By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
Football: Prominent Transfers Alter Landscape
Some familiar names will be popping up in new places as the 2006 football season begins to unfold in the coming weeks.
Running back Caleb King, a MaxPreps Preseason First Team All-American, created a flurry of headlines when he announced his decision to leave Parkview High (Ga.) and attend Greater Atlanta Christian in 2006.
King piled up over 4,500 yards the last two seasons at Parkview, a perennial power in Georgia, and is likely to continue his tear in the state's AA ranks. Parkview competes at the AAAAA level.
The top college prospect in Oregon, lineman Myles Wade, was also on the move over the summer, transferring from Portland's Benson Tech to Central Catholic.
The 6-2, 300-pound, University of Oregon commitment joins a talented Rams' roster looking to rebound from an uncharacteristic 5-4 campaign in 2005. Current Miami Dolphin signal caller Joey Harrington also called Central Catholic home before his All-American career with the Ducks.
Oregon's Central Catholic wasn't the only "CC" to welcome a high-profile newcomer this fall.
Pittsburgh's Central Catholic, No. 17 in the MaxPreps Preseason Top 25, was already anticipating a state title run when quarterback Tino Sunseri elected to jump from North Carolina to the Keystone State earlier this summer.
Sunseri's father, Sal, is the defensive line coach for the NFL's Carolina Panthers.
In Alabama, Hoover High received a huge boost in its quest for a sixth state title in seven years when brothers Brandon and Byron Clear moved with family from Virginia.
Brandon, being pursued by powers from all over the ACC and SEC, should fit in nicely with Hoover's high octane passing attack, while Byron will join the Buccaneer defense.
Football: High School Football Gets "Comcastic"
Comcast Sports Southeast announced it will bring nearly 100 high school football games to viewers in the region throughout the 2006 season.
Fans in the Atlanta, Birmingham, Chattanooga, Greenville, Knoxville, Nashville, South Florida, and Tallahassee markets will be able to watch featured games each Friday night, with some accessible via the cable company's "On Demand" feature.
The lineup will include perennial powers like Hoover, Ala., Byrnes, S.C., Alcoa, Tenn., and Lincoln, Fla.
Click Here for Comcast Sports Southeast's complete fall schedule.
Football: Byrnes, Glades Central Set For ESPNU Game
A pair of teams featured in the MaxPreps' Preseason Top 25, No. 3 Byrnes, S.C., and No. 19 Glades Central, Fla., will battle for Southeast supremacy Saturday at 4 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU.
Byrnes opened its season with a 55-20 win over Hartsville last week, while Glades Central did not play.
Before We Go: Scanning through the nearly 1,500 football rosters already submitted to MaxPreps, the name Zach McMahon, a sophomore quarterback/defensive back at Glenbrook North High in Northbrook, Ill., stood out. Indeed, Zach is the son of former Chicago signal caller Jim McMahon, the brash leader of the Bears' 1985 Super Bowl championship team.
Mascot of the Week: We'll be going alphabetically from state-to-state looking for the best mascots/nicknames in the country each week in Quick Hits. This week's state is Alabama, and the Frisco City High "Whippets" are unrivaled when it comes to mascots in the Yellowhammer State. A whippet is a smaller version of a greyhound and a member of the "sighthound" dog group. The Slocomb High "Red Tops" and the Highland Home "Flying Squadron" deserve honorable mention.
Jason Hickman: jason@maxpreps.com
Interested in becoming a MaxPreps contributor? We are looking for writers to help expand our coverage of high school sports nationwide. Contact Jason Hickman at jason@maxpreps.com.
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