Are you ready for some football?
Starved high school fans won't wait long this season for quality games.
The Ohio vs. USA Challenge kick starts the national schedule during Labor Day weekend in Cincinnati and Canton, Ohio, with 10 matchups likely involving multiple teams in USA TODAY's Super 25 preseason rankings.
Event coordinator Josh Johnston is negotiating to televise some of the games nationally.
• Sept. 1, at Fawcett Stadium, Canton: Grove City (Ohio)-Central Catholic (Pittsburgh); Glenville (Cleveland)-Poly (Long Beach, Calif.); Canton McKinley-Union (Tulsa); and Cardinal Mooney (Youngstown, Ohio)-Gateway (Monroeville, Pa.).
At University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium: LaSalle (Cincinnati)-Brother Rice (Birmingham, Mich.); St. Xavier (Cincinnati)-Cathedral (Indianapolis); Moeller (Cincinnati)-Mission Viejo (Calif.); and Elder (Cincinnati)-Independence (Charlotte).
• Sept. 2, Nippert Stadium: Clayton (Ohio) Northmont-DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.); Colerain (Cincinnati)-Hoover (Ala.); and Trotwood (Ohio) Madison-Highlands (Fort Thomas, Ky.).
DeMatha, which returns 15 starters from a conference championship squad, welcomes the tough early season test. "It's unusual (for DeMatha) to have so many experienced players back," DeMatha coach Bill McGregor said. "Games like this might expose any weaknesses we'll need to shore up."
The Sept. 1 quadruple-header at Nippert features all four members of the Greater Cincinnati Catholic League South.
"I'll put our league against any one in the nation," St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said of four Division I schools, Ohio's largest classification. "The Challenge showcases Ohio football against some of the country's best. It raises the bar for all teams."
Elder, the Division I state champions in 2002 and '03, tackles a formidable foe, Independence, which enters the season with a 108-game win streak (second all-time).
In 2006, the Challenge pitted Ohio's top teams against nine from the eight different states. The out-of-state teams won five of the nine games. Four teams would eventually wind up in the Super 25 final rankings in December.
Almost 42,000 fans attended sessions last years in Cincinnati and Massillon. Large crowds and a quality opponent enticed 74-year-old coaching legend Al Fracassa of Michigan powerhouse Brother Rice. Fracassa, 365-99-7 in 47 years, played in the Big Ten at Michigan State in the 1950s.
"It's well-known Ohio fans really get out for games, especially against teams from other states. It'll be the first of two straight weekends we'll play in Cincinnati," said Fracassa, whose team also playsMoeller.
Starved high school fans won't wait long this season for quality games.
The Ohio vs. USA Challenge kick starts the national schedule during Labor Day weekend in Cincinnati and Canton, Ohio, with 10 matchups likely involving multiple teams in USA TODAY's Super 25 preseason rankings.
Event coordinator Josh Johnston is negotiating to televise some of the games nationally.
• Sept. 1, at Fawcett Stadium, Canton: Grove City (Ohio)-Central Catholic (Pittsburgh); Glenville (Cleveland)-Poly (Long Beach, Calif.); Canton McKinley-Union (Tulsa); and Cardinal Mooney (Youngstown, Ohio)-Gateway (Monroeville, Pa.).
At University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium: LaSalle (Cincinnati)-Brother Rice (Birmingham, Mich.); St. Xavier (Cincinnati)-Cathedral (Indianapolis); Moeller (Cincinnati)-Mission Viejo (Calif.); and Elder (Cincinnati)-Independence (Charlotte).
• Sept. 2, Nippert Stadium: Clayton (Ohio) Northmont-DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.); Colerain (Cincinnati)-Hoover (Ala.); and Trotwood (Ohio) Madison-Highlands (Fort Thomas, Ky.).
DeMatha, which returns 15 starters from a conference championship squad, welcomes the tough early season test. "It's unusual (for DeMatha) to have so many experienced players back," DeMatha coach Bill McGregor said. "Games like this might expose any weaknesses we'll need to shore up."
The Sept. 1 quadruple-header at Nippert features all four members of the Greater Cincinnati Catholic League South.
"I'll put our league against any one in the nation," St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said of four Division I schools, Ohio's largest classification. "The Challenge showcases Ohio football against some of the country's best. It raises the bar for all teams."
Elder, the Division I state champions in 2002 and '03, tackles a formidable foe, Independence, which enters the season with a 108-game win streak (second all-time).
In 2006, the Challenge pitted Ohio's top teams against nine from the eight different states. The out-of-state teams won five of the nine games. Four teams would eventually wind up in the Super 25 final rankings in December.
Almost 42,000 fans attended sessions last years in Cincinnati and Massillon. Large crowds and a quality opponent enticed 74-year-old coaching legend Al Fracassa of Michigan powerhouse Brother Rice. Fracassa, 365-99-7 in 47 years, played in the Big Ten at Michigan State in the 1950s.
"It's well-known Ohio fans really get out for games, especially against teams from other states. It'll be the first of two straight weekends we'll play in Cincinnati," said Fracassa, whose team also playsMoeller.