Games to watch this coming high school football season
Published: August 20, 2011
Besides the playoff games scheduled for October and November, here are Ornauer’s top 10 high school football games to watch during the 2011 season:
-- Sept. 2, Yokota at Nile C. Kinnick, 7 p.m. – Annual litmus test to see if Yokota is still its dominant self, or if its opposition is taking steps toward narrowing the gap.
-- Sept. 3, Guam High at George Washington, 7 p.m. – Terrific Labor Day Saturday matchup of defending Interscholastic Football League champion Guam High visiting the team with the most IFL titles in league history.
-- Sept. 3, Kadena at Seoul American, 6 p.m. – Critical test for defending Far East Division I champion Panthers, who take the field for the first time in three years without Speed, Inc. backs Shariff Coleman and Thomas McDonald.
-- Sept. 9, Kadena at Kubasaki, 6 p.m. – See Sept. 2, and substitute Kadena for Yokota and Kubasaki for Kinnick.
-- Sept. 16, American School In Japan at Yokota, 7 p.m. – One of the oldest rivalries in the Pacific, pitting the last two Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools champions.
-- Sept. 17, Daegu American at Kadena, 6 p.m. – For a second straight year, the defending Far East Divisions II and I champions hook up, this time on Okinawa.
-- Sept. 17, Guam High vs. Father Duenas Memorial at George Washington High School, 7 p.m. – Could be the last obstacle to the Panthers’ repeating their island title … or it may bury their chances for good.
-- Sept. 24, Osan American at Zama American, 6 p.m. – An historic first meeting between a Cougars program seeking its first Far East Division II title-game berth since 2008, Trojans trying for their second D-II title in three years.
-- Oct. 15, Kadena at Singapore Falcons, 3 p.m. – Historically, at least until last season, Kadena has had trouble with long-haul travel games. The Panthers won last year at Daegu American and Zama American; let’s see if the trend continues here.
-- Oct. 21, Seoul American at Daegu American, 6 p.m. – Second of two regular-season meetings, one which might well determine if the Warriors make it three straight DODDS Korea titles, a school first.
Did I miss any? Think you have a game that’s more important than this list? Shout it out! Be true to your school, and remember: You’ve entered THE “No-Hate Zone.”
