ESPN to Feature 26 High School Football Teams on Kickoff Weekend in Late August

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

You can hear Hank Williams, Jr. shouting..."Are You Ready for Some Football?"

High school football fans, ESPN will give you your high school football fix August 26th through the 28th with its annual ESPN High School Football Kickoff that will feature 26 teams from 13 different states.

Below is the three-day, 13-game schedule:

August 26th - Columbus North vs. Columbus East (Indiana) - ESPNU, 7PM EST
August 26th - Gainesville vs. Buford (Georgia) - ESPN3.com, 7PM EST
August 26th - Gaffney vs. Dorman (South Carolina) - ESPN3.com, 9PM EST
August 26th - Armwood (FL) vs. Bishop Gorman (NV) - ESPN2, 9PM EST
August 27th - St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) vs. Prattville (AL) - ESPN, Noon EST
August 27th - South Panola (MS) vs. Hoover (AL) - ESPN, 3:30 PM EST
August 27th - Indianapolis Cathedral vs. Warren Central (Indiana) - ESPNU, 4PM EST
August 27th - Sulphur Springs vs. Denton Ryan (Texas) - ESPN, 7 PM EST
August 27th - Hillcrest vs. Seneca (Missouri) - ESPNU, 9PM EST
August 27th - Pleasant Grove vs. Monterey Trail (California) - ESPN2,  10 PM EST
August 28th - Collegiate Academy (DC) vs. Taft (OH) - ESPNU, 11 AM EST
August 28th - Glenbard West vs. Wheaton Warrenville South (IL) - ESPN 2, Noon EST
August 28th - Cocoa (FL) vs. Colerain (OH) - ESPN, 3 PM EST

Big 12 Says NO to Longhorn Television Network Broadcasting High School Football Games

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

It's official, there won't be any high school football games broadcast on the new Longhorn Television Network this year.

Monday, the Big 12 athletic directors voted unanimously to put a one-year hold on the televising of high school games, plus recommended that the NCAA establish a national moratorium on such games until the governing body can study the situation closer.

Last month, the Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe hit the pause button on the LTN, saying it couldn't move forward with an 18-game high school football schedule until further review from all Big 12 members.

The LTN is a joint venture between the Big 12 member Texas and ESPN.

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!

National High School Football Powers De La Salle and St. Thomas Aquinas to Square-off in September

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

They've been two of the best high school football programs in their respective states for a long time...now De La Salle (Concord, CA) and St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) will square-off on the field for bragging rights.  And, ESPN will be there to capture the action and give a national audience a look at the California/Florida bragging rights battle.

ESPN officials have announced they will televise the September 23rd match-up live on one of their networks.  Last year STA won Florida's 5A championship; De La Salle, which is riding a 25-game win streak, won California's Open Division title.

Of course that 25-game win streak doesn't hold a candle to the Spartans' national record 151-game win streak that was set between 1992-2003.

Maybe the only disappointment about the game is that long-time Raider head coach George Smith won't be guiding his team.  Smith announced earlier this year that he had decided to retire.  If the legendary Smith, who led Aquinas to six state titles, hadn't stepped-down, the game would have matched two of high school football's best.  De La Salle's Bob Ladouceur owns a 372-23-3 record since he took over in Concord in 1979.

"Playing a great program like St. Thomas Aquinas is a positive opportunity. Win or lose, they'll make us a better team. It should be an exciting game," said Ladouceur in a news release.

Former defensive coordinator Rocco Casullo will take over for Smith, but it was the former coach who spoke about the match-up in the ESPN news release saying "To have the chance to play a program like De La Salle is a great challenge for our program and to us a great thing for high school football in both states. It should be an outstanding game for both schools, both states and fans of high school football nationwide."

Join High School Football America at LinkedIn

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

In my hope of reaching the largest number of high school football fans, I've launched a High School Football America LinkedIn group page.

We've already picked-up 25 members, which ranks the group as the fourth largest in the high school football catagory.

Currently we have a good conversation going on whether fans enjoy the nationally televised high school football games that appear on ESPN, CBS College Sports, etc.

To join the group, click here.

