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Rain, Upsets and a Discovery

adam_sp — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:47:00 GMT

By Adam C. Warner

Wednesday October 17:

We had a great interview this morning with Darby Chaney of GeorgiaPreps.net. He provided a lot of great insight on the recruiting process and everything involved in running a Website for that. Definitely check out the site -- he has posted a bunch of recruiting videos on some of the top players in Georgia. Also, check out the interview on our feature page.

After meeting with Darby, we headed back into Suburban Atlanta for an afternoon school visit with Peachtree Ridge High. The school opened its doors in 2003 and since then, has already experienced a great amount of success in athletics. For instance, just last year, the football team shared the state title with Roswell after finishing in a tie in the championship game. This in its fourth year of existence. Quite impressive when you think of the elite level of Georgia football.

Once we arrived on campus, we met with AD Bill Holleman, first year head coach Bill Ballard and assistant coach Matt Winslette. We conducted some interviews in their impressive weight room facility and then took a tour of the campus -- which is just beautiful -- state of the art, too.

Thursday, October 18:

Thank the Lord! It's actually raining. For the first time in a long time, it's raining in northern Georgia. You should see the rivers and lakes down here -- they are bone dry. But we received a nice morning soaking. Could use another 18 inches, though.

We had a morning visit with Buford High School -- just NE of Atlanta. The Wolves have been one of the most dominant football teams in 2A Georgia Football all-time. And it shows. Great facilities (their grass football field is more like the 18th green at Augusta). Great people within the school. Great support from the community. It's evident from the moment you walk in the door. We met with head coach Jess Simpson and AD Dextor Wood, who coached the team to a bunch of championships in the 90s and 00s, and had some great conversations about the program and learned a lot about its history.

Around lunch time, we headed Southwest through Atlanta (detour in Buckhead) and made our way down towards the airport. Our stomachs were grumbling and were in most need for some food, so we stopped at a Chik-Fil-A. Little did we know that it was the original Chik-Fil-A. It was located in an old throwback diner from the 50s near an industrial area by the airport. We sat down at a booth and enjoyed some fresh salad and of course, chicken. I also ordered a vanilla shake. Absolutely delicious.

After driving an hour following lunch, we had made it to our next destination, LaGrange, for a night game. We pulled over at a local mall for a while to relax before heading down to Callaway Stadium at LaGrange College and prepping for the Class 2A battle between undefeated Callaway and Heard County. It turned out to be a great game -- a real defensive battle. Heard County sealed the upset with an interception with a minute left in the game as Callaway was in the red zone. The crowd stormed the field and joined the team in celebration -- including in our interviews. Definitely check them out on the mainstage.

We were fortunate that an Applebee's was still open by 10:30, so we dined there and watched the end of the Rutgers game -- which was also an upset. Certainly one of the best days of the trip so far. Great visits, great people, great football!

Busy Tuesday

adam_sp — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:12:00 GMT

By Adam C. Warner

October 16, 2007:

Suni and I had a full day ahead with two scheduled visits so we got up early to prepare. After leaving our campground (Wal-Mart parking lot), we headed to suburban Atlanta to visit with Atlanta Journal Constitution sports reporter Jeff Haws. We met Jeff at his home and recorded a great interview in the RV. He was passionate about Georgia football and I think that came out in the interview.

Afterwords, we took to a local mall and ate at Joe Catfish, a local fish establishment, and enjoyed some local cuisine.

Soon enough, we were on our way to Roswell, Georgia for our afternoon school visit with Roswell High School. The football team is coming off a 2006 state championship in 5A after sharing the title with Peachtree Ridge after ending in a tie in the title game. A terrible way for a championship to end, but I'm sure both schools are pleased with the result anyway.

Roswell is a large, suburban school with great facilities and great people. Upon arriving, we met with head coach Tim McFarlin and athletic director Mike Power and chatted a bit before conducting interviews down in their stadium grounds. Suni and I toured the school and discovered its gym, which is more like a mini version of the Georgia Dome. Ray Manus stadium was also quite impressive. I can't wait to see what the new grounds will look like (the school is breaking ground on new athletic facilities soon, actually).

