As out of state games become increasingly common to the high school football landscape, more teams are expanding their horizons and are looking beyond state borders when it comes to filling holes on their schedules.
For these teams, it’s a chance to test their mettle against opponents they might not be familiar with. Many of these matchups involve the cream of the crop from respective states, so bragging rights are certainly on the line.
For fans, these games provide excellent opportunities to see programs from far away that they’d otherwise likely never get to watch.
Here’s a rundown of many of the top out of state games to watch in 2010, as well as possible matchups that still might be arranged.
2010 Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series
The most well-known event for intriguing intrastate matchups, the Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series looks to be strong once again in 2010.
Here’s the tentative lineup for games to be played at Cowboys Stadium on Labor Day:
Shiloh Christian (Springdale, Ark.) vs. Trinity (Euless, Texas)
De Soto (De Soto, Texas) vs. Bowie (Arlington, Texas)
Guyer (Denton, Texas) vs. Cedar Hill (Cedar Hill, Texas)
Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) vs. Skyline (Dallas, Texas)
While the two Lone Star State games are outstanding matchups, it’s the two out of state matchups are are particularly intriguing.
Shiloh Christian, which beat Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, La.) in a thriller in 2009, returns a slew of talented players. Led by quarterback Kiehl Frazier, the Saints have a great chance to be appear in the preseason Xcellent 25 rankings.
Trinity won the 5A-I state title in 2009, and is a shoe-in for a high preseason national ranking given what the Trojans have returning.
The matchup of Aquinas versus Skyline will pit two of the country's most talented programs against each other. Both teams have seen numerous graduates matriculate to Division I programs in recent years. However, both teams are coming off disappointing playoff upsets.
More than anything, this matchup will fan the flames of the argument between Texas and Florida high school football fans over which state has better football.
St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) will not take part in the event. The Wildcats, one of the states premier programs, have never played in a Herbstreit Varsity Football Series game.
SoCal, NOLA set to clash
While there's nothing official yet, it appears there could be a battle brewing between top teams from the Los Angeles and New Orleans areas.
Sources say that on the weekend on Sept. 11, three teams from Southern California could be heading to New Orleans play three of the top programs from the Big Easy in a lineup that would look like this:
Crenshaw (Los Angeles, Calif.) star De'Anthony Thomas.
Photo by Anthony Watson
Crenshaw will feature one of the country's most exciting players,
De'Anthony Thomas, who plays running back, defensive back, and special teams for the Cougars.
Servite,the defending Division II Bowl Game winner, graduates many key seniors, but will feature two-way player
Troy Niklas and a host of impressive young players.
If it comes to fruition, this event would definitely be worth watching.
Other possible events
According to numerous top coaches, there's a Florida event in the works which will attempt to bring together several top teams from across the South. Details are sketchy at this point, and there is very little information available thus far.
The event is slated to be called the "Gridiron Classic" and would take place in early September at the Citrus Bowl.
Individual games
Several key individual matchups have already been decided.
Over 10 members of Don Bosco Prep's graduating class will play football at the Division I level.
Manatee has a nucleus of underclassmen returning and may be favored over a rebuilding Ironmen squad.
Bishop Gorman has been eager to test its itself against more established programs, and found the perfect partner in the California giant. A win by the Gaels would be a big win for the entire state of Nevada and would legitimize a likely preseason national ranking. They are also likely to face
Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) in the Sollenberger Classic to start the season.
-Oklahoma power
Union (Tulsa, Okla.) will travel to Louisiana to take on Evangel Christian Academy for their season opener. Both teams are accustomed to out of state play, and both are defending state champions.
Other buzz
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Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.) has been in discussion with both Don Bosco Prep and St. Thomas Aquinas. Nothing is finalized, and Don Bosco Prep could end up playing North Gwinnett. Aquinas is looking for a game to replace
Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) on its schedule.
There are conflicting reports about the possibility of Camden County taking on Aquinas. Some are saying it's close to a done deal, while others say it's still up in the air.
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Abilene (Abilene, Texas) is still looking for opponents and not having much luck scheduling games.
Butler (Matthews, N.C.), which finished right below Abilene in the final Xcellent 25, has a full schedule of North Carolina teams and is unable to take on any out of state competition.
-Certainly no stranger to out of state games,
Prattville (Prattville, Ala.) will be playing a simpler schedule this year concentrating on local opponents. The Lions played both North Gwinnett and Don Bosco Prep a year ago.
It's extremely common for top coaches to have preliminary discussions about setting up games. However, logistics are a major hurdle, as scheduling conflicts, travel costs, and state rules can all deal the fatal blow to a possible game before it ever gets off the ground.
As such, it's not uncommon for a top coach to chat with over a dozen or more coaches trying to fit a match.
If you know of any other out of state games, or if you're looking to fill holes in your schedule by possibly playing an out of state opponent, please email me at sspiewak@maxpreps.com.