Also, don't forget, you can follow us at Twitter and Facebook.  Click on the linked below to join.

Twitter
www.twitter.com/fishersports
www.twitter.com/hsfbamerica
www.twitter.com/hsfootballwire

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High School Football America

Iowa High School Football Scoreboard - Week 0

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

With a national television audience from ESPN looking on, Aplington-Parkersburg got down to the business of playing a football game without its long-time coach Ed Thomas, who was murdered in June. A-P opened the season with a 30-14 win over Dike-New Hartford. The Des Moines Register has a recap, plus the first interview with Joan Becker, mother of Thomas' alleged killer's Mark Becker, who's scheduled to stand trial on charges of first degree murder on September 15th.

Iowa High School Football Scores
Friday, August 28, 2009

Adair-Casey 41, Farragut 8
Adel ADM 24, Dallas Center-Grimes 14
Akron-Westfield 34, Elk Point-Jefferson, S.D. 0
Anita CAM 56, Essex 12
Ankeny 32, Waukee 29, 2OT
Ankeny Christian Academy 56, Moravia 14
Aplington-Parkersburg 30, Dike-New Hartford 14
Armstrong-Ringsted 68, Crystal Lake WCLT 16
Atlantic 33, Clarinda 0
Avoca AHST 41, Oakland Riverside 27
Baxter-CMB 56, Eddyville-Blakesburg 27
Bedford 34, Martensdale-St. Marys 0
Belle Plaine 14, Victor HLV 6
Bettendorf 28, Pleasant Valley 0
Blairsburg NE Hamilton 54, Bode Twin River Valley 0
Bondurant Farrar 57, Saydel 24
Boone 27, Algona 16
Boyden-Hull-RV 34, MOC-Floyd Valley 0
Britt West Hancock 19, Grundy Center 0
Brooklyn BGM 39, Danville 0
Bussey Twin Cedars 28, Garden Grove Mormon Trail 6
Calmar South Winneshiek 52, Riceville 6
Carlisle 42, Pleasantville 20
Carroll 30, Carroll Kuemper 7
Cascade 21, Troy Mills North Linn 14
Cedar Falls NU 28, Colo-NESCO 16
Cedar Rapids Prairie 28, Waterloo East 7
Cedar Rapids Washington 28, Cedar Falls 10
Center Point-Urbana 14, Van Horne Benton 13
Centerville 40, Bloomfield Davis County 18
Cherokee 28, Storm Lake 22
Clarion-Goldfield 41, Belmond-Klemme 6
Clay Central-Everly 36, Kingsley-Pierson 0
Clear Lake 42, Humboldt 0
Colfax-Mingo 14, Nevada 7
Columbus Junction 22, Riverside Highland 7
Coon Rapids-Bayard 68, Charter Oak-Ute 0
Corning 26, Red Oak 20, OT
Corydon Wayne 20, Clarinda Academy 14, OT
Council Bluffs Lewis Central 10, Le Mars 7
Council Bluffs Lincoln 52, Newton 17
Council Bluffs St. Albert 31, Glenwood 12
Creston-Orient-Macksburg 28, Chariton 27
Davenport Assumption 38, Burlington 15
Davenport Central 34, Muscatine 19
Decorah 12, Waverly-Shell Rock 7
Denver 23, Hudson 22
Des Moines Grandview Park Baptist 70, Seymour 0
DeWitt Central 21, Oelwein 6
Dubuque Hempstead 38, Iowa City West 21
Dunkerton 47, CAL 12
Dunlap Boyer Valley 21, Marcus MMC 7
Eagle Grove 14, Roland-Story 0
East Mills 50, Woodbine 14
Eldon Cardinal 18, Keosauqua Van Buren 8
Eldridge North Scott 39, Davenport West 0
Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira 47, Sidney 22
Elkader Central 28, Guttenberg Clayton Ridge 7
Emmetsburg 35, Spencer 7
Epworth Western Dubuque 18, Dyersville Beckman 14
Fairfield 27, Albia 0
Farmington Harmony 42, Olin 0
Forest City 48, Cresco Crestwood 23
Fort Dodge 44, Council Bluffs Jefferson 6
Fort Dodge St. Edmond 31, Algona Garrigan 6
Fort Madison 22, Donnellson Central Lee 13
