Posted by Brian Stumpf
Tom Hauck for ESPN RISE
Jeremy Higgins passed for six scores to lead Honolulu powerhouse St. Louis to a win in Hawaii's opening weekend.
The fourth Elite 11 webisode was released today at Elite11.com, featuring all the action from the EA SPORTS Elite 11 regional camp at Penn State. Be sure to log on and check it out as well as take part in the virtual Elite 11 challenge.
• Hawaii's top team, St. Louis (Honolulu), took out Waianae in a 48-35 shootout. The Saints got a virtuoso performance from senior quarterback Jeremy Higgins who threw for 391 yards and six touchdowns.
Not to be outdone, Pac-Five High School (Honolulu) quarterback P.J. Minaya tossed seven touchdowns to go along with 374 yards in the Wolfpack's 48-19 win over Kaimuki (Honolulu). The Hawaii Prep World blog has a complete breakdown of the Aloha State's opening weekend.
• With games set to kickoff this weekend in Georgia at the Corky Kell Classic, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has released its high school football state polls by class. Not many surprises, as preseason FAB 50 No. 11 Lowndes (Valdosta) is No. 1 in Class AAAAA with FAB 50 No. 33 Camden County (Kingsland) is No. 4 in the same classification. Camden County will face Class AAAAA's No. 2 team, Grayson, Satuday at the Georgia Dome.
• What's the top team in Indiana? The ESPN RISE Midwest preseason regional rankings have Warren Central at 12 and Ben Davis at 17, and an in-depth preview of the area Class 5A (biggest class in the Hoosier State) from the Indianapolis Star lists the same two teams in the top two spots, just with the order flipped as well as a breakdown of the top 5A teams and players.
• With a 67-game unbeaten streak -- the longest active streak in the nation -- and five straight Class 2A championships, Smith Center (Kan.) High School has been one of the most successful high school football programs of the decade. The Redmen even made SportsCenter in 2007 after scoring 72 points in the first quarter of a game against Plainville. The AP's Jim Litke takes a look at the Smith Center football phenomenon with New York Times writer Jim Drape, whose book "Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen," is set for release Tuesday.
• Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) opens at FAB 50 No. 39 in the preseason rankings. The Tigers are also ranked No. 1 in the area rankings according to the Austin American-Statesman. Among the questions raised surrounding the team will be replacing Jackson State-bound QB Nyk McKissic. The story has Aaryn Sharp and Gus Barrera as the two candidates to take over the Tigers' spread attack. Whichever QB emerges, he will certainly be helped by receivers Stephen Williams and Gerard Shillow.
• Staying in Texas, Skyline (Dallas) coach Reginald Samples' roster features many future Division I players and the lofty expectations that accompany such a wealth of talent. The Dallas Morning-News looks at how the Raiders, ranked No. 49 in the preseason FAB 50, are handling the pressure.
• Standout North Carolina OL prospect Robert Crisp, arguably the Tar Heel State's top recruit in the Class of 2010, didn't always plan on playing college football, writes Sammy Batten of The Fayetteville Observer. That is until Crisp starred at the Chapel Hill Nike Camp last spring. "That's when I really started getting serious about football,'' Crisp said. "I actually started liking the sport more because I was better at it.''
The Observer also compiles a list of its "Top 50 reasons to watch high school football". Not sure about No. 1, the waffle-eating contest, as the best reason to watch a high school football game, but still a good way to get ready for football season.
• Of the 99 high schools playing football in Utah, 21 will have new head coaches this fall. That's a huge turnover rate and 14 of those new coaches will be a head coach for the first time. The Deseret News takes a look at some of the new faces at some of the state's powerhouse programs.
