Lots of State High School Football Championships to be Decided this Weekend

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

This is a BIG weekend for high school football championships, and the High School Football Huddle is here to keep you up-to-date with all the scores and game stories.

Championship weekend kicks-off today with three title tilts in Alabama.  The Super Six Championships began this morning with Hamilton taking-on Leeds for the 3A title.  At 3 PM, Sweet Water faces Hubbard for the 1A crown.  The 5A championship game gets started at 7 PM with Briarwood Christian squaring-off with Spanish Fort.

Click on the links below to see the scores from around the nation.

High School Football Championship Scores
Thursday, Friday & Saturday, December 2-5, 2010

Alabama Championship Scores
Arkansas Championship Scores
New Jersey Championship Scores
Rhode Island Championship Scores
South Carolina Championship Scores

Thursday Night High School Football Scores - 9/23/10

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Another week has flown by in eastern Pennsylvania as I continue to shoot my season-long documentary on the Pius X Royals, the smallest high school football team in Pennsylvania.

The Royals (0-3) will be looking for their first win of the season tomorrow night when they take-on Marian Catholic (1-2).  To learn more about the 2010 Pius X Football Story, please go to www.highschoolfootballamerica.com.

In the meantime, The High School Football Huddle is all geared-up to get you scores throughout the weekend...starting with the Thursday night scores.

Click on the links below to find-out your team's favorite score.

Thursday High School Football Scores
September 23, 2010

Alabama Scores
Illinois Scores
Iowa Scores
Ohio Scores
Pennsylvania Scores
Texas Scores

Thursday Night High School Football Scores

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Looking for scores from tonight?  Click on the link below to find them.

Alabama Scores
Florida Scores
Iowa Scores
Michigan Scores
Ohio Scores
Tennessee Scores
Texas Scores
West Virginia Scores
Wisconsin Scores

The Huddle High School Football Scoreboard

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

There are officially eight states now playing games that count...it's actually 11 if you count the Champions Challenge in Alabama and the Sollenberger Classic between Arizona and Nevada champs.

Over the last three years, one of the biggest features here at The High School Football Huddle is centralizing scores throughout the weekend.  When the scores come-in, I post them on the corresponding state huddle sites.

To make scores easier to find, I've posted links below that will take you right to the scores.

Alabama Huddle
Alaska Huddle
Hawaii Huddle
Indiana Huddle
Kentucky Huddle
Mississippi Huddle
North Carolina Huddle
South Carolina Huddle
Utah Huddle

Kenny Chesney Releases High School Football Anthem - Boys of Fall

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America



Most people don't know this about me, but my first full--time job in radio was as a county music morning-drive disc jockey at WHOL-AM radio in Allentown in 1980.

I can still hear the jingle I had to play four-times an hour...Top Gun in Allentown...W-H-O-L...followed by a Ricochet Rabbit-type gunshot and the bullet hitting some metal object.

I loved those days...got kissed by Barbara Mandrell; the owner of the station was in Willie Nelson's first band and I met Eddie Rabbit, who wrote Elvis' Kentucky Rain, which I still love to this day.

Without waxing too nostalgic, I always enjoyed country music and thought it needed to be the genre for a high school football anthem.

Well, the anthem is here...and it's sung by former Gibbs High (Tennesse) football player and now country music star Kenny Chesney.

Boys of Fall, which can be viewed at the top of this post, was written by Dave Turnbull and Casey Beathard for an upcoming documentary on high school football by Chesney, who played wide receiver in high school.

While I wish the song was a little bit more uptempo, it's still creates the great feel of Friday nights.  The opening of the video is awesome with a great pre-game speech from a coach.

On his website Chesney says, "Having played football, I know how true that song felt to me.  And, that song is real not just for anyone who's ever played, but for the moms driving their kids to peewee football, for the guys in the barbershops talking about this year's team at the local school, for the kids on the sidelines cheering and it's certainly for anyone who's ever coached little kids, junior high schoolers and certainly for high school players coming into their own.

How is the song resonating with America, according to Chesney's website, after just one day of play, it debuted in the Top 20.

What are your thoughts on this song?

