The Eyes of the Nation Turn to Texas Stadium as High School Football Powerhouses Collide in “The Showdown” on Labor Day

IRVING, TX – Intersport, the Chicago-based sports marketing and media company, announced today the creation of “The Showdown,” a new high school football event featuring six of the best teams from around the country scheduled for Labor Day at Texas Stadium in the City of Irving Texas. In addition to creating a new platform for dream match-ups at the high school level, the games will benefit the National Football Foundation’s scholarship programs.

“The interest in high school football has never been greater and no one can deny the passion Texans have for the sport,” said Dan Jones, Intersport’s Vice President of Events. “The Showdown will give these players the opportunity to play on a national stage in one of the country’s most storied venues in a battle for state pride.”

On Monday, September 1 six of the top high school football teams in the country will faceoff, including a battle between two of the top 25 teams in ESPN’s recently released preseason high school football rankings. Number one ranked Euless Trinity High School (TX) and No. 23-ranked River Ridge John Curtis High School (LA) will battle in the opening game at 11:00 a.m. A second Louisiana team (Mandeville) will join a team from California (Clovis East) as they invade the Lone Star State and face two Texas teams to round out the tripleheader. The complete Monday schedule is as follows:

GAME TIMES GAME MATCH-UP
11:00 a.m. CST No. 1 Euless Trinity HS (TX) vs. No. 23 River Ridge John Curtis (LA)
2:30 p.m. CST Klein Oak (TX) vs. Mandeville (LA)
6:00 p.m. CST Colleyville Heritage (TX) vs. Clovis East (CA)

The Showdown’s marquee match-up between Euless Trinity and River Ridge John Curtis pits two of the most successful programs in the country against each other for the first time. Euless Trinity has captured two of the last three state titles (Class 5A, Division I) and owns an impressive 109-19 record since 1998. River Ridge John Curtis is a year removed from its fourth straight Louisiana 2A title, its 22nd state football championship overall.

Mandeville and Klein Oak are both fresh off 10-win seasons in 2007. Colleyville Heritage and Clovis East both finished with eight wins last year and participated in their respective state playoffs.

Television distribution and sponsorship details surrounding The Showdown will be released soon.

Tickets are available now through the local participating schools, Ticketmaster.com or Ticketweb.com, and are priced at $14 for adults ($16 day of event) and $10 for student/youth fans ($12 day of event). Each ticket provides fans access to all of the games played on Monday.

The National Football Foundation’s scholarship program has been named the charitable beneficiary of the games, and the NFF’s nationwide chapter network has helped with the selection of the teams chosen to play in the games.

“We are proud to provide a national platform to showcase some of the best high school football in the country,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Everyone knows how passionate Texans are when it comes to football and we hope giving these young people an opportunity to play in Texas Stadium will encourage more young people to play our sport. I believe this sport builds great character and can teach lessons that will stay with these players the rest of their lives.”

About Intersport
For more than 20 years, Intersport has been recognized as an Emmy Award-winning creator, producer and distributor of original sports and entertainment programming as well as an industry leader in event marketing and corporate hospitality. The Intersport Media Group is one of the largest independent producers in the U.S. through the distribution of sports and entertainment content across all media platforms, including the company’s CelebTV.com online entertainment channel. The Intersport Event Marketing Group designs and executes national event marketing initiatives, including mobile marketing tours at professional, collegiate and youth sporting events as well as major event corporate hospitality programs. Intersport is headquartered in Chicago with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. For more information, please visit www.intersportnet.com or www.celebtv.com.

About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame:
Founded in 1947 with leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, Play It Smart, the NFF-FWAA Football Forum, the NFF Gridiron Clubs of New York City, Dallas and Los Angeles, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF awards the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.

Courtesy: Nation Football Foundation