Gilbert 20, Jefferson JSPC 7
Gladbrook-Reinbeck 42, Garner-Hayfield 14
Glidden-Ralston 80, Whiting 16
Gowrie Prairie Valley 23, Lake City Southern Cal 13
Graettinger-Terril 54, Aurelia 8
Grinnell 42, Oskaloosa 20
Griswold 33, Greenfield Nodaway Valley 29
Hampton-Dumont 33, Ackley AGWSR 14
Harlan 56, Denison-Schleswig 28
Hartley HMS 39, Spirit Lake 0
Hinton 42, Orange City Unity Christian 0
Hull Western Christian 47, Paullina South O'Brien 6
Huxley Ballard 35, Alleman North Polk 0
IKM-Manning 41, Audubon 0
Indianola 48, Des Moines Hoover 0
Inwood West Lyon 28, Central Lyon-GLR 0
Iowa City High 38, Dubuque Wahlert 7
Iowa City Regina 14, Clear Creek-Amana 7
Jackson Junction Turkey Valley 34, Fairbank Wapsie Valley 13
Janesville 20, Lansing Kee 14, OT
Jewell South Hamilton 36, West Marshall 35
Johnston 30, Ames 17
Knoxville 35, Monroe PCM 34, OT
La Porte City Union 50, Webster City 13
Le Grand East Marshall 31, Conrad BCLUW 6
Le Mars Gehlen Catholic 34, Hawarden West Sioux 7
Lenox 63, College Springs South Page 0
Leon Central Decatur 28, Panora Panorama 16
Logan-Magnolia 16, Missouri Valley 12
Lone Tree 28, Garwin GMG 14
Lynnville-Sully 22, North English English Valleys 20, OT
Madrid 62, Burnside SE Webster 0
Manchester West Delaware 29, Delhi Maquoketa Valley 0
Manly Central Springs 48, West Fork, Sheffield 8
Manson-NW Webster 10, East Sac County 7
Maquoketa 37, West Liberty 7
Mason City 58, Des Moines North 6
Mason City Newman 23, St. Ansgar 0
Maynard West Central 54, Clarksville 28
Mediapolis 28, Wayland WACO 6
Montezuma 26, Marengo Iowa Valley 21
Mount Pleasant 55, Kirksville, Mo. 20
Murray 46, Melcher-Dallas 38
Nashua-Plainfield 15, North Butler 14
Neola Tri-Center 28, Maple Valley/Anthon/Oto 22, OT
New Sharon North Mahaska 26, Winfield-Mount Union 7
Northwood-Kensett 16, Lake Mills 7
Norwalk 17, Winterset 7
O-A/BCIG 54, Buffalo Ridge 6
Onawa West Monona 63, Mondamin West Harrison 27
Osage 26, Charles City 7
Osceola Clarke 12, Mount Ayr 3
Ottumwa 21, Southeast Polk 10
Perry 28, Ogden 0
Pocahontas Area/Pomeroy-Palmer 12, Newell-Fonda 7
Postville 20, Monona MFL-Mar-Mac 8
Preston 62, Miles East Central 12
Remsen-Union 33, Ruthven-Ayrshire 0
Rockford 36, Buffalo Center North Iowa 0
Rockwell City-Lytton 14, Moville Woodbury Central 6
Sheldon 20, Estherville-Lincoln Central 14
Sibley-Ocheyedan 19, Milford Okoboji 9
Sioux Center 35, Sloan Westwood 0
Sioux City East 46, Des Moines Roosevelt 21
Sioux Rapids Sioux Central 20, Alta 0
Solon 49, Mount Vernon 10
Stanton 72, Meskwaki 14
Sumner-Fredericksburg 47, Edgewood-Colesburg 0
Tabor Fremont-Mills 44, Shenandoah 7
Thornburg Tri-County 32, Springville 2
Traer North Tama 56, Wyoming Midland 0
Treynor 27, Underwood 9
Tripoli 37, Elgin Valley 6
Truro Interstate 35 13, Liberty Center SE Warren 6
Urbandale 34, Des Moines Lincoln 7
Van Meter 29, Guthrie Center 12
Villisca 14, Afton East Union 13
Walnut 52, Hamburg 12
Wapello 42, Letts Louisa-Muscatine 12
Waterloo Columbus 41, Independence 19
Waterloo West 34, Dubuque Senior 0
West Branch 35, Tipton 6
West Burlington/Notre Dame 27, Keokuk 0
West Central Valley, Stuart 45, Earlham 33
West Des Moines Dowling 44, Des Moines East 7
West Union North Fayette 32, New Hampton 14
Westside Ar-We-Va 15, Grand Junction East Greene 2
Wilton 3, Durant 0
Woodward-Granger 22, Des Moines Christian 20

