Shoe Bowl festivities to kick off
'Dress rehearsal' scrimmages showcase 7 area squads
8/19/2011Blocking and tackling teammates during two-a-day workouts can get old pretty quickly.
Hitting someone wearing a different helmet and uniform can't arrive fast enough for many.
The first Friday night of the Ohio high school football regular season is now just a week away.
However, seven northwest Ohio teams will have a chance to simulate the Friday night lights experience when they participate in the Shoe Bowl Football Classic taking place this evening at Ottawa Hills.
Ottawa Hills, Wauseon, and Rossford will mix it up in a round-robin scrimmage beginning at 4:10 on the Green Bears football field, followed by Waite meeting Fremont Ross in a scrimmage at 7.
Former City League rivals Rogers and St. John's Jesuit will cap the football festivities with a scrimmage set to start at 8:30. St. John's is no longer a member of the City League and is a member of the newly formed 10-member Three Rivers Athletic Conference (TRAC).
"It's a dress rehearsal for our first game next week," said St. John's coach Doug Pearson. "Our kids and coaching staff have great respect for Rogers. We played them last year and it was a hard-hitting affair."
The Shoe Bowl is no longer just an unofficial kickoff event for high school football in the Toledo area.
This is the first year in which a high school volleyball event has been scheduled to take place as part of Shoe Bowl activities. Seven area schools are participating in the volleyball competition.
Rossford, Southview, and Ottawa Hills are scheduled to play at Ottawa Hills at 3:30. Central Catholic, Perrysburg, Bowling Green, and St. Ursula are scheduled to play at St. Ursula starting at 4.
Admission is free for all events.
Shoe Bowl program sales and donations will benefit The Old Newsboys Goodfellow Association, which is a non-profit organization that has provided coats, shoes and other clothing to children in the Toledo area since 1929.
Contact Donald Emmons at: demmons@theblade.com or 419-724-6302.