Natalie Randolph Makes History as She Takes the Field for Her First High School Football Practice as Head Coach

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America




While Alaska was opening the regular season for all of high school football Friday night, Coolidge High's (Washington, DC) Natalie Randolph took the field for her first practice as head coach of the program.

The Washington Post reports that 29-players were on the field for Randolph's historic first day.

2010 High School Football Regular Season Opens Tonight in Alaska

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

With over a dozen states ready to open camps next Monday, Alaska kicks-off its regular season this weekend.

There are three games on the schedule tonight and thirteen tomorrow.  To learn more about what's happening on the Alaska high school football scene, go to the Alaska High School Football Huddle for news, rankings, schedules and scores.

Welcome to the 2010 season!

PrepNation.com Releases It's Pre-Season High School Football Rankings

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Over the next several weeks there will be quite a few national polls released that will cause lots of conversation about which team or state is the best when it comes to high school football.

Earlier this year, MaxPreps.com got out of the box early with it's pre-preseason Top 25.  Last month ESPNRise unveiled its Fab 50.  Today we'll look at one of the oldest polls in the nation, the National Prep Poll by PrepNation.com.  The National Prep Poll has been around since 1987.

Below you'll find the Top 25, but if you go to PrepNation.com, founder and editor Jamie DeMoney has actually ranked the Top 100, plus he also has regional rankings.

In DeMoney's story about his pre-season poll, he mentions that #1 Euless Trinity is in the top spot of his pre-season rankings for the second time in the last three years.  He also notes that California, Florida and Texas have four teams each in the Top 25.  Fourteen different states are represented in the Top 25.

1. Euless Trinity (TX) 14-2
2. Plant (Tampa, FL) 14-1
3. Abilene (TX) 15-0
4. Lake Travis (Austin, TX) 16-0
5. South Panola (Batesville, MS) 14-1
6. Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) 14-1
7. St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) 13-1
8. Glenville (Cleveland, OH) 13-2
9. Grant (Sacramento, CA) 12-1
10. Hoover (AL) 14-1
11. Hamilton (Chandler, AZ) 14-0
12. Good Counsel (Olney, MD) 11-1
13. St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH) 9-3
14. De La Salle (Concord, CA) 12-2
15. Servite (Anaheim, CA) 14-1
16. West Monroe (LA) 15-0
17. Phoebus (Hampton, VA) 15-0
18. Camden County (Kingsland, GA) 13-2
19. Stony Point (Round Rock, TX) 13-2
20. Dorman (Roebuck, SC) 14-1
21. Manatee (Bradenton, FL) 13-2
22. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ) 12-0
23. LaSalle College (Wyndmoor, PA) 14-1
24. Mission Viejo (CA) 12-1
25. Wheaton-Warrenville South (Wheaton, IL) 13-1

My two centers, I want to mentioned that I provided a link above to ESPNRise's Fab 50, but haven't posted on The High School Football Huddle because I feel the website uses its rankings to hype its television broadcasts.  Example being that Abilene is #1 and Plant is #2....and surprise, surprise, the two will meet on ESPNU on September 16th.

I can hear the promo now....#1 Versus #2 ONLY on ESPNU!

Don't get me wrong, I know both teams are good.  My regular readers know I'm not a big fan of "made for TV" match-ups.

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

Facebook
The High School Football Huddle
High School Football America

51 High School Football Coaches to Take Part in NFL-USA Football Youth Summit

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

The National Football League's outreach into youth football continues this week with the 11th annual NFL-USA Football Youth Summit in Ohio.

51 top high school football coaches, one from each state in the nation, plus Washington D.C., will take part in the three-day summit that begins Wednesday at Kent State University. In addition to the high school coaches, more than 50 other supporters of youth and high school football will attend.

Former Pittsburgh Steeler great Merril Hoge will address Summit participants on the importance of coaching, while two-time Super Bowl winning Dallas Cowboy Darrin Smith will speak about the importance of education.  Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Haynes; former Green Bay Packer all-pro and Vince Lombardi protégé, Dave Robinson; and Canton native and former Chiefs quarterback Todd Blackledge will also address the group.

