By Stephen Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
CINCINNATI, Ohio --- The nation’s premier high school football showcase is just five weeks away.
Coaches and media gathered in the press box of the Cincinnati Bengals’ Paul Brown Stadium Friday to break down the Burger King Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series, which will take place Aug. 30-31 in Ohio and – new to the event this year – an added Aug. 30 date at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas.
The event will feature a total of 15 games and teams from 11 states.
MaxPreps.com’s Stephen Spiewak has the story on a number of Friday’s hot topics.
Cleveland Getting the Call in 09?
Noticeably absent from the roster of Ohio teams participating in the event this year are schools from Cleveland, the state’s northwest mecca of high school football.
It’s not due to a lack of interest, according to the event’s namesake, Kirk Herbstreit.
“I’m very surprised by (St. Ignatius head coach) Chuck Kyle,” Herbstreit said. “They’ve been invited every year and haven’t been able to make it work.”
The expectation is that at least one Cleveland school will be participating in 2009.
“It sounds like the kids want to play in it, and we want to make it happen,” Herbstreit said.
Fearless Elder
No team has played a more challenging array of out-of-state competition in the history of the event than Cincinnati’s Elder High School.
Two years ago, the Panthers lost a high-scoring shootout to West Coast powerhouse De La Salle (Calif.). Last year, they were willing to take on Independence of Charlotte, N.C., and ended the school’s 109-game winning streak in dramatic fashion.
Head coach Doug Ramsey agreed to take on St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) this season. A Florida 5A juggernaut, Aquinas greatly impressed Ramsey when he watched them on tape.
According to Ramsey, Aquinas could be the best team Elder has faced in its three-year run at the Herbstreit Challenge.
No Crystal Ball Used
Kirk’s father, Jim Herbstreit, is responsible for creating the matchups for the Herbstreit events.
The elder Herbstreit said it’s not always easy trying to predict how strong the programs will be up to two years in advance.
“What I want is information on the teams,” he said. “I don’t want to ‘crystal ball’ their talent.”
Herbstreit went on to say, with many of Ohio’s largest programs getting divided into separate schools in recent decades, it’s more challenging to find 11 strong Ohio teams on a yearly basis to take on the country’s best.
“Even though it appears we have a large number of games, when you go to start matching teams with other teams, and try to work with different schedules, it’s tough to get everybody in,” he said.
He also went to issue an open invitation to any team around the country interested in getting invited to the event.
“I need information, from anyone around there in the country,” Herbstreit said. “Send us some info and we’d be more than happy to take a look at it.”
For more information on the Burger King Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series, visit www.herbstreitfootballseries.com