Friday Night Lights Hoping To Score On The Small Screen

After making over $61-million worldwide, Friday Night Lights director Peter Berg is bringing Texas football to television.

NBC has signed on for a Fall 2006 episodic series about football in Odessa. According to reports in Variety magazine, unlike the movie, which focused on Odessa Permian's 1988 season, the TV series will be set in the present day.

Here's hoping that the television series isn't a flop, like most movie sequels are.

I for one believe that the movie was done perfectly, and perfection shouldn't be touched for the sake of making more money.

Salinas (CA) High School Head Football Coach Steps Down After Probation

Salinas High School Head Football Coach Mark Ironside did the right thing by resigning earlier this week.

Ironside's resignation comes on the heels of Salinas' entire athletic program being placed on probation by Central Coast Section officials for numerous infractions. The football program has been placed on two year probation and the other sports one year.

What surprises is me, is Ironside wasn't asked to step-down.

Salinas principal John Macias is quoted in The California as saying, "it was his call." Ironside compounds the problem be not saying if his decision to step down was based on the CCS ruling.

"I just felt it was in the best overall interest of the Salinas High School athletic program,'' said Ironside in The Californian article. Ironside will remain on staff as a health and physical education teacher.

What is the Salinas administration by not demanding Ironside resign and apologize? It's my opinion that wins and losses mean more than educating the students.

Just look at what happened during the 2005 season, and decide whether you think Ironside should have been given the choice to stay.

In November a Salinas football player was caught with a fraudulent address, forcing the Cowboys to forfeit five wins and a tie.

In late November, seven varsity football players received lifetime bans from high school sports for appearing in an unsanctioned television commercial.

Bottom line here, Ironside was as responsible as anyone for the Salinas program becoming the SMU of high school sports in California. While I feel bad for the good kids in the program, here's hoping that the CSS decision wakes-up other schools around the country that try to play outside the rules.

To read the full story in The California, please click on our headline.

Valdosta Names 14th Head Coach

Rick Tomberlin is in as the 14th head coach at Valdosta High School. Tomberlin was hired Monday night to take over the program that leads the nation in all-time wins (828 wins through 2005).

Tomberlin comes to the Wildcats after taking Washington County to three Georgia state titles with an overall record of 157-31. In 22 years as a head coach, including a short stint at Valdosta's crosstown rival Lowndes, Tomberlin sports a record of 220 wins and 80 losses.

For more on the hiring from the Valdosta Daily Times, please click on our headline "Valdosta Names 14th Head Coach".

Another High School Football Player Charged With Murder

What is going on!! Yes, The High School Football Huddle is all about what is positive in this great sport, but I cannot ignore the growing number of young men who are being charged with violent crimes since the start of the new year.

The latest is 18-year old Jarray Casey of Long Beach Poly High School, who has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in connection with the January 8th slaying of Rashad Ali. Casey reportedly has verbally committed to playing his college ball at Oregon.

This news comes on the heels of last Friday's murder of Courtland High School's Baron Braswell II in Spotslyvania, Virginia by five students. All in all there have been a half dozen incidents involving high school players.

In 2004 Ohio's Mr. Football Raymond Williams of Benedictine High saw his scholarship and life go up-in-smoke after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter along with two of his teammates.

Of course high school football isn't immunded to the ills of society, but someone's got to at least talk about it!

I recently read a report that found that most high school students say it's easy to purchase a gun, and a lot of inner city kids say that they've either witnessed a shooting, know of someone involved in a shooting or know of a student with a gun. This is frightening!

I'm not going to go off on gun control issues or anything like that. But what I am going to suggest is some way, some how coaches should start counseling players on the do's and don'ts of guns. It's just as important as X's and O's!!

Standout On and Off The Field

This is the type of story that makes high school football such a special sport to cover.

It's a story from my hometown paper (Morning Call) in the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania, and shows why winning isn't everything. It's about Northern Lehigh High School senior Tyler Tkach, and is told by Morning Call Sports Reporter Mandy Housenick.

Tyler finished second in the voting for the 21st annual Jim Henry Award, presented by the Maxwell Club, which is given to the most well-rounded high school football player in southern New Jersey, Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs. But finishing runner-up isn't the story.

It's about this Slatington, Pennsylvania senior dedicating time to help kids with disabilities, and specifically about Ty helping change the life of a fellow student with autism.

This story certainly doesn't surprise me because I know Ty's father Jim, who is a teacher and the former head coach at Northern Lehigh. Coach Tkack is one of the most genuine people you'll ever meet, and he's respected by those who have played for him or against him.

Knowing Coach Tkack, it's not surprising that his son has turned out to be a quality individual. This is definately a case of the apple not falling far from the tree.

Enjoy this story as much as I did.

To read the article from the Morning Call, please click on our headline "A Standout On and Off The Field".

Congratulations to the Ty, the Tkach family and the Northern Lehigh School District.

Jeff

Waltham HIgh Head Football Coach Recovering After Kidney Transplant

Here's wishing Waltham (Waltham, MA) High School Football Coach Paul Mayberry a speedy and healthy recovery after undergoing a kidney transplant earlier this week.

To read more on Coach Mayberry's surgery and recovery, please click on the above title "Waltham High Head Football Coach Recovering After Kidney Transplant". It will take you to a story from the Daily News Tribune.

Illinois' All-Time Winningest Head Coach Retires

One of the best high school football coaches in the country is taking off the headset. After 38-years Providence Catholic Head Coach Matt Senffner is stepping down at the end of the current school year.

It certainly will be a little strange next year not seeing Senffner on the sideline, since he's the only head coach the Celtics have ever had. Senffner, who will also step down as the school's athletic director, started the school's football program in 1968. After a slow start (1-6, 0-7, 1-8 in the first three seasons), he built the Celtics into a state powerhouse.

Providence won its first of nine state titles in 1987 and then really turned things on in the 90s. From 1994-97 the Celtics won 50 consecutive games and four straight state crowns.

Senffner compiled a 300-114-1 record in 38 seasons, and retires as Illinois' all-time winningest head coach. His 2005 team went 5-5 and lost in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.

To read more on this great coach, click on the title "Illinois' All-Time Winningest Head Coach Retires"

Valdosta High School Moving Closer To Find New Head Coach

The winningest high school football program in the country is getting closer to naming a new head coach.

According to the Valdosta Daily Times, the final interviews are wrapping up and the Valdosta Wildcats could have the new coach hired by January 23rd. The search began after Rick Darlington resigned after three years on the job and an overall record of 26-14, which included two straight five loss seasons.

To read more about the search process, please click on "link" at the bottom of this blog or the underlined title line.