High school football coaches registered for an opportunity to attend the Summit by entering a nomination and essay contest conducted by the NFL and USA Football. Coaches submitted online essays in which they wrote about their coaching careers, commitment to youth and coaching philosophies. A blue-ribbon panel, consisting of local state representatives, reviewed the essays, and coaches were chosen to serve as their state's delegate at the Summit.

State delegates for 2010 NFL Youth Football Coaching Summit

State/Name/High School

Alabama/Tim Carter/Auburn High School

Alaska/John Jessen/Bartlett High School

Arizona/Ronald Jacobson/Dobson High School

Arkansas/Mike Banning/Clarksville High School

California/Ken Peralta/Marin Catholic High School

Colorado/Wayne Voorhees/Legacy High School

Connecticut/Duane Maranda/Bacon High School

Delaware/Dan Ritter/Howard High School

District of Columbia/Horace Fleming/Wilson High School

Florida/Reggie Roberts/Zephyrhills High School

Georgia/Brian Smith/Hebron Christian Academy

Hawaii/Randall Okimoto/Farrington High School

Idaho/Jason Warr/Rocky Mountain High School

Illinois/Elton Harris/Hubbard High School

Indiana/Geneo Riley/Pike High School

Iowa/Jason Mehrhoff/Interstate 35 School

Kansas/TBD

Kentucky/John Davis/North Hardin Christian School

Louisiana/Jabbar Juluke/Edna Karr High School

Maine/Rick Marcella/Bridgton Academy

Maryland/Tommy Green/Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Massachusetts/John Aloisi/Nantucket High School

Michigan/Jeremy Gold/Pioneer High School

Minnesota/Rufus Bess/Park Center High School

Mississippi/Perry Wheat/Purvis High School

Missouri/Greg Reynolds/Park Hill High School

Montana/Jim Oberweiser/Drummond High School

Nebraska/Jeff Bellar/Norfolk Catholic High School

Nevada/John Elwell/Valley High School

New Hampshire/Mike Beliveau/Souhegan High School

New Jersey/Leonard Marshall/Hudson Catholic High School

New Mexico/Jared Howell/Piedra Vista High School

New York/Joe Vito/Roosevelt High School

North Carolina/Scott Braswell/John T. Hoggard High School

North Dakota/Barry Holmen/Minot High School

Ohio/Dennis Fowlkes/Columbus East High School

Oklahoma/Kenny Blair/Northeast Academy

Oregon/Terry Summerfield/Barlow High School

Pennsylvania/Kevin Vaughn/Norwood Academy

Rhode Island/Geoff Marcone/LaSalle Academy

South Carolina/Jimmy Woods/Timmonsville High School

South Dakota/Terry Dosch/Aberdeen Roncalli Catholic High School

Tennessee/Tony Brunetti/Pearl-Cohn High School

Texas/Ray Seals/Madison High School

Utah/Les Hamilton/Alta High School

Vermont/Charlie Burnett/Essex High School

Virginia/Jim Poythress/Lake Braddock Secondary School

Washington/Steve Valach/Liberty High School

West Virginia/John Bowers/Morgantown High School

Wisconsin/Duane Rogatzki/Oconto Falls High School

Wyoming/Chris Williams/Cody High School

Less Than Two Weeks Until the Start of 2010 High School Football Season

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

12 days and counting until the start of high school football practice in Alaska, Mississippi and Tennessee!!

As you can tell, I'm really working on improving things here at The High School Football Huddle and also High School Football America.

First, you'll notice our new look across our 52 blogs.  I think it's cool, but you can always give me feedback in the comment section or by emailing me.

Secondly, we're still collecting story ideas for High School Football America.  We have some good ones so far...the latest being a doctor in Illinois, who has watched over 400 straight games at St. Rita High School in Chicago!

Keep the stories coming!!  You can email me at jeff@highschoolfootballamerica.com.

Finally, I'm putting the finishing touches on a weekly segment that will start next month that will give my readers an inside look at a unique tiny high school program from back in my hometown in Pennsylvania.

Jeff

Saturday High School Football Scores

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

Saturday was the best day of the season as far as the number of visitors to all our our blogs. THANKS!

