Out-of-state powers won’t play area teams

A North Shore-De La Salle and Shadow Creek-St. Joseph’s Prep doubleheader to open the 2020 football season has been canceled because of complications from the coronavirus pandemic.

The high-profile games welcoming a California power in De La Salle and Pennsylvania state champion in St. Joseph’s were to take place Aug. 29 at Galena Park ISD Stadium.

There are plans in place for North Shore and Shadow Creek to meet in Week 1 instead. The schools are already meeting in Week 1 at Alvin ISD’s Freedom Field in 2021.

Shadow Creek coach Brad Butler said he and North Shore coach Jon Kay knew there was a strong possibility of the doubleheader not happening.

Kay told the Houston Chronicle in early June that talks surrounding the doubleheader were still taking place and a decision would be reached in mid-June.

Kay said the selling point for North Shore’s involvement in the doubleheader hinged on Shadow Creek’s joining it so the two programs could schedule each other at the junior varsity and lower levels.

“I think that sometimes gets lost,” Kay said. “That Friday night game is just one of six games for us. We need to make sure our under-levels are playing. So with Shadow Creek in it, we had already decided our under-levels would play that week, and that would allow us to play the out-of-state team at the varsity level.”

“That will be a hell of a game, too.” North Shore coach Jon Kay, on playing Shadow Creek after a doubleheader fell through

North Shore-Shadow Creek is an intriguing consolation prize for high school football fans, if it can be considered so.

North Shore is the twotime defending Class 6A Division I state champion. Shadow Creek — now in 6A — is coming off two consecutive trips to the Class 5A Division I title game, winning last year’s meeting against Denton Guyer.

“That will be a hell of a game, too,” Kay said of a matchup against Shadow Creek.