Debut High School Football America Radio Show from July 21st NOW Available Free On-Demand

by Jeff Fisher 
High School Football America

The response to the first two High School Football America radio show has been awesome!

Thanks to everyone that's tuned-in!!

For those of you that haven't had a chance to listen, don't worry, all shows will be available FREE and on-demand.

Our inaugural show featured a trip north to Alaska with Barrow High School head football coach Brad Igou and his assistant Brian Houston.  The pair talked about the the birth of the program north of the Arctic Circle five years ago, plus looked ahead to the start of the 2011 season.

Also on the show: Steve Spiewak of MaxPreps.com, who talked about his Preseason Top 25 Early Contenders Poll; Scott Young, head football coach at West Rowan High School in Mount Ulla, North Carolina, who's program owns the nation's longest win streak at 46 straight; and Brandon Sheppard of the National Select 7-on-7 Championship.

Click here to listen to the July 21st show.

MaxPreps.com's Releases Small Schools Top 25 Preseason Poll

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

When Steve Spiewak, MaxPreps' senior national high school football writer, joined me on last Thursday's High School Football America radio show, he talked about his Preseason Top 25 Early Contenders Poll, but he also talked about releasing a Small Schools Top 25.

I applauded him for his foresight, because I did a similar thing back in the mid-90s when working at the sports director at WFMZ-TV.

The reason I liked the idea then, and like it just as much now, is it gives all the schools a fair shake at getting attention...no matter what their size.  Plus, in Pennsylvania it took care of the argument of whether a top flight Class 4A or 3A team with one loss should be ranked behind an unbeaten Class 2A or 1A school.

But, the fact remains, there are a lot of top-notch small schools out there!

Take Buford High School in Georgia, which grabs Spiewak's #1 preseason ranking in the Small School Top 25.

The Wolves have won four straight state titles playing in Class AA, which is the state's second smallest of five classifications.  Buford also has won seven titles in the last 10-years.  One for the thumb may be possible for the Wolves with 10 starters back from last year's 13-1 squad.

Then there's #2 John Curtis and #5 Evangel Christian Academy from Louisiana.  These two will battle for the state's 2A crown this year, but prior to a change in the way Louisiana classified its private schools, these two were playing for 5A and 4A championships in 2004...and winning them!

So without further adieu, here's Steve's Small School Preseason:

1. Buford (GA)
2. John Curtis (LA)
3. University (FL)
4. Heritage Hall (OK)
5. Evangel Christian Academy (LA)
6. Escalon (CA)
7. New Boston (TX)
8. Sierra Canyon (CA)
9. Dillon (SC)
10. Ursuline (OH)
11. Trinity Catholic (FL)
12. Daingerfield (TX)
13. Tatum (TX)
14. West Catholic (PA)
15. Madison County (FL)
16. Dunbar (MD)
17. Pewitt (TX)
18. North Florida Christian (FL)
19. Aberdeen (MS)
20. Leroy (AL)
21. American Heritage (FL)
22. Calhoun (GA)
23. Gretna (VA)
24. Coldwater (OH)
25. St. Joseph (Hammonton, NJ)

Click here to read more on the entire poll.

2011 High School Football Season Officially Underway

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

The 2011 high school football season is officially underway with the start of practice in America's 49th State.

Practice began this morning in Alaska marking the start of the new season.  Tomorrow, practice begins in Hawaii before heading onto the mainland in South Carolina (July 29th) and North Carolina (July 30th) later this week.

Below is a list of all 50 states with official start dates for practice for the 2011 season:

Alabama - August 1
Alaska - July 26
Arizona - August 1
Arkansas - August 1
California - August 15
Colorado - August 15
Connecticut - August 17
Delaware - August 15
Florida - August 8
Georgia - August 1
Hawaii - July 27
Idaho - August 8
Illinois - August 10
Indiana - August 1
Iowa - August 8
Kansas - August 15
Kentucky - August 1
Louisiana - August 8
Maine - August 15
Maryland - August 15
Massachusetts - August 22
Michigan - August 8
Minnesota - August 15
Mississippi - August 1
Missouri - August 8
Montana - August 12
Nebraska - August 17
Nevada - August 9
New Hampshire - August 10
New Jersey - August 15
New Mexico - August 1
New York - August 15
North Carolina - July 30
North Dakota - August 10
Ohio - August 1
Oklahoma - August 9
Oregon - August 22
Pennsylvania - August 15
Rhode Island - August 22
South Carolina - July 29
South Dakota - August 15
Tennessee - August 1
Texas - August 5
Utah - August 8
Vermont - August 15
Virginia - August 1
Washington - August 17
West Virginia - August 1
Wisconsin - August 3
Wyoming - August 8

