The following is an excerpt from the Georgia High School Football Daily, an e-mail newsletter compiled by longtime Atlanta high school football writers Todd Holcomb and Chip Saye:
Valdosta and Massillon of Ohio — the two most-winning high school football programs of all-time — could be headed for a showdown in 2010 and 2011. Valdosta’s Rick Tomberlin told GHSF Daily on Wednesday that he’s been talking with organizers of the Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series about a Valdosta-Massillon game since he became Valdosta’s head coach in 2006.
But now, Tomberlin considers the game a likelihood.
The games would be played in 2010 and 2011 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus (home of Ohio State), Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati (home of the Cincinnati Bengals) or Fawcett Stadium in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“We’re the No. 1 team in the country in terms of wins; they’re No. 2. It would be on a national stage and a chance to fly. Some of our kids have never flown. That would be a great experience for our players, our band, our cheerleaders and our fans,” Tomberlin said. “Plus, not to put the monkey on my back, but we’ve got some good players coming through. How good? That might be fourth in our region, but we’re going to be better than we’ve been. I just think we’ll be ready to play whoever [in 2010 and 2011]. The timing might be right for something like that. It would be a natural for Valdosta.”
The Herbstreit Series, founded by the father of ESPN College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit, began in 2005 with two games. By 2008, the event had turned into 17 games played in Ohio and Texas.
Tomberlin said the growth of the series has made the game more lucrative and practical for the schools. He said Valdosta would have lost money had it played Massillon in the early years.
”What they’d offered back then would not have been a financial gain for us, and we had some issues trying to figure out the number of coaches and players who could come; we couldn’t bring our entire team,” Tomberlin said. “The band and the cheerleaders would’ve had to fund-raise. It would’ve been more profitable to buy somebody else to play us at Hyder-Bazemore [Valdosta's stadium].
“Now, they’re talking about a special venue, a nationally televised game, and they want us to stay in 5-star hotel, and they would pay us the maximum money,” Tomberlin said. “They’re just letting us know they really want us.”
The only Georgia team that has participated is Buford. The Wolves defeated Mansfield of Texas 42-21 in Texas Stadium in 2008 and beat Grove City of Ohio 34-7 in Canton in 2007.
The event was interested in Valdosta and Massillon from the start. Valdosta’s 843 wins are the most by any high school in the country. Massillon is second with 786 wins. For decades, every baby boy born in Massillon is given miniature Massillon Tiger football before he leaves the hospital.
Valdosta and Massillon have never played each other.
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