After watching practice for a while, we took to the road again and did some editing work before shipping out some items back to headquarters. As soon as that was over, we made our way to Marietta and parked the bus and discovered a local pizza joint downtown for dinner. We split a veggie pizza and some salad. Good stuff, indeed.

By 10, we were back on the road NorthWest towards Cartersville to stay the night and prepare for our morning interview with GeorgiaPreps.net director Darby Chaney. But before that, we had to fuel up and get some fresh water.

Monday Night with the Falcons

adam_sp — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:23:00 GMT

By Adam C. Warner

Monday, October 15:

We made a switch in personnel today as Dan Driscoll left back for headquarters and Suni Blackwell came back to the bus. After Dan and I grabbed some breakfast at an Atlanta Waffle House (no, not the one where Kid Rock got into a brawl at), we filled up our cruiser with some fresh water and then parked near the airport to make our switch.

Suni arrived in the early afternoon and once he settled in, we departed straight for downtown Atlanta to get premium parking for the Monday Night Football game between the Giants and Falcons at the Georgia Dome. We got downtown by mid afternoon and cruised around for some parking, and finally found an RV lot a few blocks from the stadium. Since we were there early, we parked and immediately went downtown to grab some lunch. We headed inside to the CNN Center downtown -- which not only has the CNN studios and offices, but includes a giant indoor shopping center with food stores. We grabbed some grub and relaxed a bit before

going back to the bus, retrieving our gear and heading out to do some interviews.

We met some interesting fans today -- even though the Falcons came into the contest struggling at 1-4. The NYGiants Road

Crew came down for the game -- as they have been for 25 years now. They were a rowdy, friendly and passionate group. We also met Steve the Preacher Man -- a man who preaches about the Falcons and had plenty of colorful commentary for us, including a jingle on his tambourine.

We walked in the parking lots and met with fans and had a great time. After a while, we heading back downtown to watch the

game on television and eat some dinner. Following the game, we headed to the Eastern suburbs to get ready for a busy Tuesday.

Travel Day

adam_sp — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:42:00 GMT

By Adam C. Warner

Sunday, October 14:

Well, Sunday was our travel day. We had one day to make it to Atlanta, Georgia from Indianapolis in order to cover the Monday Night Football game between the Giants and Falcons. Dan Driscoll and I left with the tour bus at the crack of dawn and made our way south on I-65 to Kentucky. We drove through forest and farmland before reaching Louisville, and then horse farms and white picket fences highlighted the route for miles in the Bluegrass state. It was a perfect day for a drive, so we were lucky to have the weather cooperate.

We stopped at a pizza hut in rural Kentucky for some food. The place was packed with people in their sunday church clothes -- I didn't know Pizza Hut was a destination for so many folks after church! After the break, we continued south through Tennessee (Knoxville and Chattanooga) and many mountains roads before we reached Georgia. As soon as we got to Chattanooga, traffic picked up, so Dan and I took a detour on a back mountain road to bypass the sluggish conditions. It turned out to be a good call. Though the reason for the traffic was because a cop had pulled someone over to the side of the road. How crazy is that?

We made it to Atlanta by nightfall and stopped in Duluth to visit one of Dan's former teammates with the Eagles -- Willie Tolbert. Willie was gracious enough to cook a fantastic meal for us and his family. It was a delicious menu that included grilled fish, vegetables and rice. Suculent, mouth-watering and scrumptious would be three words to describe it. We dined over some good conversation and old memories with his family. It was the perfect way to end a productive day on the road.

