This fall when Lone Star Conference football teams return to Cowboys Stadium for the second annual Lone Star Football Festival, they will be accompanied by two of the most storied high school programs in the state as defending 5A state champion Southlake Carroll will square off against Temple as part of the festival lineup, league officials announced Friday.
Adding a high school game to the event is partly the result of an opportunity created when it was decided to expand the festival to two days, but it’s also due in part to a strategic effort by the LSC to engage the Southlake community.
“NCAA Division II members are committed to engaging the communities with which we have relationships, and our ability to include Southlake Carroll in this event is a great example of that movement,” LSC Commissioner Stan Wagnon said. “As we build relationships with the communities that are important to Lone Star Conference athletic programs, we want to bring these communities to our campuses – or in this case Cowboys Stadium – to experience our events and gain a better understanding of who we are.”
Wagnon said the LSC’s relationship with the Southlake community starts this April when nearby Trophy Club Country Club serves as host to the LSC Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships, and the Southlake Tennis Center will be site of the LSC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships just a few days later. Additionally, he said the LSC will work with Southlake Carroll officials to conduct a community event in the weeks leading up to the Football Festival.
“The Southlake community has a lot to offer, as our constituents will find when they arrive for the golf and tennis events, and we’re tremendously excited about the chance to partner with them at the Football Festival as well. It’s great that we can raise awareness for the LSC and its member schools at the same time,” Wagnon added.
When it comes to Texas high school football, both Southlake and Temple have a lot to offer. The Dragons and Wildcats, regarded as two of the most successful 5A programs in Texas, are sure to bring the aura of ‘Friday Night Lights’ to the event when they kick-off in the nightcap of a Friday, September 14, tripleheader.
In 2011, Carroll completed a perfect 16-0 season to claim its record-tying eighth state championship and first title since 2006. The Dragons topped Fort Bend Hightower, 36-29, to cap their 29th playoff appearance with a fifth 5A crown in 10 years.
“Carroll ISD is very excited to partner with the tradition rich Lone Star Conference in the 2012 Lone Star Football Festival. Playing in the world’s best football venue, against one of the legendary high school football programs in Texas, combined with the atmosphere of a great college game-day atmosphere will make for a fantastic weekend. I know that the festival will be a great event for fans, players, and our community,” Carroll ISD Director of Athletics Kevin Ozee said.
Temple, who will play in Cowboys Stadium for the first time, has the third most playoff appearances (39) in Texas history to go with two state championships (1992, 1979). The Wildcats have a bright future with new coach Mike Spradlin, going 6-5 last year in his first season at the helm and reaching the playoffs before a bi-district loss to Longview.
“We are extremely excited to be playing in the Lone Star Football Festival at Cowboys Stadium. Temple signed three players to Lone Star Conference schools this year, and having the opportunity to be a part of a weekend involving the best Division II football league in the country is exciting,” Temple High School Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Mike Spradlin said. “Playing Southlake Carroll in this venue is an honor, and we are excited to represent Temple High School football at the festival!”
The Lone Star Football Festival is a two-day, six-game event that includes all nine LSC teams with tripleheaders on Friday, September 14, and Saturday, the 15th, with four conference contests, a non-conference matchup and the high school game. Game times are set for Noon, 4 and 8 p.m. each day.
Prior to the Carroll-Temple nightcap, Friday’s lineup opens with Lone Star Conference games between Incarnate Word and Eastern New Mexico at Noon and Texas A&M-Commerce against Midwestern State at 4 p.m. On Saturday, the action starts with a non-conference affair as Angelo State challenges two-time NCAA Division II national champion Valdosta State from the Gulf South Conference, followed by a pair of LSC clashes with Tarleton State against Abilene Christian at 4 p.m. and Texas A&M-Kingsville versus West Texas A&M at 8 p.m.
Admission to the event will be offered in daily tickets along with an option for two-day festival passes, with tickets to go on sale later this spring.
The 2011 festival drew an LSC attendance record 24,837 fans to a tripleheader of games, which included Midwestern defeating A&M-Commerce, 63-17, North Alabama edging ACU, 23-17, and West Texas A&M using a quick start to top A&M-Kingsville, 42-21.
The LSC, founded in 1931, has a proud history as one of the nation’s greatest small college football leagues. The conference made its mark in the NAIA, especially from 1969 to 1979 when four LSC schools combined to win 10 national titles in that 11-season span. The LSC became affiliated with the NCAA in 1982 and now is annually well-represented in the Division II playoffs, with more than a dozen former players currently on NFL rosters.