Elite 11 Quarterbacks Named at ESPN RISE Competition

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

24 high school football quarterbacks from around America descended upon Pepperdine University in California this week with hopes of being named an ESPN RISE Elite 11 Quarterback.

All of the quarterbacks were put through five days of intense workouts and film sessions, plus head-to-head 7-on-7 passing competitions  led by an elite coaching staff that was led by former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer.

Tanner Mangum of Eagle High School in Idaho, Neal Burcham of Greenbrier High in Arkansas and Jameis Winston of Hueytown High School in Alabama shared MVP honors.

Below is the Elite 11 for 2011:

Austin Appleby, Hoover (North Canton, Ohio)
Neal Burcham, Greenbrier Greenbrier, Ark.) -- MVP
Shane Dillon, El Cajon Christian (El Cajon, Calif.)
Bart Houston, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)
Chad Kelly, St. Joseph’s (Buffalo. N.Y.)
Zach Kline, San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.)
Jeff Lindquist, Mercer Island (Mercer Island, Wash.)
Tanner Mangum, Eagle (Eagle, Idaho) -- MVP*
Zeke Pike, Dixie Heights (Fort Mitchell, Ky.)
Chad Voytik, Cleveland (Cleveland, Tenn.)
Jameis Winston, Hueytown (Hueytown, Ala.) -- MVP

Some notable Elite 11 QBs from the past: Matt Leinart, JaMarcus Russell, Mark Sanchez, Troy Smith, Matthew Stafford, Tim Tebow and Vince Young.

Daphne (AL) Wins National Select 7-on-7 Championship

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

13 was a lucky number for the Daphne Trojans (Alabama) this weekend.

The defending Alabama 6A champs were a perfect 13-0 on the way to the National Select 7-on-7 Championships in Hoover, Alabama.

Daphne beat Prattville 10-8 in the championship game.  The Trojans also beat Prattville in the winner's bracket final earlier in the day in the double-elimination tournament.

Click here to read a game summary of the title game from Dallas Jackson of Rivals.

National Select 7-on-7 Tournament Scoreboard

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME


Daphne (AL)  10  Prattville  8


Championship Bracket
1st Round

Daphne (AL)  43  West Rowan  (NC)  14
Spanish Fort (AL)  28  Allentown Central Catholic (PA)  9
McGill-Toolen (AL)  19  Fairhope (AL)  10
West Monroe (LA)  23  Warren Central (IN)  15
Grayson (GA)  43  Brighton (TN)  15
Spain Park (AL)  22  Aurora Christian (IL)  12
North Gwinnett (GA)  24  Oxford (AL)  17
Flowery Branch (GA)  27 McPherson (KS)  17
Hoover (AL)  42  Angola (IN)  7
Fayetteville (AR)  41  Walker (AL)  20
Prattville (AL)  26  Memphis University (TN)  21
Olive Branch (MS)  26  Thomas Jefferson (PA)  20
Mandeville (LA)  34  Hoover-B (AL)  16
Kenton (OH)  28  George Washington Carver (AL)  15
Shiloh Christian (AR)  27 Dorman (SC)  20
Lassiter (GA)  34  Bastrop (LA)  16

2nd Round
Daphne (AL)  23  Spanish Fort (AL)  9
West Monroe (LA)  23  McGill-Toolen (AL)  22
Grayson (GA)  36  Spain Park (AL)  10
Flowery Branch (GA)  25  North Gwinnett (GA)  16
Fayetteville (AR)  34  Hoover (AL)  21
Prattville (AL)  23  Olive Branch (MS)  11
Mandeville (LA)  25 Kenton (OH)  22
Lassiter (GA)  29  Shiloh Christian (AR)