Notre Dame vs. Boston College

adam_sp — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:09:00 GMT

By Adam C. Warner

Saturday October 13:

The FP.tv crew made it to South Bend, Indiana on Saturday as longtime catholic school rivals Notre Dame and Boston College did battle at Notre Dame Stadium. Dan Driscoll and myself got up early to take in all of sights and sounds on campus -- which turned out to be quite the unique experience. We walked all around campus and visited the Golden Dome, the Basilica, the Grotto, Hesburgh Library (with giant mural of Jesus) and Bond Hall to catch the Fighting Irish Band play from their repertoire. We even witnessed some students jumping into the reflecting poll by the library as part of an initiation. All in all -- some great clips for the site!

I eventually met up with some friends of mine who made the drive from Indianapolis. They are BC alumni and came in full force with other SuperFans to take part in the festive weekend.

Dan and I had all-access passes inside the stadium and we each took a half in the press box and sideline. I was on the field in the first half taking pictures for the site. It was truly an incredible feeling being down there in front of a packed stadium for a rivalry game. Just the energy, the passion, the one-of-a-kind perspective you get from ground zero.

Following the game, Dan and I secured interviews with BC quarterback Matt Ryan and LB Mark Herzlich for the Website. It turns out that Dan coached Matt for Marsh Creek youth football in Chester County, Pennsylvania a few years back -- so FP.tv was able to get an exclusive interview with the Heisman candidate for the site.

Dan and I immediately headed south for Indianapolis so we could get a jump-start on our long journey to Atlanta. After a long, but exciting day, we were ready for some sleep.

FP.tv rolls through the Heartland

adam_sp — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:21:00 GMT

Friday October 12

After the FP.tv road crew spent some quality time in the Windy City, the bus picked me up at O'Hare on Friday before taking the bypass SouthEast. Next stop: Indiana. Once over the Illinois/Indiana state line, we took ol' Bessie Sue to an RV's favorite stop. Flying J's of course. After pumping our diesel, we headed over to the Flying J's car wash, which is pretty much inside a giant warehouse. To say our cruiser could have used a car wash would be the understatement of the century. You should have seen the smorgasboard of insects plattered across our front windshield.

Our destination for the night was Merrillville High School, just outside of Gary, Indiana. And while Gary is not one town I would make any extended layovers in (what you learned in U.S History class about Gary was right), Merrillville HS and athletic grounds were quite nice. We arrived at Demaree stadium just before sundown and set up shop out front in preparation for the big game between Merrville and Chesterton -- two Duneland Athletic Conference rivals that were vying for the conference championship.

It was a cold night for October in Indiana, with temperatures dropping into the mid to low 40s, but it was a perfect night for football. Favored Merrillville took it to Chesterton early and often on this night, running and passing all around its rival, while providing punishing blows on the defensive side of the ball. Behind 6-6 QB Dolapo Mcarthy and speedy running back Roosevelt Williams, the Pirates pulled away with a 38-10 victory.

Once we captured our footage and grabbed some interviews at game's end, we immediately departed for South Bend, Indiana -- about an hour to the east. Our objective: make it to Notre Dame by midnight to secure a spot before the mammoth BC-Notre Dame game on Saturday.

We arrived in South Bend around 11:30 and pulled up to a spot just beyond the soccer and lacrosse fields. After settling down and grabbing some food and drink at nearby SB establishments, we made friends with our RV neighbors, which turned out to be an old friend of Dan's. We sat around a fire ring and warmed up on a chilly night before heading back to our quarters for a good night's rest.

-Adam C. Warner

Memoirs from the Lone Star State

adam_sp — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:02:00 GMT

By Jimmy Oliver

Saturday, September 29

We arrived at the beautiful campus of Southern Methodist University today. While the crowd downtown is late arriving for the big game against UTEP, the crowd on the boulevard, however, was already tailgating in full force. The boulevard is clearly the place to be. The street is lined by academic buildings just to the side of the stadium and there is a huge grass medium where the tailgaters set up. It works just like season tickets. Groups or individuals sign up for the season to secure their lots. There are set-ups ranging from the basic tent and grill to more elaborate one’s with widescreen plasma TV's and couches. The fraternities at SMU also host large tailgates just above the boulevard with gigantic tents and even larger crowds.

