14 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com of this nature. I can’t say the same for my daredevil photographer, who will go to extreme measures to get the perfect shot. Case in point. We most certainly pushed the envelope with this one and the end result was a pyrotechnic masterpiece if you ask me. This cover is dedicated to the players and coaches living out their glory days. Keep that spark alive and never let the passion that fuels your fire burn out or be extinguished by anything or anyone. Every starry-eyed football guy’s dream is to play under blinding floodlights with packed bleachers at their high school’s stadium. I felt those ‘Friday Night Lights’ vibes reignite while creating this cover and I hope your child or the child inside you feels that similar sensation. One cool summer night, my photographer Mark Staff had a stroke of genius, per usual. We were plotting ways to mesh the traditions and pageantry of football with the teenage angst and edginess that embodies team spirit. These late-night musings led us to setting football helmets ablaze in Staff’s backyard, under bright construction lights while blaring Greta Van Fleet like a couple of madmen. There was a method to the madness, and I’ll do my best to convey that. After building a contraption to showcase all the helmets, we had to choose the angles and order. We strategically placed the helmets in a sequence that best portrayed the bitter rivalries between the schools. Then, we created a homemade flamethrower using a lighter and brake fluid (don’t try this at home like we did). The flames dripping off the helmets like molten chocolate on a hot fudge sundae were truly the cherry on top of this fiery creation. If you play with fire enough times you will eventually get burned. Fortunately, I was spared. This will be my first and last time conducting a science experiment SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024 THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES AT WWW.MOUNTPLEASANTPODCAST.COM ALL THINGS FALL • FOOTBALL SEASON • HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS Gridiron Gurus Coaches & Schedules Auto Advice Road Trip Tips Boys of Fall Photo by Mark Staff Photographer. FRIDAY NIGHT LEGENDS Spooky Season Haunted Estates & Graveyards BY ZACH GIROUX Friday Night Flames Editor’s Note: No football helmets were harmed during the making of our front cover. Here I am assisting our photographer Mark Staff in creating our iconic "helmets on fire" cover. about the cover
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