high school football previews

For papers in the south, it's preview time. Spring sports end first week of May and football starts late July with jamborees.

 

Are there many teams breaking in new quarterbacks? Two-way players are becoming more rare, so maybe something there too, or highlight a team perhaps that has a chance at state. I agree something on the top linemen could work too.

 

and you were looking for ideas.

 

OK, I'll bite

what are jamborees?

 

And the person who's paper is not going to win an APSE special section award ... [/sarcasm] Seriously, i don't think there's anything wrong in attempting something creative. Should you force something if nothing is there? Perhaps not, but why not do something that might draw readers' eyes?

 

Jamborees are little exhibition type games...usually, they're just a half. You get six or eight teams together and they play three or four little half-games the week before high school season kicks off. Generally, it's all local teams, like Podunk High plays North Podunk High in one game, Hicksville plays Hicks County in the second and St. Whitey plays Hoodville in the third.

 

Well, I am in Canada, so I guess I don't have to pander to what the APSE judges think. That said, I think you can catch someone's eyes just as quickly with a killer game shot or at the very least a staged football shot, rather than dressing up your line as cowboys, construction workers, the Village People... or at least, catch their eyes and hold their attention for the right reasons, no gimmicks — but then, maybe I've always taken the game too seriously.

 

... followed by lots of BBQ and sweet tea...

 

You don't have to do any hardcore planning, but it's good to actually just start brainstorming a few ideas.

 

I'm in Fla. We have been brainstorming the past couple weeks and will hold a planning session in late June. Never too early to start getting shit done.

 

that was one awesome section you put together, 2under, i must admit. you was robbed at apse

 

We kind of went through this in another thread about a year ago. Here's my take. The people who want to read about high school football are going to read about it whether you do 60 inches on the role of the offensive lineman, or if you put a blurry team photo from 50 yards away alongside a roster with three No. 50's on it and outdated by season's start. Those aren't the people you are going after with "gimmics." If you want to get into the good graces of management by selling this monster, throw the average reader, or better yet, someone who doesn't really give a hoot about football, a bnone and give them something to entertain themselves. The football junkie can get all the stats, depth charts, schedules, skinnies he wants and their wives can be entertained at the same time with the goofy photo of the star lineman in superhero garb. It's the best of both worlds and, if you do it right, you don't lose quality but gain. IN the eight years I have been at a declining circ afternoon paper, our football preview, which I have been a part of almost every year, has single-handedly kept the sports section in the APSE top 10 yearly.