The stadium holds about 35,000 -- which makes the setting even quainter. Everything at SMU and the boulevard is about southern hospitality. We can’t go more than five feet without being offered some tasty barbeque. Soon enough, we ran into the tailgate for the SMU alumni band, which operates to support the current band members. They were a great group of people with a ton of school spirit.

We hung around all day at SMU -- partly because we couldn’t get our huge bus out of there. But it worked out for the best, as we went to a great restaurant in town called the Trinity Hall Irish Pub. It offered great food and they had an Irish band playing which made it even more memorable.

Monday, October 1

We arrived at Plano East High School and we were immediately impressed with this beautiful campus. We had the opportunity to spend time with principal Karin McDonald and had a great conversation over which cheese steak was better: Pat’s or Gino’s (from Philadelphia).

We then spent some time with head football coach Johnny Ringo. Coach Ringo has done a great job with this program and you can see that, as his enthusiasm is contagious. Not long after, we met the man who runs the show -- Rollie Tesh. He called himself “coach Ringo’s assistant”. But, just like every school, he is the guy who can make things happen. He gave us a tour of their great indoor facility, which is the norm in Texas. We also visited the school's enormous weight room.

I asked Rollie why he loves’s Plano East so much. His answer was simple: “Best team. Best coaches. Best School. Best State. Best Country." Enough said.

Tuesday, October 2

Just when we thought things couldn't get any bigger -- they got bigger when we arrived at Texas High School in Texarkana. Texas High is in the process of adding to their already enormous indoor facility with new offices and classrooms for the football team and athletic department. When this is completed, it will rival any Division I school. We took a great tour from administration intern Brandon and associate HC, Matt McClure. They are so proud of what is going on with their school -- as they should be.

Later on in the day, we left the great state of Texas and arrived in Arkansas. We were on our way to Little Rock Central High -- home of the Little Rock 9. If you don’t know what that is, do yourself a huge favor and look it up. I didn’t, but quickly found out while we were there.

Suni and I were early for our meeting with coach Bernie Cox, so we drove around looking for a place to park the bus and we stumbled upon the new visitor center for the Little Rock 9. What an impressive place. It’s full of the history and the story behind the LR9 and we were lucky enough to get a great interview about it. Check out the video piece when you have time.

Wednesday, October 3

Well, I am back home and I had a great experience on the tour. It’s amazing how many wonderful people are in this country. At every stop along the way, we were met with nothing but open arms.

Livin' large in the Longhorn State

adam_sp — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:41:00 GMT

By Jimmy Oliver

Wednesday, September 29: St. Pius X

As we continued our tour through the Houston area, we stopped at St. Pius X High School. This is a school steeped in tradition and pride. It is home to about 700 students and we were welcomed with open arms. We spent almost an hour in the office of offensive coordinator Darren Trevino just talking about high school athletics and how much he loves St. Pius.

We then had the opportunity to meet head coach Robin Kirk. Robin is a St. Pius lifer (class of '72) and his appreciation for the school shows in every word he speaks. He is a man who truly loves what he does.

The facilities are that of any small private school in America. Everything has a polished look and the students are busy doing everything from getting ready for practice to putting on the last finishing touches for the play being produced for Homecoming.

In front of the school, we were able to spend time with the Head of School, Sister Donna Pollard. She is a native New Yorker (and fellow Yankee fan with an autographed Roger Clemens jersey in her office). She has been at St. Pius for about 20 years. She, too, is someone who clearly takes pride in the place she works -- a wonderful woman who get's it. (see my ealier blog about getting it)

Thursday, September 30

Our first stop was the sprawling campus of Cedar Hill High School. We found the office of head coach Joey McGuire, one of the younger coaches along our stop. He has been the head coach there for five years and you can see his stamp all over the place. He often spoke about family and the commitment to your fellow man, virtues that are not only important in sports, but in life.