Quarterfinals
Daphne (AL)  28  West Monroe (LA)  12
Flowery Branch (GA)  26  Grayson (GA)  15
Prattville (AL)  36  Fayetteville (AR)  3
Mandeville (LA)  24  Lassiter (GA)  12

Semifinals
Daphne (AL)  32  Flowery Branch (GA)  26
Prattville (AL)  18  Mandeville (LA)  14

Winner's Bracket Final
Daphne (AL)  beats  Prattville (AL)


Loser's Bracket


1st Round
Allentown Central Catholic (PA)  33  West Rowan (NC)  22
Warren Central (IN)  28  Fairhope (AL)  11
Walker (AL)  34  Angola (IN)  25
Memphis University (TN)  27  Thomas Jefferson (PA)  24
Aurora Christian (IL)  22  Brighton (TN)  12
Oxford (AL)  30  McPherson (KS)  18
George Washington Carver (AL)  55  Hoover-B (AL)  9
Dorman (SC)  32  Bastrop (LA)  30

2nd Round
North Gwinnett (GA)  18  Allentown Central Catholic (PA)  16
Spain Park (AL)  44  Warren Central (IN)  35
McGill-Toolen (AL)  28  Walker (AL)  27
Memphis University (TN)  31  Spanish Fort (AL)  22
Shiloh Christian (AR)  22  Aurora Christian (IL)  20
Oxford (AL)  30  Kenton (OH)  15
Olive Branch (MS)  32  George Washington Carver (AL)  29
Hoover (AL)  23  Dorman (SC)  22

3rd Round
North Gwinnett (GA)  22  Spain Park (AL)  19
McGill-Toolen (AL)  18  Memphis University (TN)  10
Oxford (AL)  35  Shiloh Christian (AR)  23
Hoover (AL)  22  Olive Branch (MS)  4

4th Round
West Monroe (LA)  27  North Gwinnett (GA)  17
Grayson (GA)  38  McGill-Toolen (AL)  23
Fayetteville (AR)  34  Oxford (AL)  25
Lassiter (GA)  33  Hoover (AL)  22

5th Round
Mandeville (LA)  26  Grayson (GA) 16
Lassiter (GA)  24  Flowery Branch (GA)  22

Loser's Bracket Semifinal
Mandeville (LA)  27  Lassiter (GA)  10

Loser's Bracket Final
Prattville (AL) beats  Mandeville (LA)

High School Football America Radio Show Debuts

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

It is a proud day for everyone at High School Football America with the debut on our new radio show on the Artist First Radio Network.

At 7 PM Eastern Time, I'll host the debut show of High School Football America with five special guests.

Our first guests will be in-charge of kicking-off the show and the season.  I'll be joined by Brad Igou, head football coach at Barrow High School in Barrow, Alaska and his assistant Brian Houston.  Barrow and the entire state of Alaska kick-off the entire 2011 season when practice begins in the 49th State on Tuesday, July 26th.

The Barrow Whalers are the only 11-man high school football team playing above the Arctic Circle.

The six-year old program made national headlines in 2007 when the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars helped the Whalers with the installation of a blue artificial turf.

After our chat in Barrow, we'll head back to the lower 48 to talk with Steve Spiewak, senior national high school football writer for MaxPreps.com.  Steve will be talking about his Preseason National Top 25 Preseason Early Contenders Poll.

We'll then wrap-up with two interviews from the National Select 7-on-7 Championship in Hoover, Alabama.

We'll talk with the event's executive director Brandon Sheppard and West Rowan (Mount Ulla, NC) High School head football coach Scott Young, whose team is one of the team's competing for the championship.

West Rowan is one of 32 teams from 13 different states competing at the event that features five state champs.  The Falcons will enter the 2011 season with the nation's longest active win streak at 46 straight victories.

Click here to listen tonight at 7PM EST.

Longhorn Television Network Hits Pause Button on Broadcasting High School Football Games

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

As legendary college football play-by-play man Keith Jackson would say...."Whoa Nellie!"

According to published reports in the Dallas Morning News, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe has put a temporary hold on plans by the newly created Longhorn Television Network to broadcast high school football games in Texas.

