The crowds were smaller, there were friendly postgame waves across the field instead of handshake lines and everyone was smiling despite the outcome over the weekend, because football was back.

It had been 475 days since the last game for Prairie Ridge, which was the last local team to play in the 2019 season. The Wolves lost the Class 6A state championship to East St. Louis, one day after Richmond-Burton won the 4A title over Murphysboro.

For some teams, it had been more than 500 days between games after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the IHSA to postpone its fall season because the Illinois Department of Health Guidelines forbade high-level contact sports.

On Friday, the wait was over and everyone was thrilled.

“This is the first time we tackled, the first time we had referees, we didn’t have our Navy-White game,” Cary-Grove coach Brad Seaburg said after the Trojans’ 28-20 victory over Burlington Central, 28-20, in their Fox Valley Conference game Saturday. “Everyone’s kind of in the same boat and we’re hoping to improve every week. The perspective is the big picture; we’re playing football in March when no one thought we would be.”

Huntley senior Alex Janke had a blast playing at running back and linebacker as the Red Raiders opened with a 42-8 win over Jacobs.

“It was amazing. The feeling was weird without all the fans here,” Janke said. “It was a lot quieter. I felt like everyone could hear me out there.”

Burlington Central coach Brian Melvin tried a video to help psyche his players up for Saturday’s game, played at Huntley’s Red Raider Stadium.

“We showed them Clemson running down the hill to 84,000 people and we said, ‘You have to bring your own energy. Find it!’ " Melvin said. “I’m so happy for them. I’m just happy we’re playing.”

High schools can allow 20% of their stadium’s capacity into games. Fortunately, unlike the basketball season, that gives enough room for some visiting fans to attend as well as the home fans.

“You talk about how much you miss it,” Huntley quarterback Bruno Bosman said. “You don’t realize until you actually have it again. Win or lose, it’s nice to get out there and compete against football players and compete as two teams and as a conference.”

First-timer: Jacobs coach Brian Zimmerman made his head coaching debut on Friday against Huntley. Zimmerman took over when Bill Mitz, the winningest coach in school history, stepped down last month.

“There were a lot of nerves,” Zimmerman said. “The kids were really jacked up. It meant a lot that my wife (Brynn) and mother- and father-in-law were here. I lost my mother (Karen) this past summer and my father (Don) 10 years ago, so it was a little emotional for me running out there.

“I got a text from coach Mitz today, wishing me luck. It was emotional. It was really neat, a lot of learning things for me.”

Holding the brick: Woodstock’s 20-7 victory over Woodstock North in their Kishwaukee River Conference game meant the Blue Streaks got to keep the Brick Square plaque, which coach Mike Brasile held high above his head during the postgame celebration.

Brasile explained the trophy’s beginnings goes back to 2009 when the teams first played one another. However, Woodstock school administrators put a stop to the exchanging of the Brick Square so as to not cause too much animosity between the schools.

But the coaching staffs for the two teams had other ideas.

“We just secretly passed the trophy back and forth between us for a few years,” Brasile said, grinning. “Then it came back out into the open and now it’s all in good fun and competition.”

The Rockets are real: Late in Saturday’s game with C-G, Burlington Central scored to make it 28-20 and had an onside kick. Rockets coach Brian Melvin was thrilled at his team challenging a team that has been a state power.

“We’re done being and up-and-coming program,” Melvin said. “We told the kids all summer, all year, we’re tired of waiting. What they did today shows the absolute leadership we have with our seniors. We have only seven seniors, we’re playing with juniors and sophomores right now.

“This is a big game for us. That’s a phenomenal program. They’re the standard. We’re trying to get there. We’re done being close.”

Running back Gavin Sarvis ran 26 times for 111 yards and a touchdown to lead the Rockets.

“They came out and played very well,” Seaburg said. “They had a really good game plan against us, especially offensively. Sarvis looked like a Cary-Grove fullback. They had a nice concept going on there. We knew they had talent. They did a nice job playing us.”

• Sam Natrop contributed to this report.