By Todd Wills
Southlake Carroll and Galena Park North Shore, two of the state’s premier Class 5A high school football programs, have agreed to play their non-district game at Tiger Stadium on Sat., Sept. 26, stadium manager Bobby August said Tuesday.
The Carroll-North Shore game will cap a three-day football extravaganza at Tiger Stadium.
Navarro and Tyler Junior College will play on Thurs., Sept. 24, giving the Bulldogs the chance to play a home game on a weekday night. College officials agreed to switch the game from Saturday to accommodate Carroll and North Shore.
The Tigers will play their regularly scheduled home game on Friday night, their District 16-4A opener against Waco University.
Carroll and North Shore are tentatively set to play at 6 p.m. on Saturday night. The schools were scheduled to play a home-and-home series starting in 2008, but last year’s game at Carroll was postponed because of Hurricane Ike.
So the teams agreed to play a neutral site game this fall, and August jumped right in and snatched up the showcase game.
“What I hope the community realized, when they gave me this assignment, we did it to promote the community, to promote the district, to promote the stadium,” August said. “We’re drawing in the dollars.”
Three-year-old Tiger Stadium has hosted 18 high school football playoff games in the last years, including 11 in 2008. In comparison, Waco ISD Stadium, the bell cow of Central Texas playoff sites, hosted 12 playoff games last year.
But Carroll-North Shore might be something entirely different.
For one, North Shore could still own the longest regular-season winning streak in Texas high school football history — it’s currently at 78 games. The Mustangs do have an early season game at defending 5A Division II state champion Katy on Sat, Aug. 29.
Also, Carroll is coached by a well-known figure in Navarro County, Hal Wasson, the Kerens native who was the head coach at Kerens and Mexia, as well as an assistant coach at Corsicana during the 1982-86 stretch when the Tigers were 55-7-4 with a 4A state finals appearance in ‘82.
Wasson is obviously looking forward to the homecoming.
“Corsicana is a special place to me and my family,” Wasson said. “It’s a tradition-rich football town. They love their football. We’re very fortunate. It’s a beautiful venue to play in.”
North Shore coach David Aymond said he hasn’t seen Tiger Stadium in person, but he has seen photos his athletic director took a few weeks ago.
“We’re excited that there are people wanting us there,” Aymond said. “We are playing a great football team at a great venue, and it doesn’t get any better than that.”
Navarro’s Thursday night game will also be of interest because some have long had the opinion that the Bulldogs would draw better attendance-wise on a weekday night because students are more likely to be on campus.
“The college is excited because they think they can get a big crowd because their students will be in town,” August said. “This is going to be a great litmus test.”
And don’t forget the Tigers and new coach Phil Castles, who will open the most important part of their season, the 16-4A race, at home that Friday night against Waco University.
“It’s going to be a great weekend for football,” Castles said.
August said he wants to work with Fox Sports Southwest to televise the Carroll-North Shore game.
He also said this is just the beginning for Tiger Stadium.
He has another goal of bringing the national junior college championship game to Corsicana.
“I do this with pride like all the years I coached,” August said. “I want teams battling to play in Corsicana. That’s the mind set we want in the state of Texas.”
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Tiger Stadium
Football Extravaganza
Thurs., Sept. 24
Navarro vs. Tyler JC
When: 7 p.m. (tentative)
Fast fact: Bulldogs play rare weekday night game.
Fri., Sept. 25
Tigers vs. Waco University
When: 7:30 p.m.
Fast Fact: Tigers’ first district game under new coach Phil Castles.
Sat, Sept. 26
Southlake Carroll vs. Galena Park North Shore
When: 6 p.m. (tentative)
Fast fact: Both schools have won at least 10 games last eight seasons.
