Friday, August 5, 2005 <!-- ARTICLE HEADLINE -->
Colerain-Lee to be live on TV
But ESPNU access so far limited locally
By Tom Groeschen
Enquirer staff writer
First it's on, then it's not, now it is.
Colerain and Tyler (Texas) Robert E. Lee still will have their Sept. 9 high school football showdown televised live by ESPNU, despite a Texas University Interscholastic League ruling that threatened the national telecast.
The Texas University Interscholastic League, which is similar to the Ohio High School Athletic Association, on Wednesday had rejected promoters' requests to televise the game live nationally. The Texas UIL constitution forbids live TV broadcasts of regular-season games, but ESPN on Thursday agreed to air the game live in all 49 states except Texas.
The OHSAA Board of Control voted in June to allow a one-game exemption for Colerain to be on ESPNU, but the Texas UIL decision apparently had forced the telecast to become strictly tape-delay.
"We worked with ESPN all night and into (Thursday), and they have promised the technology will be available to black out the game in Texas," said game promoter Ken Halloy, vice president of Fahlgren Sports Marketing in Central Ohio. "We had heard they might not have the capability to black out just one state, but they tell us they will."
ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz, who had been answering media questions about the event, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Colerain coach Kerry Coombs was relieved to hear the game was still on live TV, after being told early Thursday that it would not be.
"We just want to play the state champion of another state on TV," he said.
Colerain is the reigning Ohio Division I champion, while Tyler Lee is the defending Texas Class 5A Division I champion.
Colerain is No. 5 and Tyler Lee is No. 21 in the Student Sports magazine national preseason ratings.
The game, scheduled for 9 p.m. Sept. 9 at Columbus Crew Stadium, is the showcase of the inaugural Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge. Westerville North and Westerville South, two Columbus-area teams, will play Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. at Crew Stadium.
Herbstreit, an ESPN college football analyst and former Ohio State quarterback, helped arrange the prep games as a prelude to the Ohio State-Texas college game Sept. 10 in Columbus.
ESPNU, the newest ESPN network, launched in March. It is not yet available in Time Warner Cable's Cincinnati viewing area. Game promoters hope corporate negotiations can bring ESPNU to Cincinnati by Sept. 9, but for now, DIRECTV (channel 609) is the main option for most Cincinnati viewers to see the game.
State high school associations have various bylaws prohibiting regular-season Friday night football telecasts because many athletic programs are heavily reliant on football gate revenue.