St. Thomas Aquinas #1 in National Prep Poll & ESPN Rise Fab 50

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

When I first began my television career back in the early 90s, I remember the excitement that ran through the Allentown Central Catholic football program when the Vikings were ranked by USA Today. Yes, back in 1993, the Super 25 meant something...even if it didn't truly mean anything, because...well you know why!

Now, every major media outlet is in on the act. However, I still like USA Today the best, because they've been doing it since 1982.

Tradition means something at The High School Football Huddle!

So with all that being said, let's look at the first couple of polls to be released...ESPN Rise's Fab 50 and Prep Nation. USA Today will release it's Super 25 later.

At least for the pre-season polls, ESPN and Prep Nation are in agreement on #1 and #2. Both polls have the "defending" national champs, St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) at the top spot to start the season. The Raiders are followed by Byrnes (Duncan, SC). If all goes according to plan, the Raiders and Rebels will collide on October 2nd in Florida in a nationally-televised game.

There's no surprise when it comes to which states standout in both polls. Texas leads the Prep Nation Poll with four teams in the Top 25, Florida and California landed three teams in the National Prep Football Poll. The State of Washington is smiling with Bellevue and Skyline cracking the Top 10 in the National Prep Football Poll.

In the ESPN Rise Fab 50...California, Florida and Texas each landed seven teams in the Top 50.

Let's start with the National Prep Football Poll, which is America's second oldest weekly poll produced by Jamie DeMoney, who does a great job of keeping fans up-to-date. Below you can learn more about PrepNation.com.

Prep Nation's National Football Poll

1. St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) 15-0
2. Byrnes (Duncan, SC) 14-1
3. Northwestern (Miami, FL) 13-2
4. Katy (TX) 13-3
5. Glenville (Cleveland, OH) 11-1
6. Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, VA) 15-0
7. Lakewood (CA) 10-3
8. Bellevue (WA) 14-0
9. Skyline (Sammamish, WA) 14-0
10. Cedar Hill (TX) 12-2
11. Lowndes (Valdosta, GA) 12-1
12. Jenks (OK) 12-2
13. Elder (Cincinnati, OH) 13-2
14. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ) 11-1
15. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, CA) 14-0
16. Allen (TX) 15-1
17. Lakeland (FL) 14-1
18. De La Salle (Concord, CA) 12-2
19. Prattville (AL) 13-1
20. Liberty (Bethlehem, PA) 15-1
21. Centennial (Peoria, AZ) 14-0
22. Skyline (Dallas, TX) 12-2
23. Independence (Charlotte, NC) 13-1
24. DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD) 10-2
25. John Curtis (River Ridge, LA) 14-1

About the National Prep Poll: Compiled weekly weekly since 1987 and distributed by World Features Syndicate and the Associated Press, the National Prep Poll is the nation's second oldest weekly high school sports rankings. Doug Huff of ESPN RISE compiled the rankings from 1987 until 1999. Jamie DeMoney has compiled the poll since the start of the 1999 basketball season. The National Prep Poll is the only high school poll distributed to newspapers and Web sites around the United States by the Associated Press national wire service. The National Prep Poll is the first high school football and boys basketball poll to released in the preseason and during each week of the regular season. Criteria considered for the National Prep Poll rankings are strength of schedule, the ability to accomplish the ultimate goal on a team's schedule (i.e. winning a championship), impact players and performers, a team's coaching and recent tradition.

