MLS Real Salt Lake

XFINITY High School Football Challenge Participants to Take Field this Weekend

Published on September 6, 2013 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, Utah (Friday, Sept. 6, 2013) - All four participating teams in the 2013 XFINITY High School Football Challenge will take the field this weekend for one final tune-up before heading to the Wasatch Front for the XFINITY Football Challenge next Saturday, Sept. 14 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.

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 senior 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.

One week after losing 38-6 at Southern California power Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), Jordan will return to in-state action on Friday, taking on East High School (Salt Lake City) at 7:00 p.m. MT at home. Friday's matchup is a rematch of last year's controversial Jordan-East game, which ended in the third quarter with East leading 28-27 due to an electrical fire at East's stadium. That game was not recorded in the record books and did not count towards either team's final record. The Beetdiggers are 1-1 this year, beating Fremont High School (Plain City, Utah) 40-12 in Week 1 before falling to Cathedral Catholic last Friday.

Bergen Catholic High School will open its season Friday night at 5:00 p.m. MT at 2012 Louisiana State Champions John Curtis Christian High School (River Ridge, La.) as part of the Under Armour Brothers in Arms Classic. The game will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1. New Jersey Non-Public Group 4 runners-up three years in a row, the Crusaders will take on Jordan at 7:00 p.m. next Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium in the nightcap of this year's XFINITY High School Football Challenge.

Alta will look to improve to 2-1 this season on Friday night, when it will take on Timpview High School (Provo, Utah) at 7:00 p.m. MT at Alta. The Hawks beat Timpview 33-31 in the 2012 season opener. Alta lost its 2013 opener, falling 24-42 at East on Aug. 23. The Hawks bounced back in Week 2, defeating Lone Peak High School 35-17 at home last Friday.

Like Bergen Catholic, Allentown will also open its season this weekend, taking on local rival Steinert High School (Hamilton, N.J.) at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday at Steinert. The Redbirds defeated Steinert in last year's season opener, pulling away from their NJSIAA Central Group 3 foe to win 24-0. Allentown made it to the NJSIAA Central Group 3 Semifinals before falling last year.

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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