One of the great joys during my Fridays in the fall is traveling to Metro high schools with Scott Unash as part of KGYM radio’s “Tailgate Tour.’’

There is an opportunity for us to get on each campus, talk to coaches, interact with students and soak in the excitement of teenagers playing games. Each week, there is a different atmosphere, but still the same form of youthful enthusiasm that kids have at the start of the school year.

Last week, we were at Prairie before the Hawks’ football game against Xavier. There was a buzz in the air, despite intermittent rain. Kids participated in the tailgate, collecting slices of pizza, bottles of soda and other items offered by sponsors.

Students taped signs on a section of seats in the west stands to designate “Student Section.’’ Stadium workers prepared the concession stand and other areas. Administrators scurried to complete their checklists.

No offense to the other fall sports, but football truly is the centerpiece of high school sports in the fall. Game nights are the social event of the week for many students and parents, gathering to watch the football team and supporting the band during pre-game and halftime.

On our “Tailgate Tours,’’ though, we attempt to interact with coaches in volleyball, cross country, basketball and others, not just the football coach. Sometimes, it’s the only air time for these coaches to talk about their teams. Many toil in relative anonymity during their season.

What strikes me more weeks than not is the cohesiveness and camaraderie of high school coaching staffs. Athletic directors greet each of their coaches. The football coach wishes the volleyball coach good luck on Saturday’s match. The basketball coach slaps skin with the cross country coach.

There certainly are exceptions, but by and large these coaches are in it for the student-athletes. I asked Prairie boys basketball coach James Moses how he felt watching some of his players knock heads on the football field. He said that although it’s sometimes not easy, fearing an injury, the larger purpose is to support other programs at the school and allow athletes a well-rounded experience.

After all, most athletes in the Metro area will not become a Division I basketball player likes Moses was at Iowa. And these are men and women who earn their living as administrators, teachers, communicators and facilitators.

Coaching is a small part of what they do, but the passion for their work shows clearly. They’ll report to work around dawn and, especially on football home game nights, perhaps not get home until well after the 10 o’clock news.

Then they’ll get up the next morning for a junior varsity game or some volunteer work at the school.

I suppose the same is true on many college campuses, with coaches on various staffs supporting each other and going the extra mile for their employer. But there’s a purer feeling of that when you travel around to high schools.

It’s satisfying to see.

(Mark Dukes is former sports editor of the Cedar Rapid Gazette. He is co-host of The Gym Class radio show weekdays from 3-4 p.m. on KGYM-AM 1600, FM-107.5 and FM-106.3.)