Jamie DeMoney begins his 10th year compiling the World Features Syndicate/Associated Press National Prep Poll. He has covered high school sports and recruiting for more than 15 years and compiled the National Prep Poll since 1999. DeMoney has also compiled high school football and basketball rankings for Sporting News, School Sports, and RISE. DeMoney was managing editor of American Football Monthly and assistant national editor of All-Stater Sports/Highwired Sports. DeMoney is a graduate of the University of Iowa School of Journalism, and a member of the Football Writers Association of America and the United States Basketball Writers Association.

ESPN's Fab 50 looks like this...

1. St. Thomas Aquinas (FL)
2. Byrnes (SC)
3. Elder (OH)
4. Katy (TX)
5. Northwestern (FL)
6. Oaks Christian (CA)
7. Allen (TX)
8. Oscar Smith (VA)
9. Skyline (WA)
10. Prattville (AL)
11. Lowndes (GA)
12. Cedar Hill (TX)
13. Union (OK)
14. Centennial (AZ)
15. Lakeland (FL)
16. St. Bonaventure (CA)
17. Longview (TX)
18. Don Bosco Prep (NJ)
19. Glenville (OH)
20. Bellevue (WA)
21. DeMatha (MD)
22. North Shore (TX)
23. East St. Louis (IL)
24. De La Salle (CA)
25. Dwyer (FL)
26. Hinsdale Central (IL)
27. West Monroe (LA)
28. Miami Central (FL)
29. Orange Lutheran (CA)
30. Colerain (OH)
31. Notre Dame Prep (CA)
32. John Curtis (LA)
33. Camden County (GA)
34. Highlands (KY)
35. Bishop McDevitt (PA)
36. De La Salle Collegiate (MI)
37. St. Ignatius (OH)
38. Hamilton (AZ)
39. Stony Point (TX)
40. Bolles School (FL)
41. Grant (CA)
42. Long Beach Poly (CA)
43. Trinity (KY)
44. Jenks (OK)
45. Southlake Carroll (TX)
46. Mullen (CO)
47. Liberty (PA)
48. Pahokee (FL)
49. Skyline (TX)
50. Shiloh Christian (AR)

Where Was the Spread Offense Born?

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

We all know that Texas high school football teams love to toss the ball around and light-up the scoreboard. Click here to read a good story on the origin of the spread offense in the Lone Star State from ESPN Rise.

ESPN Rise Fab 50

By Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

Three teams in last week's ESPN Rise Fab 50 Top 10 lost last weekend, which has caused shuffling at the top of the poll. Losses by #5 Jenks (OK), #6 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ) and #10 Rockhurst (Kansas City, MO) opened the way for Armwood (Seffner, FL), Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) and Deerfield Beach (FL) to enter the Top 10.

Here's the entire Fab 50....

