand as a team, we believe we have a very fast and athletic group of players. Coach Osbon traditionally schedules a tough preseason program. We played Pinkerton, Saint Thomas, Concord, and Plymouth. they were all tough, talented teams and I hope that they are all successful this season. Based on the scrimmages, our defense was very impressive and our offense was explosive. Our team is expecting a lot out of the season, especially the seniors. 

Enough about the preseason, it's game time. This will be the last season opener for all of you who are seniors. We are faced with a tough challenge this week. Salem is a very talented team with a ton of speed, athleticism, and toughness. Max Jacques is very fast and moves well. We feel prepared and cannot wait for the night to finally come. Traditionally we scrimmage Salem and it is always a physical battle. I guarantee it will be a battle Friday night in Salem. 

This is it seniors, the start of our last high school season. I wish everyone luck this week.  For all you seniors remember this throughout this final season, "Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

                                                                                                         - Ferris Bueller