High School Football America

High School Football America radio show - May 1st

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Thu, 01 May 2014 23:09:00 +0000

On this edition of High School Football America, host Jeff Fisher talks with new Claude High School football coach Duane Toliver. Claude HS is a small high school in the Texas Panhandle with about 1,100 residents.

Also on the show is Chris Salvi, a Chicago high school football coach who is currently playing professional football in Italy for the Torino Giaguari. Salvi, who walked-on at Notre Dame after not being recruited out of high school, is the defensive coordinator for St. Ignatius High School in Chicago.

2-Minute Drill Podcast - April 11, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 18:00:00 +0000

High School Football America radio show - April 10, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 23:36:00 +0000

On this edition of High School Football America, host Jeff Fisher talks with Bailey Kenter, a punter a Layton Christian Academy in Utah. Kenter hails from Australia and has come to America to pursue his dream of playing Division 1 college football. During his junior year, Kenter was one of the top punters in the nation, averaging over 46 yards a punt.

Also on the show is Joey Teichert, one of the founders of Southern Sport that produces the Debris Inhibitor Razur. The TDI Razur keeps crumb rubber from Field Turf out of players' shoes. It also gives you the great look of spatting without the high cost of tape.

2-Minute Drill Podcast - April 9, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 21:56:00 +0000

2-Minute Drill Podcast - April 8, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 21:52:00 +0000

2-Minute Drill Podcast - April 6, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 21:39:00 +0000

2-Minute Drill Podcast - April 5, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 21:36:00 +0000

2-Minute Drill Podcast - April 4, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 21:33:00 +0000

High School Football America - April 3, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 23:04:00 +0000

On this edition of High School Football America, host Jeff Fisher talks with new Broken Arrow (Oklahoma) High School head coach David Alexander, who is a former NFL lineman returning to be the head coach at his alma mater.

Also on the show is Alex Kirby, author of upcoming book Speed Kills: Breaking Down the Chip Kelly Offense. Learn more at lifeafterfootballblog.com

2-Minute Drill Podcast - April 3, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 19:21:00 +0000

On this edition of the High School Football America 2-Minute Drill podcast, Jeff Fisher talks about a Hawaii high school football coach who has stepped-down after two years on the job and a state championship ring. Fisher also tells you about six North Carolina schools getting used gear for their practices from the NFL's Carolina Panthers.

Click here to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes.

2-Minute Drill Podcast - April 2, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 19:42:00 +0000

2-Minute Drill podcast - April 1, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 20:02:00 +0000

2-Minute Drill podcast - March 31, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 20:04:00 +0000

Football Americano - Game 2

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:39:00 +0000

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by Chris Salvi

Torino Giaguari, Free Safety

Follow @CSalvi24

Outside of football I was able to enjoy some of what Torino has to offer this week. I visited Reggia della Venaria Reale with head coach Rico Merola and his family. It is a very large estate right outside the city limits that was the former property of the Savoy family.

The Savoy family ruled over this region of Italy for a greater part of a century. It was a beautiful home that has hundreds of rooms full of painting and antiques. Lucky for me everything was in Italian and English, so I was able to learn a little bit about 14-19^th century Northern Italy. It may sound boring, if it was for a class or from a book, but when you experience it, it makes it more exciting - my advice, don’t take the class go live it!

The week was up and down for the team; we didn’t have our best preparation. However, we came out on top with a 45-14 victory over Naples.

The first half was completely controlled by us. We ran the ball well and kept their offense shut down. We jumped out to a fast 14-0 lead and continued to keep the game at our tempo. We finished the first half with a two-minute drill touchdown to send the other team to the locker room with their heads down.

We came out the second half swinging, Niles went for a 50-yard reception to the end zone – it was 28-0 early in the third quarter. Although we gave up a pair of touchdowns on defense, it was good opportunity for most of the team to get game experience.

The defense played a solid throughout most of the game, with some let up in the fourth. On offense it usually increases your chances to win when your running back goes for over 300 yards of total offense with a pair of touchdowns – it’s safe to say Niles was the MVP of this game.

This week we face off with the Bologna Warriors, probably not the strongest team we will face all season. Bologna has a history of winning, so we know they wont lay down for us. It’s first road game, and I always preferred road games. I enjoyed getting yelled at by the opposing fans and experiencing a new atmosphere. Should be another fun challenge for our team.

Football Americano - Game 1 with a Pick 6

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 23:54:00 +0000

by Chris Salvi
Free Safety, Torino Giaguari
Follow @CSalvi24

We kicked off and our kick coverage team did a great job! Then our defense stepped up - run play…stuffed. Another run play, another stuff, followed by a stuff on 3^rd down! Three-and-out that forced them to punt and I got my first crack at being a punt returner.