1. Trinity (Euless, Texas) 2-0, 250 pts (5 first-place) LW: #1
2. Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.) 3-0, 245 pts LW:#2
3. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 2-0, 238 pts LW: #4
4. Gateway (Monroeville, Pa.) 3-0, 233 pts LW:# 7
5. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 1-0, 231 pts LW: #3
6. Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) 3-0, 228 pts LW: #8
7. Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) 1-0, 220 pts LW: #9
8. Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) 2-0, 215 pts LW: #11
9. Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) 3-0, 206 pts LW: #14
10. Deerfield Beach (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) 1-0, 206 pts LW: #12
11. Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) 3-0, 197 pts LW: #15
12. Glenville (Cleveland) 4-0, 196 pts LW: #17
13. Colerain (Cincinnati) 4-0, 188 pts LW: #25
14. St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) 3-0, 186 pts LW: #16
15. Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.) 3-0, 174 pts LW: #20
16. Lakeland (Lakeland, Fla.) 2-0, 173 pts LW: #19
17. Plano (Plano, Texas) 3-0, 172 pts LW: #18
18. St. Xavier (Cincinnati) 3-1, 169 pts LW: #27
19. Carmel (Carmel, Ind.) 4-0, 161 pts LW: #21
20. South Panola (Batesville, Miss.) 3-0, 156 pts LW: #22
21. Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) 2-0, 150 pts LW: #23
22. Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) 2-0, 147 pts LW: #24
23. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 0-1, 136 pts LW: #6
24. Maryville (Maryville, Tenn.) 4-0, 136 pts LW: #26
25. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 2-0 133 pts LW: #28
26. Arrowhead (Hartland, Wis.) 3-0, 126 pts LW: #29
27. St. Ignatius (Cleveland) 3-1, 123 pts LW: #32
28. Phoebus (Hampton, Va.) 2-0, 114 pts LW: #34
29. Quince Orchard (Gaithersburg, Md.) 2-0, 105 pts LW: #35
30. Bellarmine Prep (San Jose, Calif.) 1-0, 99 pts LW: #33
31. North Shore (Houston) 2-0, 97 pts LW: #36
32. Bastrop (Bastrop, La.) 1-0, 97 pts LW: #37
33. Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 1-0, 90 pts LW: #45
34. Prattville (Prattville, Ala.) 2-1, 82 pts LW: #39
35. Permian (Odessa, Texas) 2-0, 76 pts LW: #43
36. Bear Creek (Lakewood, Colo.) 2-0, 76 pts LW: #38
37. Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 2-0, 75 pts LW: NR
38. Northside (Warner Robins, Ga.) 3-0, 63 pts LW: #42
39. Plant (Tampa) 1-1, 61 pts LW: #43
40. John Curtis (River Ridge, La.) 1-1, 48 pts LW: #44
41. Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.) 3-0, 47 pts LW: #49
42. Blue Springs (Blue Springs, Mo.) 3-0, 36 pts LW: NR
43. Union (Tulsa, Okla.) 1-1, 35 pts LW: NR
44. Crespi (Encino, Calif.) 2-0, 33 pts LW: NR
45. The Woodlands (The Woodlands, Texas) 2-0, 30 pts LW: #47
46. Abilene (Abilene, Texas) 3-0, 29 pts LW: #48
47. North Penn (Lansdale, Pa.) 3-0, 20 pts* LW: NR
48. Rockhurst (Kansas City, Mo.) 2-1, 20 pts LW: #10
49. Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) 3-0, 18 pts LW: #50
50. Jenks (Jenks, Okla.) 1-1, 15 pts LW: #5

Lastest ESPN Rise Fab 50 High School Football Rankings

By Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

The top seven teams held firm in the first regular season ESPN Rise Fab 50 high school football rankings, while six teams fell-out of the poll.

Trinity (Euless, TX) held on to its #1 pre-season poll ranking with a solid 28-12 win over former #23 John Curtis (River Ridge, LA) Sunday in the Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series. Trinity collected all five first-place votes.

The biggest mover in Week 1 is Glenville (Cleveland, OH), which jumps 30 spots from #48 to #18 after season opening wins over former #17 St. Ignatius (Cleveland, OH) and 2007 Pennsylvania Class AAA champ Thomas Jefferson. Another Ohio team, Cincinnati Colerain announced its entrance into the Fab 50 in a big way. The formerly unranked Cardinals enter the poll at #26 after wins over former #9 St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH) and western Pennsylvania power McKeesport.

The highest rank team to fall out of the poll was former #27 Joliet Catholic (Chicago, IL)

Here's the Fab 50... with 2008 records, number of votes and previous rankings.

