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PLANO – Early last week, the varsity debut of Dallas' newest high school football team seemed certain to draw a standing room only crowd. Or at least a "standing only" crowd, because the site of Conrad's game was lacking a key ingredient for stadium status:

Seats.

Fortunately, temporary bleachers were rolled out a couple days ago for the new John Paul II High School field. The stadium is still under construction, but Friday night, it was ready for a game.

So was Conrad, a team that's been under construction since the school opened in 2006.

"I'm ready," senior linebacker Michael Blackshire said before the game. "I know we're going to win. We've got nothing to worry about."

John Paul II, a TAPPS program in just its third varsity season, did give Class 4A Conrad something to worry about much of the game. But Conrad never trailed, and by the fourth quarter, it was cruising to a 34-10 victory.

Big bumps, however, are just down the road for Conrad. It will be the same for the other area teams – Frisco Liberty, Lovejoy and Mansfield Legacy – that made their varsity debuts Friday night. For most, if not all, of those teams, the first varsity season will bring more moral victories than wins on the scoreboard.

But that doesn't take away the excitement. Lovejoy, a 3A school located just east of Allen, announced it would begin selling season tickets on the morning of Aug. 4. A day earlier, people began camping out to buy them.

"There were 10 Winnebagos in the parking lot," coach Jim Bob Puckett said.

Not that he was totally surprised. The community is crazy about football. And the fans, who were expected to fill Lovejoy's 7,000-seat stadium to the brim Friday, want to win right away.

So does Conrad, which has a roster filled with juniors and a scattering of seniors who previously attended other Dallas high schools. Bringing them together was a big task.

"It was a challenge taking those kids from different schools, neighborhoods and programs and molding them into one team," coach Darren Duke said. "Trying to get them all on the same page."

Building confidence is usually a challenge in the first varsity season, but the Conrad seniors don't lack it.

Defensive end Freddie Brookins (who attended Bryan Adams before Conrad opened), running back Damion Sims (Hillcrest), quarterback Xavier Anderson (Roosevelt) and Blackshire (Bryan Adams) said they are looking forward to showing their former schools what they can do.

"They say we're going to be their highlight tapes," Blackshire said, "but it's going to be the other way around."

Time will tell. But on Friday, Conrad's debut gave its fans plenty of reason to stand and cheer.

Even the ones who had seats.