Notre Dame High to play football game in Utah - NJ.com
Martin Griff/The TimesNotre Dame High football head coach Chappy Moore will take his team to Utah for a regular season game against Jordan High.
Its listed matter-of-factly on the Notre Dame High football schedule as an away game at Jordan High at 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 24.
What makes it especially interesting is that Jordan is in Utah and the game is part of the XFINITY High School Football Challenge.
Comcast and Rio Tinto Stadium have announced the inaugural edition of the Challenge, described as a doubleheader of gridiron action featuring Sandy, Utah-based teams playing host to high-caliber, out-of-state competition.
The first edition of the Challenge will take place Sept. 24, with the 3 p.m., EST matinee featuring Jordan squaring off against Notre Dame, followed by a 9 p.m., EST nightcap between Alta and William Howard Taft from Los Angeles.
Comcast is sponsoring the event. Both contests will be televised over Comcast cable systems in Utah, while high school football fans worldwide can listen to both games live on ESPN 700 and ESPN700Sports.com.
The Challenge will feature a full weekend of events, with Notre Dame and Taft scheduled to arrive in Sandy on the preceding Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Following practices for the two out-of-market teams Friday afternoon, all four squads will take part in a banquet at Rio Tinto Stadium.
We were thrilled to be invited, as this game gives our football team tremendous exposure, Notre Dame athletic director Richard Roche said. The trip to Utah will be a great experience for the kids. We will play hard and play well, and are excited to face stiff competition, which is good for the kids, who will receive a great football experience and a great life experience.
The stadium looks incredible online; we are excited about the opportunity to play in a 20,000-seat venue will be an absolute thrill.
Located less than a mile down State Street from Rio Tinto Stadium, Jordan enrolls nearly 2,000 students yearly. The Beetdiggers have won 11 state championships between 1931 and 1994, and they seek to add to that tradition under head coach Eric Kjar, who was appointed during the 2009 offseason. During the 2010 season Kjar led the Beetdiggers to a 9-4 overall record (3-3 in 5A Region 4), their high-octane offense carrying Jordan all the way to the 5A semifinals, where it lost to eventual champion Bingham.
Notre Dame, based in Lawrence, is a Roman Catholic college preparatory school, with grades 9-12 totaling a student body of nearly 1,300 students. The Irish went undefeated (9-0) in regular-season play in 2009 and 8-1 last season before losing in the first round of the NJSIAA Non-Public A playoffs. Legendary head coach Charles Chappy Moore returns for his 30th season and is looking to add to his nearly 250 wins with the Irish during two stints, the first dating from 1976-1992 and the current run beginning in 1999.
Contact Mary Ann Tarr at matarr@njtimes.com.
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