Beebe decided to push the pause button on the high school games after ESPN VP Dave Brown may have committed an NCAA violation by mentioning the names of two 2012 University of Texas recruits in a June radio interview.

The Longhorn Television Network, which is scheduled to launch August 26th, is a 24-hour network owned by ESPN.  The Worldwide Leader in Sports reportedly is paying $300 million over a 20-year period for ownership of the network that will be focused on U of T sports.

The LTN had planned on broadcasting 18 high school football games during the 2011 season, but those plans have been delayed while Beebe and his staff try to determine if such broadcasts are an NCAA violation.  Several Big 12 members reportedly feel the airing of high school games on the Longhorn Television Network gives a recruiting advantage to Texas.

Various media outlets are also reporting that Big 12 members Texas A&M and Oklahoma are considering a possible move to the SEC.

In addition to making sure the network doesn't violate NCAA rules, Beebe wants to also make sure that fellow Big 12 members are not put at a disadvantage.

Stay tuned!

Select 7-on-7 Begins Tomorrow in Alabama

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

High school football teams from 13 different states converge upon Hoover, Alabama Thursday for the National Select 7-on-7 Championships.

The 32-teams, three-day tournament gets underway tomorrow with pool play.  George Washington Carver High School from Alabama is back to defend its 2010 title.

You can watch the games LIVE on the event's website at www.select7on7.com.

Here's the list of this year's participants:

Allentown Central Catholic (PA)
Angola High School (IN)
Aurora Christian (IL)
Bastrop High School (LA)
Brighton High School (TN)
Daphne High (AL)
Dorman High School (SC)
Fairhope High School (AL)
Fayetteville High School (AR)
Flowery Branch High School (GA)
George Washington Carver High School (AL)
Grayson High School (GA)
Hoover High School (AL)
Kenton High School (OH)
Lassiter High School (GA)
Mandeville High School (LA)
McGill-Toolen Catholic High School (AL)
McPherson High School (KS)
Memphis University School (TN)
North Gwinnett High School (GA)
Olive Branch High School (MS)
Oxford High School (AL)
Prattville High School (AL)
Shiloh Christian (AR)
Spain Park High School (AL)
Spanish Fort High School (AL)
Thomas Jefferson High School (PA)
Walker High School (AL)
Warren Central High School (IN)
West Monroe High School (LA)
West Rowan High School (NC)

Texas 7-on-7 Championships to be Discussed on Sunday's NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

We all know how much Texas loves its football...and with the growth of 7-on-7 passing tournaments, it's easier for fans to get their fix outside of the fall.

This weekend at Texas A&M in College Station, 128-teams from across the state will battle for championships in two divisions.  Division I is made-up of Class 5A and 4A schools, while Division II comprises Class 1A through 3A.

The action gets started tomorrow and wraps-up with the championship on Saturday.

Then on Sunday, Doug Stephens, executive director of the tournament will join me as a guest on the NHSCA Sports Hour to talk about this huge event that is entering its 14th year.

Defending 2010 Division champ Lake Travis is back to defend its title, while Division II champ Brownwood is also back looking for a repeate.  No team in either division has ever won back-to-back titles since the competition began in 1998.

Here's a list of the former champs, plus a look at the qualifiers in each division:

7-on-7 Champs


2010 - Lake Travis (Division I), Brownwood (Division II)
2009 - Round Rock Stony Point (Division I), Celina (Division II)
2008 - Richland (Division I), Crane (Division II)
2007 - Georgetown (Division I), Celina (Division II)
2006 - Colleyville Heritage
2005 - Baytown Lee
2004 - Tyler Lee
2003 - Odesaa Permian
2002 - Katy Cinco Ranch
2001 - Baytown Lee
2000 - Celina
1999 - North Mesquite
1998 - Southlake Carroll

Below is an alphabetic list of qualifiers:

Division I (Class 5A & 4A)

