jason
09-10-2004, 06:22 PM
ESPN to show Denton Ryan-Southlake Carroll game
Friday, September 10, 2004
By TIM MacMAHON / The Dallas Morning News Staff Writer
The rest of the nation will get a glimpse of why high school football is such a big deal in this state.
The Denton Ryan-Southlake Carroll game will be televised nationally Oct. 14 on ESPN or ESPN2, Denton ISD athletic director Ken Purcell said Friday. The District 5-5A contest at Southlake’s Dragon Stadium features two nationally ranked teams that will meet for the first time.
Carroll, 33-1 since moving up to Class 5A, is the nation’s top-ranked team. Ryan, which won two 4A state titles before moving up to 5A, is No. 14 in the National Prep Football Poll.
“I’m not sure I want to play those cats on national TV,” Ryan coach Joey Florence said. “They’re real good. But I think we’ll be pretty good by then, too. This is going to be great exposure for Texas high school football.”
The game, originally scheduled Oct. 15, will be played a day earlier because University Interscholastic rules prohibit live broadcasts of Friday night regular-season games. The kickoff is expected to be at 8:30 p.m.
Carroll athletic director Ronnie Tipps and Purcell also discussed televising the game nationally on Fox Sports Net before coming to an agreement with ESPN. Purcell said the schools and ESPN are still working to nail down details, including the payout to the schools and which of the network’s stations will air the game. He added that he expects the contract will be signed Monday.
“To have a chance to play on national TV is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Carroll coach Todd Dodge said. “It’s for our whole community. This is great for our players, band, student body and fans.”
ESPN originally contacted Dodge in late spring about the possibility of playing a perennial power such as Concord (Calif.) De La Salle or Charlotte (N.C.) Independence. After informing the network that Carroll’s schedule was set, Dodge was asked which game would be most enticing for television. He immediately mentioned the Ryan game.
An ESPN representative later told Dodge that the network’s first option would be to televise De La Salle’s game that week if the school’s record winning streak were still intact. De La Salle’s streak was snapped at 151 games last week.
Friday, September 10, 2004
By TIM MacMAHON / The Dallas Morning News Staff Writer
The rest of the nation will get a glimpse of why high school football is such a big deal in this state.
The Denton Ryan-Southlake Carroll game will be televised nationally Oct. 14 on ESPN or ESPN2, Denton ISD athletic director Ken Purcell said Friday. The District 5-5A contest at Southlake’s Dragon Stadium features two nationally ranked teams that will meet for the first time.
Carroll, 33-1 since moving up to Class 5A, is the nation’s top-ranked team. Ryan, which won two 4A state titles before moving up to 5A, is No. 14 in the National Prep Football Poll.
“I’m not sure I want to play those cats on national TV,” Ryan coach Joey Florence said. “They’re real good. But I think we’ll be pretty good by then, too. This is going to be great exposure for Texas high school football.”
The game, originally scheduled Oct. 15, will be played a day earlier because University Interscholastic rules prohibit live broadcasts of Friday night regular-season games. The kickoff is expected to be at 8:30 p.m.
Carroll athletic director Ronnie Tipps and Purcell also discussed televising the game nationally on Fox Sports Net before coming to an agreement with ESPN. Purcell said the schools and ESPN are still working to nail down details, including the payout to the schools and which of the network’s stations will air the game. He added that he expects the contract will be signed Monday.
“To have a chance to play on national TV is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Carroll coach Todd Dodge said. “It’s for our whole community. This is great for our players, band, student body and fans.”
ESPN originally contacted Dodge in late spring about the possibility of playing a perennial power such as Concord (Calif.) De La Salle or Charlotte (N.C.) Independence. After informing the network that Carroll’s schedule was set, Dodge was asked which game would be most enticing for television. He immediately mentioned the Ryan game.
An ESPN representative later told Dodge that the network’s first option would be to televise De La Salle’s game that week if the school’s record winning streak were still intact. De La Salle’s streak was snapped at 151 games last week.