Column: It’s No. 1 St. John Bosco vs. No. 2 in made-for-ESPN Vegas showdown
Television has been embracing the idea of giving national exposure to high school athletes ever since ESPN2 introduced a teenager named LeBron James with a national telecast of a high school basketball game in 2002.
The latest prime-time prep event is set for Friday at 6 p.m. from Las Vegas, where unbeaten Bishop Gorman (5-0), ranked No. 2 by USA Today, is hosting No. 1 Bellflower St. John Bosco (3-0) in a football game specifically arranged for ESPN.
Illinois-based Paragon Marketing Group, which is collaborating on 24 high school football games to be shown on ESPN networks this season, put the two schools together months ago and is paying transportation and lodging costs along with a four-figure rights fee for St. John Bosco’s participation in what figures to be one of the best high school football matchups of the season.
Rashid Ghazi, a partner at Paragon, helped put together the basketball game featuring James and his St. Vincent-St. Mary High School team of Akron, Ohio, in 2002 that attracted 2.2 million viewers and a 1.6 rating, one of ESPN2’s biggest basketball audiences to that date.
Since then, interest has only risen for any kind of information about top teenage athletes who could be future college and pro prospects.
“College recruiting has gone from a local story to a national story,” Ghazi said. “It’s letting people see future college players.”
ESPN’s strategy is to highlight high schools with top college prospects so that fans of the college teams that are recruiting those prospects will tune in.
St. John Bosco is the ideal candidate for a national broadcast because its quarterback, Josh Rosen, has signed scholarship papers with UCLA, and his presence will help attract viewers curious to see what kind of skills he’ll be able to offer next season at the next level.
It doesn’t hurt that among Bishop Gorman’s players are the son of rapper Snoop Dogg (receiver Cordell Broadus) and the grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali (running back Biaggio Ali Walsh). Also, standout tight end Alize Jones is a UCLA commit.
Bishop Gorman expects a packed stadium of 5,000, and, being in Las Vegas, the Gaels know how to put on a good show.
“I’m sure it will be crazy,” Bishop Gorman Coach Tony Sanchez said. “We’ve played so many of these games. It’s a pretty awesome environment. It’s as good as it gets for high school.”
St. John Bosco is used to traveling. It went on a trip to Utah in 2012 and went to Hawaii last month. The Hawaii trip saw Coach Jason Negro and football operations director Jessie Christensen serve as travel agents, having to arrange airfare and organize the trip.
“I’m going to get my master’s in travel,” Negro said. “It’s certainly a lot of work to put 105 people together for a six-day trip to Hawaii.”
This time, Paragon is taking care of everything and the team will be riding on a charter bus to Las Vegas and staying at the Palace Station Hotel for two nights.
“We’re trying to give our kids an opportunity to play against different people,” Negro said. “It generates a lot of energy and excitement around campus.”
St. John Bosco is already planning a trip next year to New Jersey.
Ghazi said televising high school football nationally opens a window on the unique rivalries and traditions of individual schools and communities.
“In order to attract viewers we need compelling stories and great players who will play at the next level and great teams,” he said.
Everything appears to have come together for the matchup of Bishop Gorman and St. John Bosco.
Except, do they have a TV blimp in Las Vegas?
Twitter: @LATSondheimer
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