Abilene
Abilene Cooper
Arlington
Arlington Bowie
Arlington Lamar
Austin Bowie
Belton
Beaumont West Brook
Buda Hays
Carrollton Creekview
Cedar Park Vista Ridge
Channelview
College Station Consolidated
Coppell
Crowley North
Cy Fair
Cy Falls
Dallas Jesuit
DeSoto
Duncanville
Edinburg
El Paso Coronado
El Paso Franklin
El Paso Riverside
Fort Bend Elkins
Fort Worth Paschal
Friendswood
Houston Chavez
Houston Lamar
Houston Stratford
Jersey Village
John Tyler
Katy
Katy Cinco Rank
Keller Center
Klein Forest
Klein Oak
Klein Woods
Lake Dallas
Lake Travis
La Marque
Langham Creek
Lewisville Hebron
Mesquite
Midlothian
Montgomery
Pasadena Dobie
Pearland
Plano
Plano West
Rockwall
Rockwall Heath
Rosenburg Terry
Round Rock McNeil
Round Rock Westwood
San Antonio Alamo Heights
San Antonio Johnson
The Woodlands
Tomball
Tyler Lee
Weslaco
Wichita Falls
Willis
Wolfforth Friendship

Division II (Class 3A, 2A & 1A)

Abilene Wylie
Academy
Alpine
Altair Rice
Anahuac
Argyle
Aubrey
Austin St. Andrews
Ballinger
Bandera
Bangs
Beaumont Kelly
Boyd
Brownwood
Burnet
Cameron
Celina
Clifton
Comanche
Crockett
Decatur
East Bernard
Eastland
Edna
Fort Stockton
Gatesville
Gilmer
Glen Rose
Godley
Graham
Hitchcock
Houston Kinkaid
Ingleside
Iraan
Kaufman
Lago Vista
La Villa
Lexington
Liberty
Lindale
Lorena
Marion
Mathis
Melissa
Merkel
Navasota
Pettus
Princeton
Prosper
Rockdale
Salado
Sanger
Seminole
Somerset
Sonora
Taft
Turkey Valley
Tyler Chapel Hill
Vanderbilt Industrial
Waco Reicher
Wellington
West Orange
Whitney
Wimberly

Click here to listen to the show LIVE Sunday starting at 6 PM EST.

Click here to to to the State 7-on-7 website to follow along with all of the action.

National Select 7-on-7 Tournament

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

The 11th annual National Select 7-on-7 Championships will be held July 21st through the 23rd in Hoover, Alabama.

Back in March, tournament officials announced the 24 teams that received automatic bids into the field of 32, but that changed with teams like defending state champs Bishop Gorman (Nevada) and Chaparral (Arizona) not making the trip to Alabama after receiving invites.

The field includes four defending state champs: Allentown Central Catholic from Pennsylvania, Daphne High from Alabama, Shiloh Christian from Arkansas and West Rowan from North Carolina.  Also in the field is the 2010 champ George Washington Carver from Alabama.

Aside from the automatic invites, six qualifying tournaments have been held during the last month.  One more team will qualify at the Georgia Invitational at Lassiter High School this coming weekend for the final spot in the field.

Here are the 30 teams that are in the field, according to the event's website:

*Allentown Central Catholic (PA)
Angola (IN)
Aurora Christian (IL)
Bastrop (LA)
Brighton (TN)
*Daphne (AL)
Dorman (SC)
Fairhope (AL)
Fayetteville (AK)
George Washington Carver (AL)
Grayson (GA)
Hoover (AL)
Kenton (OH)
Lassiter (GA)
Mandeville (LA)
McGill-Toolen (AL)
McPherson (KS)
Memphis University School (TN)
North Gwinnett (GA)
Olive Branch (MS)
Oxford (AL)
Prattville (AL)
*Shiloh Christian (AK)
Spain Park (AL)
Spanish Fort (AL0
Thomas Jefferson (PA)
Walker (AL)
Warren Central (IN)
West Monroe (LA)
*West Rowan (NC)


*indicates 2010 state champ

Past Champions

2010 - George Washington Carver (Alabama)
2009 - Hoover (Alabama)
2008 - Har-Ber (Arkansas)
2007 - Hoover (Alabama)
2006 - Shiloh Christian (Arkansas)
2005 - Hoover (Alabama)
2004 - Sprindale (Arkansas)
2003 - Thomas Jefferson (Pennsylvania)
2002 - Evangel Christian (Louisiana)
2001 - Daphne (Alabama)