High school football fans can look forward to a holiday weekend filled with nationally televised matchups between national and regional powers. The annual Kirk Herbstreit National Football Classic includes a pair of games both Sunday and Monday in Columbus, Ohio, and a quadruple-header Monday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Ohio offering includes MaxPreps No. 12 Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) taking on No. 8 Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) while the nation's top-ranked team Trinity (Euless, Texas) should have its hands full with No. 22 Shiloh Christian (Springdale, Ark.) down in Texas.

A 2009 season in which De La Salle High's football team started slowly ended in victory when the Spartans beat Crenshaw-Los Angeles to win the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division title. The Spartans would prefer not to have to rally to make that happen again this year.

Imagine running a 15-week marathon-hurdle race. Now imagine going through 14 weeks of that race, clearing all the hurdles -- including the one that always seemed to get the best of you -- and being less than two minutes away from the final hurdle; then tripping over your own shoelace.

Phillip Dorsett says he's been watching Dallas Cowboys preseason games not necessarily for the football, but for the sight of Cowboys Stadium. ``I can't wait to see that JumboTron and check out that stadium,'' the St. Thomas Aquinas senior receiver said. ``I know Texas is going to represent with a big crowd. It should be a good game.''

BRADENTON -- The Hurricanes exceeded all expectations when they ran over #2 in the nation Plant last Friday night, 48-10. Mike Blakely and Quinton Pompey upped their already considerable value, as multiple Division I schools attempt to sign the local stars. This week, the team heads up north to tackle a similarly endowed PA team known as the "football factory" - and this one counts! When Manatee High and rival Plant locked up last Saturday night, there was one question. Could the Hurricanes stop the force of nature known as James Wilder Jr.? Wilder, the nation's top-ranked prep running back was coming off of a banner season, including a 100-yard-plus game against Manatee in last year's state title game.