1 Trinity (Euless, Texas) 1-0 250 pts, 5 First-Place Votes 1
2 Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.) 1-0 245 pts 2
3 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 0-0 240 pts 3
4 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 1-0 235 pts 4
5 Jenks (Jenks, Okla.) 0-0 230 pts 5
6 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 0-0 225 pts 6
7 Gateway (Monroeville, Pa.) 1-0 220 pts 7
8 Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) 1-0 213 pts 10
9 Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) 1-0 210 pts 11
10 Rockhurst (Kansas City, Mo.) 1-0 201 pts 13
11 Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) 1-0 197 pts* 14
12 Deerfield Beach (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) 0-0 197 pts* 9
13 Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) 0-0 186 pts 14
14 Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) 1-0 180 pts 16
15 Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) 1-0 176 pts 12
16 Plano (Plano, Texas) 1-0 171 pts 18
17 St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) 1-0 169 pts 17
18 Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) 2-0 162 pts* 48
19 Plant (Tampa, Fla.) 1-0 162 pts* 20
20 Lakeland (Lakeland, Fla.) 1-0 158 pts 28
21 Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.) 1-0 151 pts* 21
22 Carmel (Carmel, Ind.) 2-0 151 pts* 22
23 South Panola (Batesville, Miss.) 1-0 139 pts 25
24 Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) 0-0 138 pts 24
25 Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) 1-0 130 pts 30
26 Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio) 2-0 126 pts NR
27 Maryville (Maryville, Tenn.) 2-0 112 pts 29
28 St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) 1-1 108 pts 9
29 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 0-0 105 pts 32
30 Arrowhead (Hartland, Wis.) 1-0 102 pts 31
31 Union (Tulsa, Okla.) 0-0 100 pts 33
32 St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) 1-0 95 pts 34
33 Bellarmine Prep (San Jose, Calif.) 0-0 89 pts 35
34 Mt. Carmel (Chicago, Ill.) 1-0 85 pts NR
35 St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 1-1 81 pts 17
36 Phoebus (Hampton, Va.) 1-0 74 pts 37
37 Quince Orchard (Gaithersburg, Md.) 0-0 69 pts* 36
38 Bastrop (Bastrop, La.) 0-0 69 pts* 38
39 North Shore (Houston, Texas) 1-0 51 pts NR
40 Bear Creek (Lakewood, Colo.) 1-0 50 pts 41
41 Prattville (Prattville, Ala.) 0-1 47 pts* 26
42 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 0-0 47 pts* 42
43 Permian (Odessa, Texas) 1-0 41 pts 44
44 Desert Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) 0-0 35 pts 46
45 Northside (Warner Robins, Ga.) 1-0 33 pts 47
46 John Curtis (River Ridge, La.) 0-1 19 pts 23
47 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 0-0 16 pts* NR
48 Olive Branch (Olive Branch, Miss.) 1-0 16 pts* NR
49 Sheldon (Eugene, Ore.) 1-0 15 pts* 50
50 Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) 1-0 15 pts* NR

*Ties in points are broken according to which team was ranked higher by a majority of panelists.

Also Receiving Votes: Abilene (Abilene, Texas) 1-0, Cretin-Derham Hall (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1-0, Hutchinson (Hutchinson, Kansas) 0-0, Katy (Katy, Texas) 0-1, Madison County (Madison, Fla.) 0-0, Miami Northwestern (Miami, Fla.) 0-1, Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.) 1-0.

Dropped Out: Previous No. 27 Joliet Catholic (Joliet, Ill.); No. 39 Miami Northwestern (Miami, Fla.); No. 40 Katy (Katy, Texas); No. 43 Pahokee (Pahokee, Fla.); No. 45 East St. Louis (East St. Louis, Ill.); No. 49 Blue Springs South (Blue Springs, Mo.).

ESPNRISE.com Pre-Season High School Football Regional Rankings

Yes, it's hard to rank high school football teams, but don't tell that to all of the pollsters out there that are scurrying to post their pre-season prognostications!

While most consider USA Today to be the messiah of national rankings, ESPN has just come out with a set of regional rankings with a Top 20 for five regions. The rankings will come out every week during the regular season at part of ESPNRISE.com.

Here are the pre-season rankings...

East Region Top 20

(Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia)


1. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 12-0
2. Gateway (Monroeville, Pa.) 11-2
3. Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) 13-1
4. St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) 10-3
5. Quince Orchard (Gaithersburg, Md.) 14-0
6. Phoebus (Hampton, Va.) 13-1
7. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 10-2
8. St. Joseph (Montvale, N.J.) 9-2
9. West Springfield (Springfield, Va.) 10-3
10. Penn Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 6-5
11. Parkland (Allentown, Pa.) 15-1
12. William Floyd (Mastic Beach, N.Y.) 11-0
13. Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) 10-2
14. Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 16-0
15. Dartmouth (North Dartmouth, Mass.) 11-2
16. St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) 11-1
17. Neshaminy (Langhorne, Pa.) 11-2
18. Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.) 14-1
19. Everett (Everett, Mass.) 13-0
20. St. Anthony's (South Huntington, N.Y.) 10-1

