Trinity-Bingham Game could set attendance record

ARLINGTON-- As the 2009 season approaches, fans won't have to wait long to see one of the most intriguing matchups on the schedule. The age-old phrase "everything's bigger in Texas" will certainly come to life on Labor Day weekend as the new Cowboys Stadium plays host to a quadrupleheader of games, highlighted by the showdown between state powerhouse Euless Trinity and Bingham, Utah.

The much-anticipated opening of the new stadium has everything a high school fan could want. Two national powerhouse teams. and a state of the art facility that is currently the most technologically advanced in the world. The best news of all? The price is right. With tickets priced at just $15 for adults and $10 for kids, it's affordable for everyone. Fans should also keep in mind that playoff double and triple-headers are no longer a given. The old Texas Stadium had become so outdated that premium events no longer were an option. That opened the door for high school football. Over the last decade, playoff football was a weekly event.

At a cost of 1.2 billion dollars for the new stadium, Jerry Jones now has a lot of money on the line. The traditional Friday-Saturday Thanksgiving tripleheader that used to take place at Texas Stadium is gone. Texas Tech and Baylor will play on Saturday November 28th. Texas and North Carolina will play the first college basketball game on Saturday December 19th. There's no question that the new facility will continue to attract big-time events. High school football
at the new stadium will still be played but how often is still very much in question.

Given the current state of the economy, the quadruple-header is a golden opportunity for fans to see good football at the new stadium. Ticket sales thus far have been strong. The Pennington Field box office had already sold out their allotted 2,500 tickets and have requested more from officials at the Herbstreit Varsity Classic. The all-time record for attendance at a high school football game in the state of Texas is 49,953, set back in 1977 between Plano and Port Neches-Groves.

With ticket prices to Cowboy games being out of reach for many fans, the Herbstreit Classic represents an opportunity to see the new stadium at a reasonable price and coaches for both teams are expecting a large contingent to be on hand.

Trinity is no stranger to big crowds, having played in front of 46,000 plus in 2006 at Texas Stadium against Southlake Carroll (click here to see the game).

The area round showdown was a game that had been anticipated for two years as it matched the previous season's state champions. Although the official attendance was listed at 46, 081, those who were there will tell you that it was over 50,000. Texas Stadium officials were ill-prepared for the traffic that converged on the stadium. The Trinity drill-team didn't arrive until the second quarter and fans were still filing in at halftime.

Stadium officials are confident that they'll be prepared for heavy crowds this time around but have also encouraged fans to visit the Cowboys' team website to find the best route to the stadium. Last season Trinity opened the season as the nation's top-ranked team and defeated John Curtis High School from River Ridge, Louisiana by a score of 28-12. 

Euless Trinity's Top 5 attendance games

1) vs. Southlake Carroll - 46,339 (2006)
2) vs. L.D. Bell - 32,291 (1982)
3) vs. L.D. Bell - 29,470 (1982)
4) vs. Odessa Permian 26,470 (1982)
5) vs. Plano 24,309 (2007)

Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Classic Schedule

Euless Trinity vs. Bingham (South Jordan, Utah), 10:30 AM

Colleyville Heritage vs. Irving MacArthur, 1:30

Mansfield Timberview vs. Mansfield Summit, 4:30 

Klein Oak vs. Notre Dame Prep (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), 7:30

Date of Article: Sun Jul 26, 2009 7:21 am

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