ESPNU will televise the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series on Friday, Dec. 23, at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. CST, from Ford Center at The Star— the newly developed world corporate headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys in Frisco, Texas. The double-header will feature state champions from Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Utah in a premier high school football event.
GEICO State Champions Bowl Series Teams
Rankings are per USA Today (Dec. 12). State classification is listed.
Arizona: Chandler, AIA (6A) Champion
Florida: St. Thomas Aquinas, FHSAA (7A) Champion
Georgia: Valdosta, GHSA (6A) Champion
Utah: Bingham, UHSAA (5A) Champion
GEICO State Champions Bowl Series Matchups:
Chandler (Ariz.) vs. Valdosta (Ga.), 5 p.m.
Shaun Aguano has already captured two Arizona state championships in only five seasons at Chandler. Alan Rodemaker has brought Valdosta back to prominence with a state title in his very first season as head coach; though it was the 24th state championship for this storied program.
No. 11 Bingham (Utah) vs. No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.), 8:30 p.m.
There will be nine ESPN 300 ranked players from the 2017 and 2018 classes on the field when Bingham and St. Thomas Aquinas meet. A perfect season will be on the line for Bingham, while St. Thomas Aquinas will look to solidify a top five national ranking.
About GEICO State Champions Bowl Series Teams
Chandler High School (12-2)
Head Coach: Shaun Aguano
Players to Watch: WR Kolby Taylor (Oregon State), RB T.J. Green (Oregon State), WR Johnny Johnson III (Oregon)
In the Arizona 6A finals, Chandler redeemed a mid-season loss against undefeated Mountain Pointe to cap a ten game winning streak and state championship title, their second in the past three seasons.
Valdosta High School (14-1)
Head Coach: Alan Rodemaker
Player to Watch: Zakoby McClain
With over 900 wins in school history and 24 state titles, Valdosta has won more games than any high school team in the nation, and were crowned “TitleTown USA” by ESPN’s SportsCenter.
No. 11 Bingham High School (14-0)
Head Coach: John Lambourne
ESPN 300 (Class of 2017):
No. 131 Jay Tufele (DT)
No. 276 Langi Tuifua (DE)
Bingham is the only team to have participated in the State Champions Bowls Series previously; having lost a heart-breaking overtime game to Booker T. Washington, FL in 2014. They will look to keep their season perfect with a 15th win to add to their state title, their sixth in eleven years.
No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas High School (12-2)
Head Coach: Roger Harriott
ESPN 300 (Class of 2017):
No. 33 Trevon Grimes (WR) Ohio State Verbal
ESPN 300 (Class of 2018):
No. 46 Asante Samuel Jr. (CB)
No. 53 Nikolas Bonitto (DE)
No. 54 Al Blades Jr. (CB)
No. 72 Elijah Moore (WR)
No. 174 Sebastian Sainterling (OG)
No. 221 Rocky Shelton (OLB)
St. Thomas Aquinas captured their 3rd consecutive 7A Florida state title and 10th overall. They have outscored opponents 346-52 over their current 9-game winning streak.
The GEICO State Champions Bowl Series is produced in conjunction with Paragon Marketing Group.
For further information and ticket sales, visit www.geicobowlseries.com.
ESPN media contact: Anna Negron at anna.m.negron@espn.com or 860-256-1757; @Anna_ESPN
For media credential requests please contact: rkelner@paragonmarketing.biz
About the Frisco CVB: Founded in 2003, the Frisco, Texas, Convention & Visitors Bureau has grown in tandem with the extensive growth of leisure travel, sports, and meeting facilities within the city. It’s our mission to generate a positive awareness of Frisco as a premiere destination for meetings, sporting events, conventions, trade shows, leisure travel, and to positively impact the economic base of the City of Frisco. Official accreditation recognizing excellence and achievement was awarded in 2009 by the industry organization Destination Marketing Association International. For more information, visit our website visitfrisco.com or call 877-GO-FRISCO.
There are no comments
Please login to post comments