Southeast Region Top 20

(Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee)

1. Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.) 14-1
2. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 14-1
3. Deerfield Beach (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) 11-3
4. Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) 15-0
5. Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) 13-1
6. Plant (Tampa, Fla.) 11-2
7. Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.) 12-2
8. John Curtis (River Ridge, La.) 12-2
9. South Panola (Batesville, Miss.) 15-0
10. Prattville (Prattville, Ala.) 15-0
11. Lakeland (Lakeland, Fla.) 10-2
12. Maryville (Maryville, Tenn.) 15-0
13. Bastrop (Bastrop, La.) 15-0
14. Miami Northwestern (Miami, Fla.) 15-0
15. Pahokee (Pahokee, Fla.) 14-0
16. Northside (Warner Robins, Ga.) 15-0
17. North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) 13-2
18. Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.) 11-2
19. Madison County (Madison, Fla.) 13-1
20. Hoggard (Wilmington, N.C.) 15-0

Midwest Region Top 20

(Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin)


1. St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) 15-0
2. St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 8-3
3. St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky,) 13-1
4. Carmel (Carmel, Ind.) 13-2
5. Joliet Catholic (Joliet, Ill.) 13-1
6. Arrowhead (Hartland, Wis.) 14-0
7. East St. Louis (East St. Louis, Ill.) 11-2
8. Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) 10-3
9. Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio) 12-1
10. Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) 13-1
11. St. Mary's (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 10-3
12. Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.) 9-2
13. Naperville North (Naperville, Ill.) 13-1
14. Valley (West Des Moines, Iowa) 11-1
15. Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) 12-2
16. Eisenhower (Shelby Township, Mich.) 6-4
17. Male (Louisville, Ky.) 10-3
18. Warren Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) 8-4
19. Highlands (Fort Thomas, Ky.) 15-0
20. Eden Prairie (Eden Prairie, Minn.) 14-0

Southwest Region Top 20

(Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas)

1. Trinity (Euless, Texas) 15-1
2. Jenks (Jenks, Okla.) 13-1
3. Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) 15-1
4. Rockhurst (Kansas City, Mo.) 13-0
5. Plano (Plano, Texas) 13-2
6. Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) 11-2
7. Union (Tulsa, Okla.) 13-1
8. Katy (Katy, Texas) 16-0
9. Permian (Odessa, Texas) 12-1
10. Blue Springs South (Blue Springs, Mo.) 9-1
11. Hutchinson (Hutchinson, Kan.) 13-0
12. Rider (Wichita Heights, Texas) 12-2
13. Lake Hamilton (Pearcy, Ark.) 12-1
14. North Shore (Galena, Texas) 14-1
15. Guthrie (Guthrie, Okla.) 14-0
16. Eisenhower (Houston, Texas) 8-4
17. Abilene (Abilene, Texas) 12-2
18. Mehlville (St. Louis, Mo.) 10-3
19. Lee's Summit West (Lee's Summit, Mo.) 14-0
20. Allen (Allen, Texas) 10-1

West Region Top 20

(Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming)

1. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 13-0
2. Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) 13-1
3. Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) 10-2
4. Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) 14-0
5. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 10-2
6. Bellarmine Prep (San Jose, Calif.) 11-1
7. Bear Creek (Lakewood, Colo.) 10-3
8. Desert Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) 9-5
9. Sheldon (Eugene, Ore.) 12-1
10. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 14-0
11. Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 13-2
12. Bothell (Bothell, Wash.) 13-1
13. Bingham (Salt Lake City, Utah) 11-2
14. Brophy Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) 12-2
15. Oceanside (Oceanside, Calif.) 12-1
16. Crespi (Encino, Calif.) 11-3
17. St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.) 14-1
18. Timpview (Provo, Utah) 13-0
19. Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 14-0
20. Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos, Calif.) 7-3

ESPN RISE editors Mark Tennis, Doug Huff, Sheldon Shealer, Jon Mahoney and Ronnie Flores contributed to these rankings.