[atalltexan]

Have you come across any good ones? Everyone know Friday Night Lights, but lets see what else we can find.

Here's my first one:

One Great Game : Two Teams, Two Dreams, in the First Ever National Championship High School Football Game
by Don Wallace

Los Angeles Magazine, Sept, 2003, by Robert Ito

IN 2001, THE DE LA SALLE SPARTANS AND THE LONG Beach Poly Jackrabbits were the two best high school football teams in the country. The schools themselves, however, had little in common: De La Salle was a wealthy, mostly white private school in Concord, California; Long Beach Poly, alma mater of Cameron Diaz and Snoop Dogg, couldn't afford a football field. That October the two squads met, an event celebrated in One Great Game: Two Teams, Two Dreams, in the First-Ever National Championship High School Football Game (Atria, 320 pages, $25). Writer and Poly alum Don Wallace vividly captures the drama of the contest--a grueling war of attrition that lived up to its immense pregame hype--and the often anachronistic world of California prep football, where booing is prohibited and players get up for games with Bible verses and team dinners at the local Hometown Buffet.

This post has been edited by Super B: 04 April 2004 - 09:17 AM

[Lancer1997]

Better read than that one...("One Great Game" has a decidedly Poly slant)

"When The Game Stands Tall"
The History of the De La Salle Spartans and Footballs Longest Winning Streakby Neil Hayes

This book chornicles games by game the 2002 season and releases some "in house" secrets of the DLS program, from the "cobra" persona, to the emotional team meetings night before game night. The book, in every other chapter, chronicles the history of DLS from before they had a football team up until the 2002 NCS 4A championship. If anyone is interested at all in learning about DLS, instead of going on rumors, or what they have heard about them, this book sheds major insight. And yes, it does cover the recruiting topic. If you are a high school football fan, I think this should be a must read.

This post has been edited by Super B: 04 April 2004 - 09:25 AM

[Garnet_and_Gold]

Another great book that I enjoyed is a little older than the others...it's called The Courting of Marcus Dupree and came out in 1983 (I think).

This post has been edited by Super B: 04 April 2004 - 09:34 AM

[LION KING]

'' Coach of The Century '' Autobiography of Texas Coaching Legend Gordon Wood. Chronicles one of the most successful Coaches in the nation, a career that spanned nearly 50 years of Coaching high school football in Texas.

This post has been edited by Super B: 04 April 2004 - 09:36 AM

[Garnet_and_Gold]

Yeah, that would be a great read! He was a legend...

"I had to leave Texas. As long as Gordon Wood was there, I could never be the best coach in the state." -Bear Bryant

[atalltexan]

If you like stats, here you go:

National High School Football Record Book
by Authors: Doug Huff , Mark Tennis


As the editor of West Virginias premier high school sports website, I have gotten to know author Doug Huff through the years.
In our state, high school football is truly king. I had a chance to talk to Huff about this book.

When Student Sports Inc. of Torrance, California wanted to put together a national football record book recently, they turned to Huff. "Of course I jumped at it," he said. "And its much more than a list of numbers."

The book that has just been published has Nitro (WV) grad J.R. House pictured on the cover along with three other players and three coaches.

When you pick up the just released National High School Football Record Book, youre going to see some big names and some mind-blowing facts.

What high school has a record 35 state titles with a record ten in a row? What school has won a record 113 games in a row (and still counting)? Check page 6.

And you can read about and see photos of stars such as Tim Couch, Billy Sims and Dan Marino.

But the new publication has a very distinctive West Virginia flavor too.

For starters, Huff is the editor of the book. Huff may have retired from his beat at the Wheeling (WV) Intelligencer, but he didnt exactly find the ol rocking chair. In fact, the NHSFRB is as ambitious of a project that any one would (or wouldnt) want to take on.

Some of the books features are individual records, year-by-year season stat leaders, All-time best teams and All-Time All-Americans. Theres the Top 50 Programs of All-time and the State vs. State All-Star Games.

National rankings and regional rankings are listed. You can check out top players, coaches and teams. Compare season and career stats.

The book is a must-have for any big high school football fan nationwide. But West Virginia gridiron fanatics will see many familiar names as well.

Did you know that Gatha Hoffman, a punter from Fairmont (WV)Senior HS is credited with a punt covering 105 yards in 1929? Or that Carlton Clark of Pennsboro (WV) HS has the record for blocked punts in a season with 16, also in 1929. Pinevilles Curt Warner led in nation in points scored in 1978.

