FOR USE AS DESIRED                                                     CONTACT:
NFL                       9/4/02                                                       BRENDAN MOYNIHAN, NFL
                                                                                                212-450-2246, moynihanb@nfl.com

NFLHS.COM TO HOST HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
“CHALLENGE OF CHAMPIONS” 

TOP 16 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAMS OF LAST 30 YEARS TO SQUARE OFF TO SEE WHICH TEAM IS THE “BEST OF THE BEST”

High school football is sometimes more than just a sport -- it is a passion.  And it creates great debates.

Now, with the help of NFLHS.COM, the NFL’s high school football web site, fans around the country can solve those debates by determining which high school football program has been the best of the best over the past 30 years.

This fall, NFLHS.com will provide a feature for America’s high school football fans entitled “NFLHS.COM CHALLENGE OF CHAMPIONS.”  The challenge matches up 16 of the country’s greatest football programs over the past 30 years and allows fans to determine which program is the best. 

Starting Monday, September 9, two schools will square off each week, and fans who log on to NFLHS.com can cast a vote for their weekly favorite.  Fans will be able to view descriptions of each program to help them determine which team to vote for.  The team with the most votes that week survives to play another day.

NFLHS.com’s blue-ribbon panel of high school football writers and experts, including scouting gurus TOM LEMMING and GIL BRANDT, helped determine which 16 high school programs to select for the “Challenge of Champions.”

The tournament is made up of four four-team regions: the East, South, West and Central.  First round match-ups were randomly assigned. 

The “NFLHS.com Challenge of Champions” will start in sync with the NFL season, when Hampton High School (VA) matches up against Berwick High School (PA) during the week of September 9th. Each game will run from Monday through Sunday, with the winner advancing to the next round. The champion will be crowned on Monday, December 23.  

Following is the schedule for the “NFLHS.com Challenge of Champions”: 

NFLHS.com Challenge of Champions

East Region

Game 1 (Sept. 9): Hampton (VA) vs. Berwick (PA)

Game 2 (Sept. 16): Brockton (MA) vs. DeMatha (MD)

South Region

Game 3 (Sept. 23): Belle Glade-Glades Central (FL) vs. Odessa Permian (TX)

Game 4 (Sept. 30): Valdosta (GA) vs. Plano (TX)

West Region

Game 5 (Oct. 7): Long Beach Poly (CA) vs. St. Louis (HI)

Game 6 (Oct. 14): De La Salle (CA) vs. Jenks (OK)

Central Region

Game 7 (Oct. 21): Massillon (OH) vs. Joliet Catholic (IL)

Game 8 (Oct. 28): Moeller (OH) vs. Harrison (MI)

East Regional Final

Game 9 (Nov. 4): Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner

South Regional Final

Game 10 (Nov. 11): Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner

West Regional Final

Game 11 (Nov. 18): Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner

Central Regional Final

Game 12 (Nov. 25): Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner

Challenge of Champions Semifinals

Game 13 (Dec. 2): Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner

Game 14 (Dec. 9): Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner

Challenge of Champions Final

Game 15 (Dec. 16): Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner

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