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XFINITY High School Football Challenge Participants Ready for Rio Tinto Stadium Event

September 9, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, Utah (Monday, Sept. 9, 2013) - All four participating teams in the 2013 XFINITY High School Football Challenge took the field last weekend for the final time before Saturday's doubleheader event at Rio Tinto Stadium.

A gridiron doubleheader featuring Sandy-based teams playing host to high-caliber, nationally-ranked, out-of-state competition, the 2013 XFINITY High School Football Challenge will feature defending Utah 5A Champion Jordan High School and acclaimed QB Austin Kafentzis squaring off against perennial national power Bergen Catholic High School (Oradell, N.J.) at 7:00 p.m. MT. Another New Jersey heavyweight, Allentown High School (Allentown, N.J.), will visit the Wasatch Front to face Utah's Alta High School, 5A quarterfinalists a year ago, in the event opener, which kicks off at 2:00 p.m. MT.

The XFINITY Football Challenge participants struggled in their final games prior to Saturday's event at Rio Tinto Stadium, with only one program registering a victory this weekend. Allentown was the lone school to win this weekend, beating local rival Steinert High School 28-7 on Saturday to move to 1-0 in NJSIAA Central Group 3 play. Senior RB Daivone Thomas starred for the Redbirds, with the 6-foot-1, 255 pound back rushing for two touchdowns. The Allentown defense did the rest, holding Steinert scoreless until 1:19 left in the fourth quarter.

Things didn't go as well for the three other XFINITY High School Football Challenge participants, with Bergen Catholic and Sandy-based programs Alta High School and Jordan High School all losing on Friday night.

Bergen Catholic lost a tough one 24-13 on Friday at Louisiana power John Curtis Christian High School, which is ranked No. 2 in the country by USA Today. Curtis took a 7-0 lead on the opening drive, but the Crusaders fought back, knotting the game 7-7 on its ensuing possession. Unfortunately for Bergen Catholic, Curtis scored 17 unanswered to take a 24-7 lead into halftime. Highly touted junior RB Corey Russo scored his second touchdown of the game to pull Bergen Catholic to 24-13 with 1:59 left in the third. That was as close as the Crusaders would get, despite having two drives advance into the red zone late in the fourth quarter.

Jordan lost a wild one to East High School on Friday night, falling 59-36 to the Salt Lake City school at Beetdigger Stadium to drop to 1-2 on the season. Both offenses exploded in the first half on Friday night, combining for 82 points and 1,059 yards from scrimmage in the opening 30 minutes. 2011 MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year and 2012 MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year Jordan QB Austin Kafentzis finished the game with 207 yards rushing and 132 yards passing.

Alta also dropped its game on Friday, falling 41-28 to Provo's Timpview High School. The Hawks stormed out to an early 14-3 lead before falling behind to drop to 1-2. Alta QB Chipper Lucero hit WR Mack Richards for all four of Alta's touchdowns in the game.

Tickets to Saturday's XFINITY High School Football Challenge can be purchased at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office, online at www.RioTintoStadium.com or over the phone at 801-727-2700. Tickets to each individual game cost $6 for students and $11 for adults.

Aside from being an entertaining event for spectators, the XFINITY High School Football Challenge offers students from the four schools the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of scouts from across the collegiate football landscape. Rio Tinto Stadium's convenient location in the Salt Lake valley will allow easy access for scouts from some of the NCAA's elite conferences to attend the event, including the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision's PAC-12, Mountain West Conference (MWC) and Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

Already serving as Utah's home for all things soccer, Rio Tinto Stadium has earned the reputation as one of the country's finest multi-purpose facilities, with the building having hosted multiple football and rugby contests, snocross and monster truck races and several high-profile concerts since opening its doors to the public in October 2008. The building is no stranger to fans of football, having served as the home of the National Junior College Athletic Association's annual Zions Bank Top of Mountains Bowl Classic since 2008. In addition, Rio Tinto Stadium hosted its first-ever high school football game in August 2010, featuring the local rivalry match-up between Hillcrest and Murray High Schools.

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