BRIDGES In
the News
Bridges game may see change
By Jim Masilak
Originally appeared in the October 12, 2004 edition of the
Commercial Appeal
The Bridges Kickoff Classic could be in for a makeover.
For four years, the annual season-opening event at Liberty
Bowl Memorial Stadium has pitted the city's top public-school
football teams against the county's top private-school teams.
Now, in a bid to spice things up, organizers are looking to
include county public schools and, perhaps, out-of-state
schools for the 2005 event.
Bolton, Houston and White Station have been targeted for
inclusion in next season's Kickoff Classic, according to
Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau president Kevin Kane.
In addition, preliminary discussions have been held with
national powerhouse Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian about
participating, and Batesville (Miss.) South Panola and Hoover
(Ala.) are also being mentioned.
"We've had about the same teams in there every year, and we
just want to make sure it stays fresh," said Kane, who added
that Christian Brothers, Memphis University School and Melrose
are all but certain to take part again next season, and White
Station is set to join the mix. No official invitations have
been extended.
"We don't want to send the message that it's going to be the
same six teams indefinitely," Kane said. "We've got a bunch of
options. Our first option would be to keep it a Memphis and
Shelby County thing, but our second would be to blow it out
and make it a national thing."
With the Liberty Bowl set to be fitted with field turf next
season, wear and tear will not be as much of a concern, and
Kane said moving the event back a week is a possibility if it
doesn't conflict with the University of Memphis.
But convincing the county's public schools to take part could
prove far more difficult.
Germantown responded to the committee's overtures with an
unequivocal letter of rejection, Kane said.
Bolton and Houston, meanwhile, are waiting for the results of
next month's Class 5A region realignment for the 2005-09
classification period before responding.
Byrne learns: OT for ties
Bishop Byrne is learning the hard way that there are no ties
in Tennessee prep football.
On Friday, the Division 2-A Red Knights traveled to Div. 2-AA
Franklin Battle Ground Academy and played the hosts to a 14-14
stalemate at the end of regulation.
At that point, according to the game report filed by
officials, Bishop Byrne coach Jack Grannan informed officials
that his team would not play the compulsory overtime because
it erroneously thought it did not have to do so in a
non-region game.
Except that, well, there are no ties, and the Red Knights'
draw will now go down as a defeat.
Section II, Rule N of the TSSAA football handbook reads that
"all regulation games that end in a tie in Tennessee shall be
broken."
As a result, TSSAA executive director Ronnie Carter said BGA
would be awarded a 1-0 forfeit victory. In addition, Bishop
Byrne will be fined $500 for "removal of its team before the
game was completed." Further penalties are also possible.
"Never can I remember one like this happening," Carter said.
But Grannan, while noting he should have known the rule, said
the game officials did not seem to know it either.
"My question to the officials was, 'Since this is a non-region
game, do we have to finish it?'" Grannan said. "The official
said, 'That's your call.'
"If somebody had told me we had to finish the game, we'd have
finished the game. Nobody up there gave any indication we were
supposed to do anything different. I was thinking about
getting the kids home."
Bishop Byrne, which won state titles in 2002-03, is now 2-5.
Briefly
Football: Melrose, ranked No. 1 in The Dandy Dozen, remained
unbeaten after Saturday's 13-10 win at Florissant (Mo.)
Hazelwood Central. Courtney Madison threw touchdown passes to
D'Angelo Nelson and Graig Cooper as the Golden Wildcats
improved to 8-0.
Contact reporter Jim Masilak at 529-2311.
Copyright 2004,
commercialappeal.com -
Memphis, TN. All Rights Reserved.
|
