High School Football News and Views
High school football is king in Texas.
By Al Pickett
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There is no better proof of that than the recently concluded state high school football championship games held in December. Ten games in three days, all held in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, home to the Dallas Cowboys, the Cotton Bowl and the first College Football Playoff championship game.
The games drew record crowds, including more than 60,000 for the two Class 6A title matchups. By comparison, the two championship games in Texas’ largest classification outdrew all but seven of the collegiate bowl games this year.
Texans love their high school football, and the magnificent stadiums that the state’s high school teams play in are unrivaled anywhere in the country. Even schools in the smallest classification have artificial turf fields these days.
In fact, when the weather turned bad recently and the Dallas Cowboys had to move inside in preparation for their NFL playoff game against the Detroit Lions, they went to Dallas Highland Park High School’s multi-million-dollar indoor practice facility.
No district has more history or tradition than the West Texas league that for more than 60 years has been referred to as the “Little Southwest Conference.” Seven district schools in Abilene, San Angelo, Odessa and Midland have claimed 18 state championships, the most of any district in the state’s largest classification.
“The Little Southwest Conference,” well-known across the state of Texas, reached a national audience when Buzz Bissinger authored his best-selling book “Friday Night Lights” following the 1988 football season at Odessa Permian. A subsequent hit movie and television show brought the passion of Texas high school football to a broader audience.
Many of the members of the West Texas Scorpions* played in the “Little Southwest Conference” during their high school careers.
Al Pickett
apickettc@sbcglobal.net
*The West Texas Scorpions was one of the teams that participated in the Sunshine Bowl Sports Extravaganza Super Weekend of National Championship and Bowl Games this year in Miami Gardens, Florida. For more info, check out www.sunshinebowlex.com.
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