And check out the All-Time All-American Player Rankings! For wide receivers, everybody above Rand (WV)s Randy Moss is already an NFL Hall of Famer, except for Vikings teammate Chris Carter - and hell be one. And you should see the names ahead of (and behind) Warner, who makes the running backs list. Talk about respect, Farmington (WV)s Sam Huff gets some too at the linebacker position.

And for pure stats Nitro quarterback J.R. House is all over the book, along with his favorite receivers Chris Martin, Zack Collins and Jeff Clark.

The 1999 MoHawk Bowl even gets a mention. Youll see Ceredo Kenovas Carl Wards 10 titles. Youll also find Capital HS, Brooke HS, Nitro HS, Weir HS, North Marion HS, John Marshall HS, South Charleston HS, DuPont HS and East Bank HS in the NHSFRB pages with yearly rankings. The 2000 State Football Champs from each state are honored, so youll see Morgantown HS, Wheeling Central HS and Bridgeport HS in there.

Morgantown (WV)s Mark Wigal is a 2000 Student Sports Senior All-American, and theres tons more.

"Its been a passion of mine, and Im tickled any time I see a West Virginian in there," said Huff.

The same will hold true for fans in any state -- this is a comprehensive book!

But who is the National High School Player of the Century? Well youll just have to turn to page 28 for the answer.

Jim Workman is the editor of WVSPN.com.

This post has been edited by Super B: 04 April 2004 - 09:41 AM

[atalltexan]

McKinleyBulldogs1, on Apr 3 2004, 10:48 PM, said:

Massillon...the best team in the country...
But of course your entilted to your opinion...

Is their a book involved ?

[atalltexan]

Any of our Ohio guests familiar with this one:

Across Many Fields: A Season of Ohio High School Football
by Authors: Christopher Butler , Jennifer Rothchild , Chris Butler


Book Description
Across Many Fields captures the essence of Ohio football by chronicling the 2001 high school season with a lively combination of pictures and insights. This book observes high school football less as a sport and more as a cultural event through which a wide variety of people take meaning.
Last fall, writer Christopher Butler and photographer Jennifer Rothchild traveled across Ohio, visited schools in all six high school divisions, and observed big-city and small-town teams. All told, they watched 45 games in 15 weeks, and conducted nearly 150 interviews. The book takes readers from first-game expectations, through mid-season highs and lows, and ends with the two-day, six-game championship weekend that dominates state news headlines every first weekend in December.

This post has been edited by Super B: 04 April 2004 - 09:44 AM

[Super B]

TIGER36, on Apr 4 2004, 01:36 PM, said:

THANX SUPER B,FOR THE GO TIGERS PIC,YOUR THE BEST.....GO TIGERS!!!

[LION KING]

Thanks Super B for the '' Coach of The Century '' Book cover picture, oh yea, best of luck to the Trinity Trojans this year.

[Lancer1997]

Sans Couth, on Apr 4 2004, 11:59 PM, said:

Quote

"IN 2001, THE DE LA SALLE SPARTANS AND THE LONG Beach Poly Jackrabbits were the two best high school football teams in the country."

Not to stir the pot. But this is a matter of opinion.

Understandable but...

As meaningless as polls can be it was still the first ever #1 vs. #2 in 23 years of major national polling, and it represented two completely different societies, as well as two extremely different teams, one with 25 D1 athletes, 43 college players overall, and the other a system that had a few stars but by and large was not even on the same wavelength nor should they have even beeen able to stay close to Poly.

The contrast was so immense it became where one entire region backed Poly to do what Mater Dei could not in 4 tries. It was SoCal's last real shot to bring the Spartans down a notch. Of DLS won it would mean that they are completely validated, even if they lose the rematch.

The vast contrasts are what made this game what it was, and adding the fuel to the fire was the hype surrounding it. Over 100 media credentials were issued for the game. NFL Films ran a 20 minute segment on it. Highlights were on Sportscenter. Sports Illustrated had a write up on the game. No game was ever hyped so much.

Since no team in the history of High School Football ever had the talent of that years Poly team, and DLS hadnt lost in 10 years, isnt this the game that everyone would want? How could they not be considered the two best teams, or at least a very strong argument could be made for it, and it was...

[WACO]