NationalHSFootball.com – Dallas Jackson, NationalHSFootball.com
If you can find a calendar that runs two years in advance, mark the date.
Hoover (Ala.) High and Allen (Texas) High have signed a contract to play Aug. 26, 2016 at Allen’s Eagle Stadium as part of the Tom Landry Classic.
Josh Niblett has brought new levels of success to Hoover. Hoover on iHigh.
“We are thrilled to have been able to get this game with one of the most respected football programs in the country,” she said. “We are constantly seeking opportunities for our student-athletes to be able to play against the highest level of competition.”
Both programs have been thrust into the American culture much beyond the passionate base of high school football fans.
Hoover gained notoriety by being featured on the MTV show ‘Two-a-Days’ in 2006-2007 and has elevated its level of play since then. It was recently ranked No. 6 in the Dynasty HSFB100 which takes into account play on the field beginning in the 2008 season.
Allen was ranked No. 9 in the same Dynasty poll with its consecutive Class 5A Division I state titles but became a household name outside of the Lone Star State with the opening of its $60-million stadium. The facility was covered by most every major network and has already had games that flooded its seating capacity of 18,000 when it sold nearly 4,000 standing-room only spaces to open its doors. It even has its own Wikipedia page.
Entering the 2014 season both programs will be competing for a HSFB100 National Championship which may start to fuel a rivalry that can run until game day.
Hoover coach Josh Niblett remains focused on the upcoming season but said that having programs like Allen on the horizon is something that he is excited about.
“It is always neat to compete against another program that seeks the same level of greatness that we do at Hoover,” Niblett said. “Both schools have great tradition and high standard of core values.”
With a multitude of changes that will occur between the two play, history suggests that the two program will not be falling from their perch atop the high school football mountain.
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