I was able to return the punt for a 12-yard that gave our offense good field position.

Our offense marched straight down the field and score for a 7-0 lead.

Our second defensive series was much like the first. A pair of run plays that got mauled and then Milan tried to throw a deep pass in my direction.

The result? My first interception in the IFL!

The offense then converted the turnover into another TD and we were up 14-0 late in the first quarter.

Second quarter was a little back-and-forth until Reno made a great break in his zone to come with a Pick 6 and a 21-0 lead. The rest of the half went by with little offense and a lot of punts. We were feeling good going into the locker room with a 21-0 lead.

Not to be outdone by Reno’s Pick 6, I was able to intercept a deep pass in the third quarter that I was able to turn into a 50-yard Pick 6.

That was the first interception in my life that I was able to return. All of my high school interceptions had been from tip toeing the sidelines or diving for the ball.

It was a very exciting moment! It also put the nail in the coffin for the Rhinos.

The fourth quarter was also exciting for someone who enjoys good defense. We added on another defensive touchdown on a fumble recovery that put the finishing touches on a 35-0 victory.

Although it is always better to win the game, it was fun just to be out there again. The last time I played was January 6, 2013 in the national championship game against Alabama.

Crossing over the white lines into the game felt right on Saturday.

One of my teammates asked me before the game “are you ready?!"

“Of course,” I replied.

My teammate followed-up with, “are you excited?”

I think for a second and then tell him, ”Yeah, I’m excited! I was born to play this game!”

It felt right to be on the field, and more importantly, I had a lot of fun.

2-Minute Drill Podcast - March 14, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 18:55:00 +0000

by Jeff Fisher
Follow @HSFBamerica

Here's the lastest 2-Minute Drill podcast that announces the launch of #FistBumpFriday.

Every Friday, High School Football America on Twitter will salute players, coaches and teams that are doing great things off the field. You can tweet us @HSFBamerica and we'll re-tweet your tweet.

On the podcast, we honor Middleburg High School (Florida) head football coach Karl Smeltzer who save a pilot and his passenger after their small plane crashed in Florida on Sunday.

Also on today's podcast, we look at a story from MaxPreps.com's Steve Spiewak who breaks-down the top scoring states in the country during the 2013 season.

2-Minute Drill Podcast for March 13, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 16:38:00 +0000

by Jeff Fisher
Follow @HSFBamerica

Today's High School Football America 2-Minute Drill podcast looks at the latest from Allen, Texas and a report that says they made need to do a "partial teardown" of the Eagles' 2-year old, $60 million stadium. I also talk about the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association's decision to delay a vote on splitting public and private schools in athletics.

Football Americano - Week 5

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 23:33:00 +0000

by Chris Salvi

Free Safety, Torino Giaguari

Follow @CSalvi24

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Chris Salvi's photo from Muzeo Egizio

Started my week off with a visit to the Egyptian museum in Torino called Muzeo Egizio. It's actually considered one of the best in the world.

Lots of interesting things to look at and read about throughout the museum. Not only was it a good time, but it only cost 12 Euros ($12.64)...what a deal! Going to one of the museums or attractions in Chicago usually costs upward of 30 dollars. In case any of you find your way to Torino, I suggest the Egyptian museum.

On to football...one aspect of football that I want to be involved with here in Italy is that of a returner on special teams. Maybe I wasn’t qualified for that position at Notre Dame, but I am excited to step up to that role here.

I will have the opportunity to be the punt returner during Saturday night's season opener against Milan. I have never returned a punt before in my life during a game, so I called up the "master of punt returning", a good friend of mine and former teammate Nick Lezynski.

Nick went through all of summer camp practices without dropping a single punt - the only person competing for the job to do so, I must add. Unfortunately, Nick runs a 4.8 forty-yard dash, so they didn’t give the poor guy a chance to make things happen in a game.

Nick is now a graduate assistant at University of Connecticut and he has a football IQ through the roof. He bestowed some serious punt returning knowledge on me, so I am confident going into the game. Punt returning is not easy, but it's a challenge I am happy to accept.

Last week ended with a practice that emphasized a lot of special teams. As someone that truly appreciates the influence it has on the game, I am happy we are working hard on special teams. This will show during the game when it matters most.

The execution of both the offense and defense has become crisp and game ready. Now it is time to become game tested.

We are less then a week away from this test and the excitement is starting to build. The whole team seems to be anxious to get to the game...anxious but focused.