It's not easy getting scores from all 50-states and DC, but it's my passion and I appreciiate the enthusiasm of our fans for The High School Football Huddle and its network of blogs.

Don't forget, High School Football America will be launching in 10 days, so keep checking www.highschoolfootballamerica.com for the lastest cool videos on small-town football. Trish and I have already visited Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania; Monroeville, Ohio; Paw Paw, Michigan; Sheridan, Indiana; Woodstock, Illinois and saw the first-ever night game at Oak Park River Forest, which played daytime football until finally flipping the switch two Friday's ago.

I will continue to update scores throughout the day today, just click on the links below for the latest.

Jeff & Trish

Alaska Scores Updated 9/27/09 12:25 PM CST
Arizona Scores Updated 9/28/09 12:10 PM CST
Colorado Scores Updated 9/28/09 9:00 PM CST
Connecticut Scores Updated 9/28/09 7:40 PM CST
Georgia Scores Updated 9/30/09 5:05 PM CST
Maine Scores Updated 9/28/09 11:00 PM CST
Massachusetts Scores Updated 9/27/09 8:40 PM CST
Mississippi Scores Updated 9/27/09 11:00 AM CST
Pennsylvania Scores Updated 9/27/09 11:45 AM CST
Texas Scores Updated 9/27/09 10:20 AM CST
Vermont Scores Updated 9/29/09 5:00 PM CST
Wisconsin Scores Updated 9/28/09 11:45 AM CST

High School Football America: Paw Paw, Michigan

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle



Trish and I took a relaxing drive 129 miles east of Chicago yesterday to enjoy a little High School Football America in the village of Paw Paw, Michigan.

Paw Paw is a village of 3,300 people at the confluence of the east and south branches of the Paw Paw River and is named after the pawpaw trees which once grew along the river. Pawpaw trees are pretty elusive to find these days, but Trish and I did, and we'll share that story with you early next week.

Actually there's a pawpaw song that Village Manager Larry Nielsen (video above) shared with Trish in front of a pawpaw tree that was planted recently along side the Paw Paw Post Office.

Paw Paw is also the home of Charlie "Paw Paw" Maxwell, who played for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox...as well as Jason Babin of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks.

As far as the game, Paw Paw lost to Gull Lake 40-20, but we got to check-out Paw Paw junior quarterback Andrew Buskirk, who looks like he's going to be a good one. Below are two highlights from the 6-1, 170-pounder...one a touchdown toss to Raleigh Rushing and the other a nice option run.



Check-out the entire trip to Paw Paw and and Trish's search for the elusive fruit early next week at The High School Football Huddle and the Michigan High School Football Huddle.

Tonight, Trish and I are traveling to Woodstock, Illinois...home of cartoonist Chester Gould of Dick Tracy fame and the town where Bill Murray's Groundhog Day was shot.

See you later tonight with scores from around the country!!

Jeff & Trish

High School Football America: The Road Show Pulls into Sheridan, Indiana

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle


Well, Trish and I survived a crash of one of our hard drives this week, so it took a little longer to finish our Huddle Road Show piece on Sheridan, Indiana from last Friday, but here it is. Sheridan, the nine-time champs, lost to Hamilton Heights 20-3, but that's not what The Huddle Road Show stories are about.

The people in Sheridan were very warm and welcoming. When Trish finished chatting with quarterback Sam Zachary's grandmother, she thanked us for coming to her town and telling its story.

No...thank you Sheridan for giving us a relaxing Friday night in the heart of Hoosier Country!

Tonight we're heading to Paw Paw, Michigan to check-out the Redskins game against Gull Luke, BUT more important, Trish and I are going to figure-out what the heck a paw paw is??

Also, in the next two weeks, we're launching our new website High School Football America.

www.highschoolfootballamerica.com will offer you the fans, more information on EVERYTHING that is high school football in America.

The Huddle Road Show in Sheridan, Indiana

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

As I told you last week, we took a road trip 160 miles south of Chicago Friday night to tiny Sheridan, Indiana to check-out the nine-time state champion Blackhawks. The Blackhawks fell to 0-2 after a 20-3 loss to Hamilton Heights, but as I've told you, The Huddle Road Show is about the stories surrounding the games. Check us out Monday afternoon for our first installment of The Huddle Road Show...until then check-out the sneak peak below.

