Former High School Football Star Wrongfully Jailed for Rape to Sue State of California

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

The story of former Long Beach Poly (California) football player Brian Banks, whose 2002 rape conviction was dismissed by a judge on Thursday, continues to twist and turn like a soap opera.

The LA Times reported on its blog today that the 26-year old Banks will be seeking money from the State of California for the five years he was in prison.  In the same story, the LA Times Blog reports that the former high school football star will not take legal action against his accuser Wanetta Gibson.

The path to Banks' freedom came after Gibson "friended" him on Facebook and telling him she felt guilty about making-up the rape allegations.  Banks, who wanted to play college football at USC at the time of the allegation, always contended the sex was consensual.

Banks, who's in great shape, is hoping to get a tryout with an NFL team.

Based on the odds Banks overcame to win his freedom, stay tuned to see what happens next in his story...I don't doubt that one NFL will give him a shot.

Who knows, since Banks still has his college eligibility, maybe a college coach will give him a chance to resume his dream.

In the meantime, watch the story on NBC's Today Show on Friday that includes an exclusive interview with Banks.

   

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A Friday Night Lights Confession

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

High school football is right around the corner!

Now hold-on, I haven't lost my mind!  And, I'm not talking about spring practice.

The imaginary high school football season in the town of Dillon, Texas on NBC's Friday Night Lights kicks-off April 30th, and I for one couldn't be more excited!  And, yes, I know that Season 4 of FNL has already aired on DirectTV.

But, for those of us without a dish, we can't wait to see what happens as Eric Taylor (actor Kyle Chandler) takes over the reigns of newly re-opened East Dillon High School.

And, as a matter of full disclosure, I'm a recent convert to this great drama that seems to always have the specter of TV executives holding an ax over its head because of a lack of ratings.

Check-out my Friday Night Lights confession on my High School Football America Blog.

So, with the Season 4 season opener about five weeks away, check-out a behind-the-scenes video shot for DirectTV.

High School Football Player Ratings...What Are They Worth?

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

The Army All-American Bowl will be played Saturday in San Antonio with a NBC broadcast crew spending the day spewing out player rankings...who's going where...some players will actually announce their college choice live on-the-air.

For those of you who are regular readers of The High School Football Huddle, you know I'm not a huge fan of these rating services. With that in mind, check out USA Today's Jim Halley's column Prep Player Rankings Raise Plenty of Questions. Halley does a great job of putting things in perspective.

Bottom line...whether it's Rivals.com or Scout.com...it's just a business...not an exact science.

Approximately 1.3 million kids play high school football across America, but Rivals.com and Scout.com only focus on a small fraction (several thousand) of those players. There's a huge segment of the high school football population that's being missed and that's where High School Football America and The High School Football Huddle come in.

Thanks for a great 2009...and Trish and I look forward to 2010!

Our Boys Author on NBC's TODAY

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

Joe Drape, author of the new book Our Boys, appeared on the TODAY Show this morning on NBC to promote his wonderful book on the Smith Center Redmen, who captured their fifth straight Kansas 2A football championship. You can learn more about the book at www.joedrape.com.

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Aplington-Parkersburg, Iowa on Toyota's "The Line of Scrimmage

By Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

During halftime of Sunday Night's NFL Bears-Eagles game on NBC, Toyota's The Line of Scrimmage will focus on the Aplington-Parkersburg Falcons, who are playing the 2008 season just three months after a tornado destroyed their high school and football field. The tornado knocked down 220 homes and 22 businesses and killed eight people.

In it's home opener on September 5, A-P showed the world why Toyota chose the Falcons as one of eight of America's "Gutsiest Teams" with a 53-20 win over State Center. After Friday night's 42-14 win over Gladbrook-Reinbeck, the Falcons are a perfect 5-0 this season. The Falcons have outscored their opponents 241-106 with two games over 50 points and one over 60.

A-P plays in Iowa's 1A classification and is known as the small school that can. With only about 250 students and about 2,000 people in town, the Falcons have landed four players (Casey Wiegmann, Chiefs; Brad Meester, Jaguars; Jason DeVries, Lions; Aaron Kampman, Packers) in the NFL since 1988.

Click here for more on that story from a 2004 story on ESPN.com.

Click here for a story on the devasting May 25th tornado.

Below is the first part of the two :45 documentary style video clips that will be aired tonight.

Brophy Prep Featured on Toyota's The Line of Scrimmage on NBC

By Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle


Defending Arizona 5A Division I champ Brophy Prep (Phoenix, AZ) was featured Sunday during halftime of the Steelers/Browns game on NBC's Sunday Night Football as part of Toyota's The Line of Scrimmage.

This year The Line of Scrimmage is showcasing "The Gutsiest High School Football Teams in America". Brophy Prep was chosen because of it’s ability to deal with extreme heat. They also have a weekly ceremony where the team pledges individual commitments during the game that week.

The second part of the two :45 second documentaries on Brophy will air Sunday during halftime of the Dallas/Green Bay game on NBC.

Click here to learn more about Toyota's The Line of Scrimmage.

Toyota's Line of Scrimmage - Brophy Prep.
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