High school football is back in the Bay Area.

Several teams squared off Friday night and one school district was busy reminding fans about added security measures to give people plenty of time to see kickoff.

The district has had different security measures in place for some time, but with the pandemic and recent violent events, the Manatee County officials wanted to remind fans that they’re taking every step possible so that people can enjoy games each Friday night.

Security is important for people like Sandy Wetmore, who loves supporting her granddaughter who plays in Manatee High School’s marching band.

“It’s wonderful,” she said. “It’s wonderful.”

For the first Friday night game of the season, she and her friends were at the game to support her granddaughter as she performed.

With Manatee High School’s football team going up against IMG Academy, they got to the game early, not only to get a good seat, but to get through security quickly.

“They’ve had them previously when I first started coming,” Wetmore said. “It’s so much better, I think.”

School district officials say that’s something very important to them.

In the wake of violence at other schools across the country, Manatee County officials reminded people of all the measures in place at games like the one at Manatee High School, so they can focus on the game and not what could happen off the field.

“That’s the whole purpose of why we’re doing this,” said district spokesman Michael Barber.

According to Barber, at each game, fans can only bring in clear bags and there will be security officers wanding people as they enter.

At some games, they’ll even have weapon detection systems in place for added protection.

That system will be circulated throughout the football season to the different high schools within the county, Barber said.

“We’re just taking these measures as another way to provide an extra dose of safety at athletic events,” he said.

That added dose is what Judy Granowicz appreciates when heading in to see the Hurricanes take the field.

“Safety is number one," she said. "Not just for us, but for our kids."

Even with some hiccups along the way for some people who didn’t get the memo about clear bags, when the Hurricanes hit the gridiron, the fans were able to sit back and relax, knowing the only thing they need to look out for are how many touchdowns each team will score.

“We hope our fans come out and have a good time,” said Barber.