From what we saw last week the Rhinos are a quality opponent. We know it's going to have to take a complete game. That’s why these last few practices are going to be important. The way we have been practicing lately, I expect the next few to be no different.

Keep up with our daily podcast - High School Football America's 2-Minute Drill

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 22:30:00 +0000

by Jeff Fisher
Follow @HSFBamerica

Hope you enjoyed the first week of our new daily podcast.

We start Week 2 with news from Sunday's Nike Football Training Camp in Southern California that saw four more players earn invitations to July's The Opening 2014 at Nike World Headquarters in Oregon. Above you can hear who punched their ticket to Oregon for this year's event that will be held July 5th through the 10th.

Also, on today's podcast, news about a new venue for the 2014 New Hampshire high school football championships.

Don't forget, you can take the 2MD on the go, by subscribing to it on iTunes. Click here to subscribe for free.

Number of high school football injuries in Texas drops

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 16:28:00 +0000

by Jeff Fisher
Follow @HSFBamerica

KTBC-TV Fox 7 in Austin is reporting that high school football injuries declined for the third straight year in Texas.

According to a report obtain by the station from the University Interscholastic League, the state's governing body for high school sports, there were 3,200 injuries last year - down from 4,000 in 2012. The UIL says there were 12,000 high school football injuries from 2010 through the 2013 season.

The most common injury was a sprain with concussions being the second most common, but the number of concussion cases also dropped last year. The report does not cover every school in the state.

The report goes on to say that most injuries occurred during games and not in practice and that most injuries didn't require a trip to the hospital.

Fort Thomas Highlands closes-in on Valdosta on all-time wins list

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 19:53:00 +0000

by Jeff Fisher
Follow @HSFBamerica

If you listened to today's High School Football America 2-Minute Drill podcast, you know that Parkersburg High School in West Virginia is ready to join the exclusive 800 Win Club. Parkersburg enters 2014 with 799 wins.

Currently there are seven schools in America with 800+ victories, or eight if you go with Easton (Pennsylvania) High School's record-keeping. According to the school, the Red Rovers won #800 last November, however , the NationalFederation of State High School Association’s official record book has Easton at 786 wins entering next season.

Valdosta (Georgia) is still at the top of the list with 882 wins, but second-place Fort Thomas Highlands (Kentucky) closed the margin a bit with a 13 win season in 2013 that leaves the Bluebirds' 27 wins behind Valdosta.

All-Time Victories - through 2013 season

Valdosta (Georgia) 882

Fort Thomas Highlands (Kentucky) 855

Louisville Male (Kentucky) 833

Massillon Washington (Ohio) 830

Mount Carmel (Pennsylvania) 820

Mayfield (Kentucky) 819

Canton McKinley (Ohio) 802

Parkersburg (West Virginia) 799

Easton (Pennsylvania) 786

Muskegon (Michigan) 785

High School Football America begins daily podcasts

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 19:06:00 +0000

by Jeff Fisher
Follow @HSFBamerica

With all of the success we've had with the Thursday High School Football America radio show, it seems only natural to expand the brand with a daily podcast.

Below you can listen to our first-ever High School Football America 2-Minute Drill. Props to our good friend and now intern Greg Gerber in Wisconsin for suggesting the name.

The idea behind High School Football America’s 2-Minute Drill podcast is to give you up-to-the-minute high school football news daily that you can listen to on your computer or on your mobile device since we're free on iTunes and also on SoundCloud.com.

The High School Football America 2-Minute Drill is brought to you by The Debris Inhibitor Razur. Stop those pesky rubber pellets from Field Turf from getting into your shoes with the TDI Razur that also gives you the great look of spatting without the high cost of tape.

Football Americano - Week 4

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 00:45:00 +0000

by Chris Salvi

Free Safety, Torino Giaguari

Follow @CSalvi24

The fourth week is in the books and the team is only two short weeks from the home opener against the Rhinos of Milan. This week brought some adventure and a chance to learn something new.

First off, I must thank my roommate Niles Mittasch for giving me his Italian book to learn some more words and phrases. I also have to thank him for being very patient with me while I learned how to use our manual car (stick shift).

Some of you may be thinking to yourselves “it’s not that hard.” - yes, yes it is very hard. I have never done it in my life and on top of that it I’m in a crowded European city.

Have you ever been around the roads of a city in Europe? If you haven’t then you cannot understand the difficulty! That said it has been fun and I am glad that now I am starting to get the hang of it.

Niles is a seasoned vet when it comes to using a manual car; he has only stalled the car out one time in a month. That is impressive, given we just got back from Sunday lunch at a friends house and I stalled the car three times.

