St. Pius X to make football history with televised game on Friday night.
Unprecedented live coverage on a Friday could portend additional changes in Texas
Erik DeHaven describes St. Pius X home football games as having a small-town feel in the middle of a metropolis.
The private school sits between West Tidwell and North Shepherd. Games are on campus, of course. The stadium is intimate. The stands sit just 10 feet from the field. The press box isn’t mistaken for the one at NRG Stadium, much less the one at Legacy Stadium.
This Friday is Middle School Night. It’s a good chance to show off the new digital scoreboard.
“Parking, I’m sure, is going to be hectic,” said DeHaven, the St. Pius X coach.
They have to find somewhere to put the ESPN cameras, too. St. Pius X hosts Dallas Bishop Dunne on ESPNU as part of the network’s high school showcase in 2018. It’s the first nationally televised high school football game in Texas on a Friday.
It could be another sign the relationship between TV and Texas high school football is changing.
ESPN has often found its way to this state and local broadcasts have carved out a niche as well. It’s not even the first time St. Pius X is hosting a nationally televised game.
ESPN was on hand for Ricky Seals-Jones and Sealy’s visit to Kohl Stewart-led St. Pius X in 2012.
That was on a Thursday. So was Katy-Alief Taylor in 2013. The Bishop Gorman (Nev.) visit to Cedar Hill in 2016 was on a Saturday.
Never on Friday.
The University Interscholastic League — governing the state’s public school athletics — does not allow live broadcasts of Friday night games.
It’s been seen as a move that somewhat protects the most notable night of the week in the sport.
Either way, it’s opened the door for two outfits from the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools to own a small bit of history. There are no TV restrictions in TAPPS.
Dan Margulis, senior director of programming and acquisitions at ESPN, respects the UIL stance and notes Texas is not the only state with rules concerning high school football and TV. There are rules to adhere to in Ohio and California, for example.
The network is comfortable with maneuvering and finding top-notch Thursday or Saturday games in Texas or in the St. Pius X-Bishop Dunne case, finding a rare opportunity to get into the state on a Friday. And if the restriction is ever lifted, that only means more opportunities.
“We would love everybody to do everything that would be easiest for us,” Margulis said. “That would be a great world but we’re very respectful of what exists in place. If it’s able to create more opportunities, that’s fantastic. If there’s still resistance to do that, then we’ll just adjust to continue doing it the way we have done before.”
The UIL is indeed taking small steps away from the restriction. Fox Sports Southwest’s Texas Football Days is in its second year.
In 2017, the UIL legislative council allowed a waiver of the rule so the network could broadcast Week 1 Friday games from around the state.
This summer at the Texas High School Coaches Association convention, UIL deputy director Jamey Harrison said there is not a ton of support for moving away from the Friday night rule yet but adding another week — perhaps the final week of the regular season — on live TV is up for discussion.
Add in the fact that instant replay will make its debut at the UIL state championships this year and there are more signs the sport will continue to be modernized.
Steve Prud’homme, associate director of TAPPS, says no kind of TV restriction for Fridays has been up for discussion for the private school governing body.
TAPPS’ relationship with live broadcasts runs deep as well. It just brought BlueFrame Technology to TAPPS TV, which is the organization’s digital video network featuring live and on-demand coverage of TAPPS championships with content from TAPPS member schools. It can be streamed through Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Roku.
Prud’homme is excited for St. Pius X and Bishop Dunne and the stage the two teams get to share on Friday.
Highly regarded recruits is usually a big part of these games and the two teams are not short on them. Bishop Dunne has safety Brian Williams. St. Pius X features quarterback Grant Gunnell and his targets Boobie Curry and Chase Lane.
“I think the more exposure we get to play on television and play UIL teams, it just grows our brand,” Bishop Dunne coach Michael Johnson said. “It grows the respect for private school football across the state.”