Homecoming is the first home game of the year.
Not necessarily the first. We always had it around mid-season. Hmm, it might have been the first
district home game, though.
Usually the first two or three games of the season are
non-district or
non-conference (the terminology varies). They count in terms of overall season record, but they don't count towards district championship.
A team only plays ten or eleven regular-season games, although a top team will play several additional post-season games, as they ascend through various levels of championships.
I'm sure the details vary by state, but generally schools compete against similarly-sized schools. In Texas, where I live, there are five size categories for public schools: A (199 or fewer students) through 5A (2085 and up). In the playoffs, however, the 5A category is split into two divisions, because some schools are super-huge. Private schools have a separate system.
I live in a suburban area of a big city, and a large stadium near my house is shared by seven high schools. Most of the games they play are against schools in similar circumstances. Each weekend games are played on Thursday evening, Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday evening, to maximize use of the facility.
In small rural towns, such as the one I grew up in, there's usually a small stadium at each school. There, Friday night games are definitely the norm. However, away games may be an hour or more bus ride away (I was in the marching band, back in the day).
*nods* Ah, I see! For some reason, I thought it had something to do with prom - which is something we also don't do the same was as our neighbors to the south do.
The Homecoming Dance is right up there with Prom in social importance. Homecoming is usually the top social event in the fall, while Prom is the top social event in the spring.
I'm thinking that I'll have to start making the whole football thing a bigger deal in the story, since one of my MCs is the captain of the football team.
For big-city high schools, it's a big deal. For small-town high schools, it's an absolutely gigantic deal involving the whole community, even families without school-aged kids.
A huge number of students are directly involved in football season. It isn't just the football team; it's also the cheerleaders, the pep squad, the marching band, the majorettes, the drill team, and the ROTC color guard.
ETA: In Texas, and I expect most states, football players have to maintain passing grades to play. It isn't unusual for coaches to put pressure on other teachers to make sure that happens, whether or not the player does any classwork. Sometimes, even the school principal will do that, or at least turn a blind eye to it.
Sometimes decisions affecting the whole school are made purely for the benefit of football. There are a number of notorious high schools in Texas which continually add on to the existing school building, rather than building a new school and splitting the student body, in order to avoid splitting the football team. Some have over 5000 students now. These same schools have won numerous state football championships. Top football coaches may get paid several times as much as "ordinary" teachers.
