By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
Football: Scrimmages Don't Get Any Bigger Than This
When is a scrimmage more than just a scrimmage? Look no further than Saturday night in Duncan, S.C., when the nation's third-ranked team, Byrnes, S.C., met No. 15 Independence, N.C., in front of a reported crowd of 7,500.
Independence - entering the 2006 season with a 92-game winning streak - won the exhibition, 28-21, despite spotting Byrnes a three-touchdown lead in the opening quarter.
According to The Charlotte Observer, both teams used second-string and reserve players throughout the second half. Byrnes led the North Carolina school 21-14 at halftime.
The "friendly" featured a pair of future Division I-A quarterbacks in Byrnes' Willy Korn (Clemson) and Independence's D.J. McFadden (East Carolina). The Rebels of South Carolina open the regular season Friday against Hartsville, while the Patriots of North Carolina play at West Charlotte.
Football: Under the Lights at Neyland
Not many teams can say their first live action of the 2006 season came in a stadium built to hold nearly 110,000 fans. But for 18 teams in Tennessee, the K.O.C. Kickoff Classic - held at the University of Tennessee's Neyland Stadium in Knoxville - gave them the opportunity to do just that Friday night.
"It's every kid's dream that plays out here to get into the stadium," Knoxville Catholic defensive back/running back Harrison Smith told the Knoxville News Sentinel. "The grass is so nice it's like a carpet. It's pretty exciting to play in a place like this."
The jamboree pitted the 18 participating teams against each other in 12-minute increments. While nearly half the field failed to put any points on the board, Grace Christian of Knoxville threw up 32.
Football: Hoover Featured in MTV's "Two-A-Days"
Playing a game on ESPN last season didn't quite quench the Hoover Buccaneers' thirst for the national spotlight.
Beginning August 23, the Alabama football program will become the subject of MTV's latest foray into reality television.
"Two-A-Days" will follow Hoover's 2005 season, which resulted in a 14-1 record and the program's fifth state title in the last six years.
According to MTV's web site, current Buccaneer quarterback - senior Ross Wilson - will be one of the featured cast members.
Hoover will be a power once again in 2006, taking a No. 4 national ranking from MaxPreps into its season opener with Union, Okla., Sept. 1.
Football: Football Prominent on Big, Small Screens This Fall
MTV's "Two-A-Days" won't be the only gridiron entertainment option this fall.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will star in Sony Pictures' "Gridiron Gang", set to be released Sept. 15, while NBC's "Friday Night Lights" will premier Oct. 3 and star Kyle Chandler as fictional Dillon High School head coach Eric Taylor.
"Gridiron Gang" is the story of teenagers at a juvenile detention center who turn their lives around under the leadership of their counselor, Johnson. Rapper Xzibit joins "The Rock" on the film's cast.
"Friday Night Lights" is a take-off on the book and film of the same name. The series will center around the football-focused town of Dillon, Texas, and its obsession with winning a state title.
Before We Go: Multiple media outlets, including the Louisville Courier-Journal, reported that Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) quarterback Matt Simms made a verbal commitment to play for Bobby Petrino's Louisville Cardinals over the weekend. Simms, the son of NFL legend, Phil, and brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneer signal caller, Chris, threw for 2,744 yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior.Tom Knotts, head football coach at Independence, N.C., told The Charlotte Observer that his team will be part of the Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge in 2007.A final note on Independence; the Patriots have enjoyed a recent string of quarterbacks that have gone on to play at the Division I-A level, including Chris Leak (Florida), Joe Cox (Georgia), and current signal caller, senior D.J. McFadden (East Carolina). Knotts has already identified the next in line. Sophomore Davonte Holloman - who Knotts compared to Vince Young - will replace McFadden in 2007. Holloman scored on a 10-yard run in the Saturday scrimmage against Byrnes.
Jason Hickman: jason@maxpreps.com
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