Nationally-ranked teams participate in all three
events but one high-rated preseason squad already has
bowed in a season opener.
Trinity High of Louisville, the defending Kentucky
Class 4A champion, was upset in Nashville, Tenn., by
Montgomery Bell Academy, 17-13, despite a prolific
game by Brian Brohm. The preseason All-America
quarterback completed 35 of 52 passes for 448 yards
and a touchdown but was sacked six times and hurried
most other passing plays.
The Shamrocks were ranked No. 8 nationally in the
Student Sports FAB 50 while MBA entered the season No.
24 in the Southeast rankings by Student Sports.
Trinity will seek to rebound in the nightcap Saturday
of a tripleheader in the Ryle Festival at Union, Ky.,
across the Ohio River From Cincinnati. Trinity will
face St. Xavier of Cincinnati.
Two nationally-ranked Top 10 teams will vie in the
second game: No. 6 Cincinnati Elder tackles No. 10
Warren Central of Indianapolis, Ind. Elder debuted
with a 33-14 win over Winton Woods while Warren
Central rocked Perry Meridian, 49-0 in its opener.
The Ryle Festival kicks off with a matchup between
host Ryle High and Cincinnati Princeton.
In Georgia, the 12th annual Corky Kell Classic will
feature four games Saturday at the Georgia Dome in
Atlanta.
The final two contests will give fans a chance to see
the state's top two ranked pre-season teams.
The nightcap pits three-time defending Class AAAAA
titlist Parkview of Lilburn against Dacula. Parkview
is riding a state-record 45-game win streak and is
ranked No. 13 in the Student Sports FAB 50 and No. 1
in the state.
Parkview's Gwinnett County rival, Brookwood of
Snellville, will tackle Starr's Mill in the third game
of the showcase. Brookwood, ranked No. 2 in Georgia
and No. 34 in the FAB 50, lost its only two games
last season to Parkview, including the state finals.
The first two contests at the Georgia Dome pit
Roswell vs. East Coweta and Walton versus McEachern of
Powder Springs.
In Texas this weekend, the fifth annual Texas
Football Classic kicks off at the Alamodome in San
Antonio.
The Woodlands, ranked No. 20 in the FAB 50, takes on
Bryan in the first of three games on Saturday. The
second game pits Waco, ranked 12th in the Southeast
Region, against Abilene. The nightcap has Lubbock
Monterey against Donna.
Thursday's action shows Beeville Jones vs. San
Antonio Alamo Heights while Friday's lone game matches
Corpus Christi Calallen against San Marcos.
With high school football heating up over the Labor
Day weekend, fans and pollsters will be keeping close
tabs on the outcomes.
XXX
Speaking of pollsters, one was sharply criticized
this week in the weekly New York State Sportswriters
Association newsletter.
Veteran Syracuse Post-Standard prep writer Neil Kerr,
who has served as the newsletter editor-publisher for
37 years, wrote:
"By the way, we have not talked to USA Today people
since Dave Krider retired 3-4 years ago. He did a good
job. As shown by the DUMB national high school
basketball rankings the last two winters, the calibre
of USA Today polls aren't nearly as accurate as the
job done by Krider."
Kerr is referring to Krider's replacement as poll
compiler, Christopher Lawlor, a graduate of McQuaid
Jesuit in Rochester, N.Y., who had no prior experience
with weekly national rankings before joining that
newspaper.
McQuaid is at the center of this controversy which
came to a head last season with its boys team was
ranked higher than state Class A champion Lincoln of
Brooklyn, which defeated McQuaid by 13 points in the
state semifinals.
And that wasn't the only major complaint against the
USA Today offerings, which tend to be accepted without
scrutiny by unknowing fans and some media.
Unbeaten New York state Class A girls champion Murry
Bergtraum defeated Christ the King for the state
title. Earlier, Christ the King handed Canyon, Texas,
its lone loss.
But, USA Today ranked Canyon No. 1 in its rankings!
If results don't matter, how can anyone take such
rankings seriously? Even worse, some media use the USA
Today rankings as the lone national yardstick without
doing their homework on credibility.
If interested, the Student Sports FAB 50 ranked New
York State Class A champion Lincoln over McQuaid
Jesuit and Murry Bergtraum over Canyon.
Results should matter.
XXX
Extra Points:
(1) Independence High of Charlotte, N.C., will try to
expand its state-record win streak to 48 games Friday
night when it plays host to East Mecklenburg. The
Patriots, ranked 23rd in the Southeast Region, snapped
a tie for the state mark with its 47th straight win
last weekend in the season opener, 44-6 over rival
Butler. Independence has won the last three state
Class 4AA crowns.
(2) We have yet to see a football team which suits up
279 players a game. But that's the number on the
preseason 'All-America' team selected by Super Prep
magazine. It might be easier to list the players NOT
selected.
(3) A tip of the hat to Elmhurst High of Fort Wayne,
Ind., which opened the season with a 27-23 victory
over crosstown rival Bishop Dwenger. It ended a
six-year, state-record 64-game losing streak!