On the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, the mecca for high school
football in North Texas has been the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Tripleheaders or quadrupleheaders were often played, giving high school
fans a chance to watch a day full of playoff games. But now four college
teams are in negotiations to play at Cowboys Stadium on the Friday and
Saturday after Thanksgiving. TCU and BYU could play on Friday and Texas
Tech and Baylor on Saturday.
ENNIS HIRES NEW COACHEnnis, one of the Dallas-area's most
successful 4A programs during the last decade, has found a replacement
for Sam Harrell. Kirbyville coach Jack Alvarez will take over a team
that struggled to a losing season in its first year without Harrell, its
longtime coach who is battling multiple sclerosis. Alvarez led
Kirbyville to nine consecutive playoff appearances. Kirbyville was a 2A
Division I state finalist in 2008 and 2009 and a 3A Division II state
quarterfinalist in 2010.
RUSSELL BELLOMY CHANGES TO MICHIGANArlington Martin quarterback
Russell Bellomy has picked Michigan and dropped Purdue. The 6-3, 178-pound senior had been committed to Purdue since the fall. He didn't have stellar statistics last season – just 1,564 yards passing – but that was because Martin's offense featured running back Danzel Williams (an Oklahoma commit).
ANDREW PETERSON ELIMINATES MIAMISeagoville tight end
Andrew Peterson has eliminated Miami from his list of possible schools. Seagoville coach Andy Gutierrez told The Dallas Morning News that Peterson was knocking Miami off his list of finalists and will choose from offers from Texas A&M, Arkansas and Utah. Peterson has offers from several other programs, including Oregon and Nebraska.
FINAL THOUGHTAs usual, the final weeks leading to National Signing Day have been like a circus. In the Dallas area, dozens of kids have changed oral commitments and several have changed multiple times. The initial reaction is that it's a little ridiculous. But the increased pressure for high school kids to give oral commitments earlier and earlier is part of the problem. It's a lot of pressure for a teenager.
"Schools tell them, ‘we're almost full, you better commit now,'" Mesquite Horn coach Rodney Webb said. "I really don't like our kids being pressured to commit to a school seven or eight months before signing day."
Under pressure, kids often make rash decisions. And the earlier they're asked to commit, the more often they will want to change a decision later.
Matt Wixon is the high school sports columnist for The Dallas Morning News. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:mwixon@dallasnews.com">mwixon@dallasnews.com</a> or on Twitter @mattwixon.