Let me put you into the position of being an American in Tornio with your manual Fiat.

The cars are small, plenty of them zooming by, not sure which direction to go, the GPS is giving you confusing routes to take, and the light turns green. You let go of the clutch too quickly and the car stalls out. You have five Italians behind you in a hurry (not sure what the rush is), but now you must throw the car in neutral turn the car off, turn the car on, throw the stick into first gear, and not mess up. All while these five other cars are honking at you!!!!! Today I stalled-out twice at the same light. That said it was actually kind of a rush and a lot of fun.

Moving onto football, three solid practices from the defense this week - the intensity continues to pick up. The harsh reality of these practices was the offensive line struggled. Sorry to my teammates that read this, but I know you are aware.

I don’t want to dwell on the bad, so I’ll say overall the team again made improvements this week. Great work on special teams, and we’re ready because everything is installed and we have still two weeks of prep to go.

Although Americans are not allowed to play on any special teams, I have enjoyed being a scout team player to give good looks to my teammates. It brings back memories to my first year at Notre Dame.

Home of the Rhinos of Milan

Saturday night was very beneficial because we got to scout our Week 1 opponent. We took a short trip to Milan where I was able to finally see the IFL (Italian Football League) in action. Although the Rhinos of Milan were playing a team Switzerland, I got to see what we are up against.

Milan seems to be a quality team with two talented American import players. I am looking forward to the challenge of tackling their American running back! It was only a preseason game, but they had a few hundred people in the stands, plus a concession stand that was done professionally.

Incredible view from Sunday's practice field

It may not be Notre Dame stadium, however these teams take pride in offering a quality experience.

Sunday, we had a morning practice at a different facility. A small town outside of Tornio, the location allowed for us to get a great view of the mountains.

The field was in bad condition – understatement - but it was one of the best views I have ever gotten while practicing football. Trust me this is a big statement from me. Remember, I looked at the Golden Dome everyday from our practice field at Notre Dame, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg, because I have also practiced in Yankee Stadium, Solider Field and in sunny California when we played at USC and Stanford – I still recall the beautiful hills and landscapes there.

I also can’t forget to mention practicing at the Miami Dolphins’ facilities. There was something about how the sun hit the grass and palm trees around sunset in Miami that made it feel like we were practicing on the beach of a five-star resort.

Sunday's practice field was in bad condition

There were countless other beautiful practice locations, but the view from today’s practice goes right behind seeing the Golden Dome!

I’m here to play football, but like playing at any level the players do have a life outside of the game. Sometimes the in-and-outs of what happened and how it happened during a practice on the field can get a little plain to write about.

What you should remember is that I’m living this surreal life outside of the game - BECAUSE of the game. These off the field stories point to the reality of what football has been able to do to for me on-and-off the field.

I hope to inspire some young football players not only to be great at football, but also to be great in football that allows them to grown in self-confidence, have a sense of purpose, build relationships or even be as lucky as me where football opens up a door of opportunities you never thought possible.

I hope you enjoy not only the interesting football experience I am having here, but also the amazing life experience I’m having in Torino.

And the Oscar goes to....Undefeated

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 22:26:00 +0000

by Jeff Fisher
Follow @HSFBamerica

The February 23, 2012 High School Football America radio show was fun for me. I was joined by Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin, the directors of the then Oscar-nominated Undefeated in the category of Best Documentary.

Both guys were extremely excited about walking the red carpet and I was equally as excited to hear them tell the story of how they went from an idea of following the Manassas (Memphis, Tennessee) High School football team during the 2009 high school football season to Hollywood celebs in 2012. It was even more fun to see their energy on stage holding their golden statues.

In honor of tonight's Oscars, I'm re-posting that fun interview with Dan and TJ that took place three days before becoming the toast of Tinseltown.

To round-out the Cinderella story, I brought the star of the show, Manassas head coach Bill Courtney on the show in January to discuss how his life had changed since Undefeated won the Oscar. Coach Bill, who retired after the 2009, was just as enjoyable to talk with and you can listen to that interview below.

I'm also looking forward to talking with Coach Courtney later this spring when his first book called Against the Grain is released in May.

This is how the book is described on Amazon: In Against the Grain, Bill Courtney shares his convictions on the fundamental tenets of character, commitment, service, leadership, civility, and others that, in his decades of success as an entrepreneur and educator, have proven to be the keys to a winning and meaningful life and career. Each chapter tells the story of one of these tenets through compelling anecdotes of the colorful characters in Bill’s life, leading to a deeper understand of the meaning of each and how to employee these fundamentals in all aspects of one’s life. Against the Grain intertwines inspiring and thought-provoking anecdotes, lessons, and amazing real life examples. Bill’s passion for us all to reconsider our own approach to life and constantly improve upon it comes across on every page.