Throughout the visit, Joey ha a big smile as if to say "I love what I do.” He gave us a great tour of the facilities inside the school. But the part I loved the most was the tour of the press box. Now, I keep saying to Suni that things can't get bigger as we go from school to school. However, Cedar Hill's press box is enormous. We took the elevator up to the second floor of the box and had a beautiful vantage point of the entire stadium. But even more impressive was the view from the third floor. You could see El Paso! It's a testament to the school district that they were able to get this built.

On Thursday night, we watched North Garland take on Lakeview Centennial at Williams Stadium. Both teams played well, with Lakeview taking the win. But perhaps the most fun was seeing the four flea flicker plays between the two teams.

North Garland has three sophomores who are going to be flat out studs next year: #10 QB Patrick Timberlake, #12 WR Anthony McGhee and #13 WR Brandon Jones. All three are exciting to watch. For Lakeview Centennial, I was very impressed with #1 WR Cameron Brewer. Cameron must be 6'6" with a huge wing span -- perhaps something he got from his father, a former NBA player.

Friday, September 30

This morning we got a great treat. We were able to watch the pep rally at Trinity High School in Euless, Texas. What impressed me the most about Trinity was the school spirit carried by the students. Friday happend to be "wear your pajamas" day. I would say 90% of the kids dressed for the special day.

We met with head coach Steve Lineweaver later in the day. His office is large and cluttered with pictures of plays and equipment everywhere.He is another coach who loves what he does.

Prior to the pep rally, we spent a few moments with the athletic director Sue Cannon. Sue is also the head coach of the girls basketball team. Now, I know we are talking football here, but here is the thing: Sue has 845 career wins!! She is humble about the number and directs the credit to all of her players. But let's be real. Anyone who can amass that many victories must be doing something right.

On Friday night, we covered the Southlake Carroll game. Again, I can't believe that every time I see a stadium, it is bigger than the last. Dragon Stadium rivals most Div. 1-AA schools and can hold roughly 10,000 spectators. There are tailgaters everywhere prior to the game and people walking around in Southlake Carroll jerseys as if they were heading to a Cowboys game.

School pride is rampant in Texas. Southlake Carroll put up 63 points against Keller Central on this night. They are one dangerous team -- one that used the no-huddle shotgun to perfection. QB Riley Dodge and RB Tre Newton are studs. Newton looked like he could start for Texas this year as he ran through the Keller defense all night.

I would be not doing my job properly if I didn't mention a few things about the people we have met along the way.

All the coaches have been great, especially J.T. Curtis at Curtis, Joey McGuire at Cedar Hill and Robin Kirk at St. Pius. These are three guys who just love what they do and are there for the kids.

As for Trinity athletic director Sue Cannon, I hope she sticks around for 1000 wins.

And special thanks to Thom and Ricardo at Sam's Club who totally hooked us up with water for the bus.

So far, I love Texas and its people.

We are off to SMU to see them play UTEP. Until next time.....

Overrated vs. Underrated

adam_sp — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:18:00 GMT

By Suni Blackwell

Since I started my journey on the road with the FP.tv crew back in August, I have witnessed some outstanding high school football. I have also had the chance to witness some nationally-ranked teams play -- like on Friday night with Southlake Carroll High School.

Now, I am one that gives credit when credit is due, but I have never been too big on rankings because on any given Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, you don't know which team will win until the game is played. And as we saw this weekend, rankings went straight out the window in college football with at least five Top 25 upsets.

According to ESPN's Elite Top 25 Rankings, Southlake Carroll High School, out of Southlake, Texas, are ranked seventh nationally. And I believe that Southlake Carroll is a good team offensively -- but they rely too much on that.

The team is led by running back Tre Newton and quarterback Riley Dodge. While Newton is a power/speed runner, Dodge is a quick signal-caller with a strong arm. But the most pressing concern was Southlake's pass defense. There is no way Keller Central should have scored sixteen points on them -- with ten of the points coming when their starters were in the game. It was evident this weekend that when the Dragons finally comes across a team with a strong passing offense mixed with a potent running attack, they will be in trouble.