The Huddle Road Show Ready to Roll

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle



The Huddle Road Show starts Friday as I head to Sheridan, Indiana to check-out a small town of less than 3,000 people with a big football tradition.

The 9-time state champ Blackhawks will be looking to rebound after a season opening 28-8 loss to Western Boone. Sheridan takes on Hamilton Heights tonight.

Two things that attracted us to the Sheridan story...head coach Bud Wright, who's the second on the state's all-time wins list in 44-years as the head Blackhawk and freshman quarterback Sam Zachary, who is a sixth generation signal caller at the school.

TRADITION AND PASSION...that's what we're looking for!

Keep-up with The Huddle Road Show on Twitter throughout the day...and don't forget that The High School Football Huddle is your source for high school scores from around America throughout the evening.

Headlines Inside The Huddle

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

There's plenty of information being uploaded to the various State Huddles. Here's a look at some of the latest headlines with links to the stories...

Georgia Huddle: North Hall Preview Click here to read story.
Utah Huddle: Utah High School Football Practice Begins Next Week Click here to read story.
South Carolina Huddle: Hilton Head-area Previews Click here to read story.
Tennessee Huddle: Comcast Game of the Week Schedule Announced for Knoxville-area Click here to read story.

Texas Voted America's Top High School Football State

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

The Lone Star State received the first vote cast in The High School Football Huddle's Question of the Week "What is the Best State for High School Football", and Texas never looked back in claiming the top spot in our voters minds.

Texas captured 42% of the vote to easily outdistanced second place Florida, which received 25% of the votes. Finishing in third was Ohio with 13% of the votes cast...followed by Georgia 10%, California finished in a tie for fifth with 7% each.

Thanks to everyone for taking part in the vote. Look for our new Question of the Week on Monday.

Headlines Inside The Huddle

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

Plenty of new stories throughout The High School Football Huddle network. Check them out by clicking on the links below. If you you a story you want to share with HSFH fans, please email it to jeff@blitzgroupllc.com.

Headlines...

Arizona Huddle: Saguaro & Centennial Working on Active Win Streaks Click here for story.
Oklahoma Huddle: District C-4 Pre-season Notes Click here for story.
Rhode Island Huddle: 2009 Rhode Island High School Football Schedules Click here for story.
Tennessee Huddle: Big Changes in Defending 4A Camp Click here for story.
Virginia Huddle: 2009 Virginia High School Football Schedules Click here for story.

Headlines Inside The Huddle

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

The High School Football Huddle network of blogs continues to grow and reach more-and-more fans.

Right now we're closing in on 600,000 page views as we start our third season! Thanks to everyone for visiting us on a regular basis, and I promise you bigger-and-better things in '09.

For those of you that are new to The High School Football Huddle, I'll take a few sentences to explain what you'll find within the network.

First, The High School Football Huddle is actually 52 blogs in all...one for each state, plus the District of Columbia. Each state Huddle can be accessed by going to the link section on the right side. Each state, plus DC is listed there...example Alaska Huddle, Florida Huddle, Wisconsin Huddle, etc. Just click on the link and you'll be taken to the state you desire.

My overall goal is to put stories that have a universal interest on The High School Football Huddle, the rest of the stories go on to the respective state websites.

To help Huddle fans, at the end of each day, I'll post on the main site, the headlines of the day that will include a link to the stories.

We'll start with yesterday's headlines...

Arizona Huddle: FOX Sports Arizona to Provide Plenty of Friday Night Lights Click here for story
Wisconsin Huddle: Reaction to Wisconsin's Proposed Statewide Realignment Click here for story
Wyoming Huddle: 2009 Wyoming High School Football Schedules Click here for story

If you have suggestions or news stories you'd like to share with others, I can be contacted at jeff@blitzgroupllc.com or of course you can reach me through the comments section located at the bottom on each posted story.

You can also keep up with me on Twitter by click on the "Follow me on Twitter " link in the sidebar below about me.

Here's to a great 2009 high school football season!!

Jeff Fisher