How far has the humble Coach Bill come from 2009? Phil Jackson, the Zen master himself, wrote the forward.

Football Americano - Week 3

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Fisher) — Sun, 23 Feb 2014 23:36:00 +0000

by Chris Salvi
Free Safety, Torino Giaguari
Follow @CSalvi24

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I have to start this week’s recap with a few thank you’s.

Dario, the announcer for the Torino Giaguari, fixed us up with hundreds of TV channels - plenty of them are in English so I am able to keep up with what’s going on.

Second, coming through in the clutch was Frank Cerra our team manager. After reading my complaint about the lack of peanut butter that I mentioned in last week’s blog, he brought me a jar of peanut butter.

Lastly, thanks to Rossana (wife of my head coach), who has not only cooked Niles Mattisch (my only American teammate) and I meals at her home, but made us pasta twice this week! Actually one of those pasta night’s came right when I ran out of food, so it was perfect timing. It’s hard to beat that Italian hospitality!

Tuesday was the first practice since I arrived in Italy where I felt like I wasn’t thinking too much.

Those that play or have played football know what I am talking about. When coaches install new material, sometimes players over-think and don’t let loose. I feel as though I should be past that mental part of the game, at this point in my life, but I guess I still need to make progress in this area.

I know one thing that is challenging me sometimes is trying to figure out the play call since it’s in Italian. On Tuesday, I felt a lot better about it and just played football.

From my perspective, small strides are made every day by the team. However, there seems to be a couple of issues that, as a defense, need to be fixed. We have time until our first game. Every team and unit goes through this, especially the closer the season gets. Nothing is ever perfect, and the unexpected should be expected.

An aspect of practice that gives me conflicting feelings is the good or poor performance of players on both sides of the ball.

An example of this is as a defender I always want my fellow defensive players to win their match-ups. For instance Reno (one of our strong side backers) picked off our QB, which happens to be his brother, during a scrimmage. I loved the play Reno made, but I also don’t want to see interceptions thrown from our QB!

On the other side of the coin, after a poor week from the offensive line last week, the line stepped it up and gave Niles some room to run. That’s always a plus, but Niles also came barreling down on me untouched a few times in the scrimmage. I don’t want that happening in a live game.

Bottom line – there’s always something to fix in football – it’s a harsh reality coaches have to deal with everyday.

Something that everyone on the team likes to see is a player competing hard against his teammate. We are making progress in this area. Every team needs this sort of competition to win. If we don’t start to grow in this area, it could be a long season.

During the weekend, I explored Torino a little more. Sunday afternoon Niles, Ilenia, and I went to Mole Antonelliana. This is the building that represents the city best. It is the tallest building in the city and by law; no building can be taller than it.

We went to the top and got a great look at the beautiful city and mountains around it…that’s where I snapped the above photo (right).

Torino, Italy from Mole Antonelliana

The view gave me a new appreciation for the city I’m living in and the life I am able to lead right now.

The Mole Antonelliana is also a cinema museum called the Museo Nazionale del Cinema – it’s the tallest museum in the world. It’s always enjoyable to learn something new!

With this week coming to a close, it marks the halfway point of when I arrived in Italy and the first game against the Milan Rhinos on March 15th.

I am often asked how the team stacks up against the rest of the league?

Well, there are not a lot of IFL (Italian Football League) analysts that are breaking down the teams and players. It’s also hard to know since the Giaguari has been bumped-up to the first division this year. The Giaguari has had a lot of success in the second division, but right now there’s no way to say for certain how good we are right now.

I am also a firm believer in “any given Sunday”, so I am sure the season will have plenty of surprises, good and bad. I am confident that most surprises will be positive.

Editor's Note: This is the third in a series of blogs that are being written by Notre Dame graduate Chris Salvi, who is playing his first year of professional football in the Italian Football League (IFL) with the Torino Gaguari - Jaguars in English. The IFL allows teams only two American football players. Salvi, who is 5-10, 180 pounds, plays free safety. What makes Salvi's story interesting is the fact that he was, in his words, "a Zero-Star" recruit who, a la Rudy, walked-on at Notre Dame. Unlike, Rudy Ruettinger, Salvi played a lot as a star special teams performer for the Fighting Irish. By his senior season, Salvi was awarded a scholarship by head coach Brian Kelly.