In that same Top 25, Prattville High, out of Prattville, Alabama, are ranked 15th nationally. This is quite shocking to me after seeing this team play. Prattville is a complete team. And their offense is one of the best I have ever seen. They can beat you with the running game and passing game, led by running back Justin Albert and quarterback Casey Weston. So while Albert is a slick/speedy runner, Weston is smooth QB with a strong arm.

Meanwhile, let's not forget about Prattville's defense -- a unit that has recorded two shutouts this season. Hands down, this defense is the best unit I have seen all tour. They play the run and the pass well. It's eleven on the ball at all times with the Lions.

So why is Southlake Carroll ranked eights spots ahead of Prattvile? This is one matchup that I would love to see take place. Perhaps FootballPower can make the game happen. But until the match-up takes place, I will never know and Prattville will continue to be "Underrated"........

FootballPower hits the "Big Easy"

adam_sp — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 18:35:00 GMT

By Jimmy Oliver

FP.tv correspondent

Monday, September 27: New Orleans, La.

I finally arrived in New Orleans after a short flight from Atlanta. This will be my first experience living on a bus and I will be doing so for almost nine days.

Within an hour of disembarking the plane, I was in downtown New Orleans along with Suni. It had been raining most of the day and was muggy and wet, but this didn't seem to affect the hard-nosed Saints fans whatsoever. The party went on.

Now, the Superdome is not like any other venue I have been to. For instance, both the Meadowlands and the Linc have ample parking and tailgating space. Not so in New Orleans. If you can cram your car or RV into an area, congratulations! It's a spot. We actually parked the tour bus on a median about one mile from the Dome. We stepped out into the rain and ran into some great Saints fans that would not let the weather ruin the tailgating for them. The "504 Tailgaters" were great and gave us a sample of their specialty, deer sausage gumbo. I'm not sure I want to know how it's made. Eventually, we made our way to other tailgates and then down to Bourbon Street, where we had some dinner and met some interesting people.

Tuesday, September 28: John Curtis Christian School

To say this was an impressive visit would be an understatement. And when I say impressive, it was not because of the buildings -- most of which have been around since before I was. But head coach J.T. Curtis was just great (his Patriots own 21, yes 21, state championships). He welcomed us with open arms and gave us a great tour of the school. He was an engaging man -- someone I could have listened to all day. You may already be familiar with his program after reading "Hurricane Season", which was written about his school and team after Hurricane Katrina. I'm reading it right now, actually, and it's a great book so far as I have a hard time putting it down.

Coach Curtis seems to get it. And when I say that, I mean that he truly understands why people get involved in high school athletics. He seems more concerned with the kids as people than players. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to run the wrong way on a play with him as coach, but at the end of the day, you know he's got your back.

Wednesday, September 29: Katy High School

After witnessing the enormous school that is Katy High School, in Katy, Texas, I don't think I will see a school physically larger than that. There is a field house that holds the countless football trophies, weight-room, locker rooms and offices. But, there is also a performing arts center on top of the ton of classrooms they have. It is a school that seems to hold the statement "Everything in Texas is bigger" very true. Coach Gary Joseph -- holder of three state championships -- is a smart man and one who seems to be able to get the most out of players with a simple glare. He was a great host. But the host with the most was principal Joe Kelley -- or "Mr. K" as he is known. We may see him with his own late night show at some point. The entire Katy school community was fun to be around

We just made the lunch call of the year....Miller's Cafe in Houston. This is a hamburger joint. Not a restaurant but a joint. It has been around for almost 20 years, but you get a feeling that it could have been there for 75. I had the bacon cheeseburger with fried onions, fries and sweet tea (this is the south and sweet tea is my new favorite thing). I'm guessing here but the burger was probably 3/4 of a pound, if not more. I am so full as I right this that I am having trouble keeping my eyes open.

We are on to see St. Pius X in Houston and then we move on to the Dallas area.

I will have more great food ideas in my next blog.

Until next time.....