The outcome would settle any theories of which state produces the best high school talent.
IMG Academies and the National High School Coaches Association have a created the platform for this to happen. Monday, the two organizations announced a deal to bring tournament-style, national championships for 7-on-7 football, 7-on-7 lacrosse, boys and girls tennis and boys and girls golf to the Tampa Bay area in June at the Bradenton-based IMG campus. Sports such as basketball, baseball, cross country and softball will be added at a later date.
"This is all part of our strategy to have 20 national championships for 20 high school sports," said Bob Ferraro, executive director of the NHSCA.
NHSCA currently holds championships for football, weightlifting and wrestling. The coaches of the top golf, lacrosse and tennis teams in each state will select players, from any high school grade level, to represent their state in the national tournament. The 7-on-7 football teams will earn a spot through national qualifiers to advance to a 32-team bracket. Players from the top eight teams in each sport will be declared All-Americans.
Plant High won the inaugural Nike 7-on-7 national championship in 2008, and Coach Robert Weiner said those tournaments are great team builders but also prepared his team for greater things.
"I think when you play in tournaments like that it teaches the kids what it takes to win a championship," he said.
Ferraro said he'd like to involve all 50 states and individual NHSCA state directors have already begun the process of selecting coaches and athletes. The competitions will be aired on television and broadcast on the Web.
"It's the whole mind-set of seeing how good I am," Ferraro said.
Ferraro said funding for the event and the individual all-star teams are a work in progress, but doesn't see it as a foreseeable problem. He said athletes could pay a small fee to participate.
"So they know what they're getting into, we'll provide an outline of what they have to do," he said.
With thousands of athletes set to converge on the Bradenton area, some are hoping it will help stimulate the local economy.
"This will be a tremendous boost," Manatee County District 3 Commissioner John Chappie said |
