David Green is mad. The Head Football Coach at Leesville Road High School in Raleigh, N.C., feels strongly that Friday nights in the fall should be reserved for high schools. So when Appalachian State University announced it had scheduled a televised home game for Friday, Oct. 31, Green spoke up.

In protest, he asked that Appalachian coaches be disinvited from speaking at the annual state coaches clinic in July. "Our association is on record as being against colleges playing on Friday nights," he says. "I felt that if the coaches association could band together and make a statement, it would have sent a message--not just to Appalachian State but to all the colleges--that this is something we feel strongly about."

Green adds that his discontent is not with the App State coaching staff, but its administrators. "This is nothing against Coach Jerry Moore and his staff," Green says. "They're good coaches and good people. I'm sure they understand the importance of Friday night high school football. But maybe the people above them don't. They are really who we ultimately want to send a message to."

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) is also upset with Appalachian's decision to host the Friday night TV game. "Those Friday night games are the lifeblood and livelihood of our high school programs," says Charlie Adams, Executive Director of the NCHSAA. "Some of our schools live and die by what they bring in on those five Friday nights.

"Our biggest fear is what happens down the road if they keep playing these Friday night games," Adams continues. "All we have to do is look at basketball. There was a time when we were totally protected on Tuesdays and Fridays in basketball. Now they're televising college basketball seven days a week. We don't want to see the tradition of Friday night high school football start eroding like it did in basketball."

In the end, the App State coaches spoke as scheduled at the clinic. Mac Morris, Executive Director of the North Carolina Coaches Association, says the association was disappointed in Appalachian's decision and that coaches were free to convey their feelings to the App State staff in person at the clinic, but felt rescinding the invitation would be going too far.

East Carolina University drew the ire of high school football coaches and administrators for scheduling a Friday night television game in 2002, the first at a North Carolina college. Some even refused to let East Carolina coaches on their campus to recruit as a result. Green says he's heard of a few coaches talking about doing the same with Appalachian State, but he's not choosing that tactic. "I don't want to do anything that might jeopardize one of my athletes' chances to play in college," he says.

Adams points out that John Swofford, Commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, has promised that his schools will not schedule any Friday night games, but that leaves seven Division I schools in the state that might. "All we can really do is ask and plead with them to try to see our point of view," Adams says. "We're just asking for one night out of seven, and we are most appreciative of those who are considerate of that. As far as those colleges that go ahead and play on Friday night, we then have to find a way to live with it."

In this case, that means some schools, mostly in the immediate area of Appalachian's campus in Boone, will be moving their games to Thursday or Saturday night. Adams is thankful that Appalachian State has at least kept the NCHSAA informed of its plans throughout the scheduling process, which was not the case with East Carolina six years ago.

Green says Appalachian State playing on that particular Friday night won't affect his program much. His team always draws well and he envisions few fans changing plans because of an Appalachian State game nearly 200 miles away. But he's worried about the precedent it sets.

"This is about the principle of Friday nights belonging to the high schools," he says. "Appalachian playing this one time on Friday night is not the end of the world. But this is the second time it's happened in the state. What happens the third time, the fourth time, and so on?"