ESPN to televise South Pointe, Northwestern game

The season-opening football game between South Pointe and Northwestern high schools will be televised nationally on ESPNU from District Three Stadium in Rock Hill, according to the television network.

The game will be played Saturday, Aug. 28, at 4 p.m. It will be the second game televised nationally that day from District Three Stadium. Hoover High School of Alabama and Byrnes High School of Duncan will play at noon, according to a news release from the ESPN television networks. That game will be televised on ESPN.

The news release did not specify a location for the Hoover-Byrnes game. But the Hoover team website listed the location as Rock Hill. MaxPreps.com also listed the location as District 3 Stadium in Rock Hill.

The South Pointe-Northwestern game will feature several of the nation's top high school seniors. South Pointe defensive end Jadeveon Clowney has been named by several national recruiting services as the best senior player in the nation at any position. Northwestern quarterback Justin Worley last week committed to play at the University of Tennessee.

South Pointe also boasts kicker Landon Ard and linebacker Gerald Dixon. Northwestern counters with receiver Robert Joseph, who set a state record last year for most catches in a game, and defensive tackle Gerald Dixon. The Dixons are brothers.

South Pointe won the state Class AAAA, Division II title in 2008. Northwestern has advanced to the Class AAAA, Division II title game two years in a row. The Trojans lost to South Pointe in 2008 and to Berkeley in 2009. The teams split their games last year, with South Pointe winning during the regular season but Northwestern prevailing in the playoffs.

This year, South Pointe is assigned to Class AAA while Northwestern remains in Class AAAA. The Trojans are ranked No. 42 nationally by ESPN.

Hoover and Byrnes have been national powers for several years. Hoover, located near Birmingham, Ala., is ranked ninth nationally by ESPN. Hoover has won eight Alabama state championships, including six since 2000, according to the team's website. Hoover was featured in the MTV reality series Two-A-Days.

A news release from ESPN announcing the games did not specify a location for the Hoover-Byrnes game. But the Hoover team website listed the location as Rock Hill. MaxPreps.com also listed the location as District 3 Stadium.

Byrnes has dominated South Carolina high school football during the last decade, winning six state championships since 2002. The Rebels have been ranked as high as No. 2 nationally.

The games will be played as part of a series of games that ESPN is calling ESPN Rise High School Football Kickoff. During the weekend of Aug. 27-29, 16 high school teams will be featured on the television networks.