Rock Hill teams to shine on national television
Byrnes football coach Chris Miller best expressed the feeling bouncing around at a news conference Tuesday morning at Northwestern High School.
"I have this tingle in the back of my neck because it's football season again,'' he said. "If you don't have that, you don't need to be involved.''
Miller need not be worried about the large crowd of dignitaries, fans, coaches, players and media who attended the event to hear Northwestern athletic director Bill Warren announce that his school will host a nationally-televised doubleheader on Aug. 28 at Rock Hill's District Three Stadium.
The doubleheader is two of eight games involving 16 of the nation's top teams arranged by ESPN and Paragon Marketing in Chicago to kickoff the 2010 season. Games will be played on Aug. 27-29 and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN's stations.
Northwestern, the host team, will play South Pointe a 4 p.m. on ESPNU. Byrnes will play Hoover, Ala., on ESPN at noon.
"We have been working on this since December,'' Wallace said. "My offensive coordinator, Kyle Richardson, was in my office and said with all of the good players in Rock Hill, wouldn't it be great if we could open the season on TV against South Pointe.
"Then I got a call from Josh Feldman from Paragon Marketing. He asked if we'd like to be part of ESPN's season-opener package and we started talks. I have saved every message from him ... maybe around 90. And I'm glad to announce that the deal is finally done.''
Northwestern signed its contract on May 18, according to Warren. But that was the first of a three-step process that concluded last Thursday.
First, all four teams had to sign contracts with Paragon.
Paragon had to finish its deal with ESPN to promote the games, which would allow the teams to talk about the doubleheader. That was taken care of Tuesday.
ESPN had to come to Rock Hill for a site inspection and make sure the facilities met their requirements.
"The ESPN people were very impressed with our stadium and really liked that we have artificial turf,'' Warren said. "They told us before leaving that everything was definite, that the games would be played here."
There is still one holdup. The tickets have not been sent. Once they are, all four schools will put them on sale. Wallace said tickets should be here within two weeks.
The tickets, which are good for both games, cost $10 in advance and $12 at the gate.
As soon as they arrive, the media will be notified when they go on sale. When the information is released, it will be posted on heraldonline.com immediately. Tickets for the doubleheader are not included in Northwestern's season-ticket package.
"ESPN comes in to set up for the broadcast at their expense," said Rashid Ghazi, co-partner with Paragon Marketing.
Paragon pays stipends to the schools and covers all of the teams' expenses, he said. "The schools are required to sell tickets and play. In general, we've made it so the teams don't pay a thing and get paid to play on TV. We even pay travel costs and meals for the out-of-town teams.''
Three of the four coaches were on hand Tuesday, each with a group of players - each in his game jersey - sitting on the stage of Northwestern's auditorium. Warren said he called Hoover coach Josh Niblett on Monday. Niblett was cutting grass and said he'd be unable to attend.
Wallace brought quarterback Justin Worley, receiver Robert Joseph, defensive tackle Gerald Dixon, lineman Stephen Nance and lineman Collins Mauldin. Carroll brought defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, linebacker Gerald Dixon (brother of Northwestern's Dixon), quarterback Tay Hicklin and defensive back Corey Neely.
Miller was accompanied by his offensive coordinator, Bobby Bentley, and players quarterback Zack Blair, Tony Hillman, who plays several positions, receiver Tre Jackson and cornerback Devin Lindsey.
"I'm really excited about this opportunity to show the fans at Tennessee what football is all about,'' said Worley, the Trojans quarterback who recently committed to the Vols. "You can send highlight videos, but now people will get to see how we play live on ESPNU.
"I have the weight of recruiting lifted off my shoulders, so the game will give recruiters an opportunity to see the talent both Rock Hill teams have.''
Northwestern's Dixon, a defensive tackle, has an offer from South Carolina, but said he's also had contact with LSU, Tennessee, North Carolina and Alabama.
"Hopefully, it will give us the extra exposure we need,'' Dixon said. "I'm hoping it will improve my college prospects.''
