By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
It's go time. Time to separate the contenders from the pretenders. Time to put all of the preseason accolades and hype to bed. What happened in 2006 is now, officially, the past.
Nebraska got off to a flying start last weekend with two rivalry games and a few upsets. And Millard North threw the ball just two times. Some things never change. That's high school football for you.
My first Oklahoma experience was in 2005 as Putnam City North hosted Edmond Santa Fe. Putnam City North, anointed with the daunting task of being `the next big thing' out of a west starved of state championships, went into the contest heavily favored with good reason. Their quarterback was current Oklahoma starter Sam Bradford. His home run target was Texas A&M receiver Kenny Brown. Oklahoma State lineman Myron McKinney was a prototypical tackle helping protect Bradford.
PC North got off a big lead early on behind Bradford's rocket arm and Brown's acrobatic interception for a touchdown. Santa Fe, not to be outdone, embarked on a furious fourth quarter comeback. The Wolves outlasted PC North on the night with an emphatic 28-24 win.
PC North, despite having all the talent in the World, went on a tailspin to finish 5-5 missing out on the playoffs, while Santa Fe finished 11-1 with a loss in the Class 6A quarterfinals. That's high school football for you. Proof that you still need to play the 48 minutes before you. Proof that all the preseason hype in the World gets you zilch when you step between the lines.
Rewind back to 2002. Plans were made to attend a Nebraska game in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University. Living in South Dakota at the time, my family and I stopped in Nebraska at my parents' house so I could rest before making my journey to meet my Uncle. My Uncle just happened to live in Shreveport, La., and was a frequent visitor to Evangel Christian Academy games. There was this character whose hype was difficult to ignore, a young quarterback who was touted as being one the best ever.
So on October 25, 2002, I left Fremont, NE at 4 a.m. with the hope that I could pull into Shreveport in time to witness one of the best high school football programs in the nation. On the way, I drove through Oklahoma City, thinking how much bigger it was than I once realized. Little did I know at the time that I would live there a little less than three years later.
After fighting intense rush-hour traffic in Dallas reminiscent of the time I drove in downtown Rome, Italy, wondering how I survived, I made a break East on Interstate-20 towards the Port City. I made it in time.
As my Uncle and I were driving up to the stadium, I could see the lights seemingly from miles away. I remember being shocked at how small Evangel's school building was. When you drive behind the school house, something seemingly out of a movie pops up quicker than you would ever expect. A beautiful high school football stadium, named for Rodney Duron.
And boy, was Evangel and their hyped quarterback worth every mile of the drive and calorie of fast food on the run. The quarterback, current USC signal-caller John David Booty. Little did we know at the time that Booty's junior season would be his last, but you could definitely tell that he was special. Running back Jacob Hester also stood out. Hester is now part of the backfield for national title contender LSU. A school of 800 students playing in front of 10,000 fans in a packed stadium? That's high school football for you.
Rewind even further to 1986. The only public high school in my hometown, Fremont High, was coming off one of the most successful runs in school history. Gerry Gdowski was a two-time All-State selection at quarterback, and had committed to Nebraska. As a junior in 1984, Gdowski led the Tigers to the Class A state semifinals along with wide receiver Chip Bahe, who now is the head basketball coach at Millard North. In the playoff loss to Omaha Central, Gdowski and Bahe combined for four touchdowns through the air, still tied for a Class A playoff record.
Fremont was not supposed to be anything special heading into 1986. Plenty of talent graduated along with Gdowski. But there was something special brewing at Memorial Field on opening night. Grand Island, one of the storied programs in state history, entered the season-opener with as the second-ranked team in the preseason.
As lightning flashed in the darkening West sky, it was Fremont who jumped out to an early 6-0 lead. A stingy Tiger defense continued to thwart any attempt of a comeback by the Islanders. When the dust settled and before the rains came, Fremont pulled one of the biggest upsets in years holding on to win, 6-0. Filled with confidence, the Tigers rolled through their next seven opponents en route to an 8-0 start and finally, the coveted number one ranking in the Omaha World-Herald.
Lincoln Southeast was also highly-ranked, setting up a battle of giants at Memorial Field to close out the regular season. Southeast came in and upset the Tigers on their home turf. Circumstances would dictate that revenge would only need to wait five days for the Tigers, who were granted a first-round playoff game against Southeast on the same battleground.
Fremont took advantage, defeating the Knights 20-0 to advance for another home game, this time against Millard North. In the semifinals against Millard North, 48-minutes were not enough as the teams were in a scoreless deadlock. Fremont turned away the Mustangs on their first overtime possession. On the first play of Fremont's possession, quarterback John Bonow would scramble on a broken play for a touchdown. The Tigers all piled on Bonow in celebrating in the North endzone. A date with defending champion Creighton Prep, once again at home, would decide the state championship.
As a 12-year old, I walked the mile and a half in subzero temperatures two hours early to get a good seat for the final. Memorial Field would seat 7,000 or so with every seat filled, but not on this day. Seemingly, millions of people stood around the sidelines to witness history on this night.
It was not to be for my beloved Tigers, as they fell 14-0. Creighton Prep would use this title as part of five straight and seven total in the 80's. It took in the neighborhood of six months for my toes to thaw out. Once again, worth every second of pain and learning why, to this day, I hate cold.
Bonow would not be on Rivals or Scout this day and age. Bonow was the gutsiest performer these eyes have ever seen and overachieved on every play. The Fremont team of 1986 proved that you can use a simple 6-0 win to start your season and build momentum en route to something special. Not one player on that team played Division I football.
That's high school football for you.