For proof that Red Bull Game Breakers' debut last summer tapped into a market thirsting for 7-on-7 high school football excitement, look no further than the blueprints for Season Two expansion.
Nine more qualifier tournaments have been added, 144 more teams will participate and states hosting qualifiers grows from three to ten.
A total of 240 teams and 4,800 athletes are counting down the days until the start of Red Bull Game Breakers' unique format that goes beyond traditional 7-on-7 rules. To bring out the playmakers on both sides of the ball, points are possible not only via touchdown, first down and PAT, but also for interceptions, defensive stops and Red Bull Red Zone stops.
Kicking Off in New Orleans
Another sign of Red Bull Game Breakers’ growing popularity? All 15 qualifier tournaments reached capacity weeks before the event kicks off with the first qualifier on May 31 in New Orleans.
New Orleans is a logical place to begin. It is the home of inaugural Game Breakers champion St. Augustine High, as well as to Saints running back Reggie Bush, an unabashed Game Breakers supporter.
“I’m looking forward to Red Bull Game Breakers again this year,’’ said Bush, whose sideline presence proved inspirational last summer. “It’s my chance to encourage these young men to stay the course with football and to use the tournament’s innovative format to really stand out for big plays.’’
“Playing football in high school taught me about discipline, respect and teamwork, which I applied on and off the field,’’ Bush said. “It helped me in the classroom and in life.’’
St. Augustine’s Purple Knights galloped past Cypress-Fairbanks (Houston, Texas) 31-14 in last season’s championship game. St. Augustine receiver Lorenzo Doss said getting the chance to meet Reggie Bush was unforgettable.
“He watched the Red Bull documentary with us, like an hour and a half,’’ Doss said. “To have the star of the New Orleans Saints talking to us, it meant a lot.’’
Purple Knights coach David Johnson is convinced his team’s Red Bull Game Breakers success had a lot to do with going to the third round of the state playoffs last fall.
“Getting the chance to go against kids from other states, especially Texas, was great for our guys,’’ Johnson said. “It gave our players a lot of exposure.
“And Red Bull couldn’t have a better representative than Reggie Bush. He really got involved.’’
Who Will Go All the Way?
Winners of 15 qualifier tournaments scattered throughout the U.S. will advance to Dallas for the Red Bull Game Breakers Finals July 15-16 at Southern Methodist University’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
Qualifiers fan out as far north as Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, south to Miami, Florida., west to Colorado and into the high school football hotbeds of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Alabama.
“Our goal is to make it to Dallas. And win it again.’’ -Lorenzo Doss, St. Augustine Purple Knights
When the qualifiers gather in Dallas for the Finals, the subject of the best state for high school football is sure to be part of the conversation. In Texas alone, Game Breaker entries include 2010 5A Division I state champion Pearland and both 4A state title winners, Division I Lake Travis (Austin) and Division II Aledo.
A sampling of other Game Breakers entrants with a history of football excellence: Northwestern (Miami, Florida), Marquette (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), Jenks (Jenks, Oklahoma) and North Allegheny (Wexford, Pennsylvania). Eight of this year’s entries ended the 2010 season ranked in the top 40 nationally by ESPN RISE.
As a heads-up to all entrants, St. Augustine is not satisfied with just one Red Bull Game Breakers title.
Said the Purple Knights’ Doss: “Our goal is to make it to Dallas. And win it again.’’
Stay with us in the coming weeks as we chronicle the outcome of qualifiers and get to know a few of the Game Breakers.
Follow Red Bull on Twitter for more news, updates and exclusive info.
RELATED CONTENT:
- Red Bull Game Breakers Finals
- Video: Hanging with Reggie Bush at Super Bowl XLV
- Get more at the official Red Bull Game Breakers site
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