Northwestern is among the favorites to win the Class AAAA state championship this season, either in Division I or Division II. Teams in each division aren't identified until after the regular season, when all the playoff-eligible teams are determined.
But the team that got most of the attention on Tuesday was South Pointe, which begins its fifth varsity season this year. Wallace pointed out that the Stallions won the Class AAAA Division II state championship in 2008, beating the Trojans in the title game, and made it to the semifinals last year.
And he pointed out that it's not every day a town can claim the nation's top player. He was speaking of South Pointe's Jadeveon Clowney, a defensive end ranked the nation's No. 1 prospect overall by ESPNRise and Rivals. He is the No. 2 player in the MaxPreps list.
Stallions coach Bobby Carroll coached at Northwestern 22 seasons, the last 18 under Wallace. He started the Stallions football program from scratch in 2005 with two teams - 9th-grade and junior varsity. Carroll said he realized in 2004 he wanted the job.
"We (Northwestern) had finished practice and I walked over to watch Saluda Trail play Gaffney on the field inside our track,'' Carroll said. "The players were pretty good and I asked another coach where they were going to high school. When I was told South Pointe, I said, 'Holy cow. That's the place I need to go.'
"The football gods have looked after us. Here it is the middle of July and football is special. Football is important in (Rock Hill) and it has been that way all of my years here.''
Hoover, located near Birmingham, Ala., is ranked ninth nationally by ESPN.
The Buccaneers have won eight Alabama state championships, including six since 2000. Hoover was featured in the MTV reality series "Two-A-Days."
Byrnes has easily been the team to beat in South Carolina Class AAAA football this decade. The Rebels have won six state championships since 2002 and have been ranked as high as No. 2 nationally.
A closer look at the teams
Byrnes
Hometown: Duncan
Nickname: Rebels
Coach: Chris Miller
Last year's record: Region 2-AAAA champion at 5-0; 13-2 overall; lost 28-7 to Dorman in the Class AAAA Big 16 state championship.
Did you know: The Rebels finished last year ranked No. 36 in the RivalsHigh 100, graduated their largest senior class ever and will be losing two U.S. Army All-Americans. The team returns only four starters on offense and just three on defense.
Top players: Quarterback Zach Blair, cornerback Devin Lindsey, running back Shakeem Wharton and athlete Tony Hillman.
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Hoover
Hometown: Hoover, Ala.
Nickname: Buccaneers
Coach: Josh Niblett
Last year's record: 14-1; won the Class AAAAAA Alabama state championship, a 28-23 win over Pratteville, their sixth in the 2000s.
Did you know: The Bucs graduated 17 players last season and two players signed with Southeastern Conference teams. Hoover plays on a turf field and has a turf practice field.
Top players: Quarterback Ryan Carter, kicker Larsen Real, wide receiver Jaylon Denson and offensive lineman Brandon Morgan
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Northwestern
Hometown: Rock Hill
Nickname: Trojans
Coach: Jimmy Wallace
Last year's record: Region 3-AAAA champion at 5-0; 9-6 overall; lost 34-24 to Berkeley in the Class AAAA Division II state championship game.
Did you know: Northwestern was 1-5 last season after six games, then went on an eight-game winning streak that ended in the state championship game.
Top players : Quarterback Justin Worley, wide receiver Robert Joseph, defensive lineman Gerald Dixon, defensive end Rod Byers, offensive lineman Collins Mauldin
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South Pointe
Hometown: Rock Hill
Nickname: Stallions
Coach: Bobby Carroll
Last year's record: Second in Region 4-AAAA at 4-1; 10-4 overall; lost 24-6 to Northwestern in the Class AAAA Division II semifinals.
Did you know: South Pointe's 9th-grade team went 10-0 when the school opened in 2005. There was no varsity team that year. The same group went 15-0 as seniors in 2008 and won the Class AAAA Division II state championship in just their third year of varsity football.
Top players: Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, linebacker Gerald Dixon, kicker Landon Ard, defensive back Corey Neely, quarterback Tay Hicklin.
This story was originally published July 14, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Rock Hill teams to shine on national television."