Mississippi High School Football Takes Center Stage on Fox Sports Network with Deal to Air "Head to Head" Televison Reality Series Nationwide Featuring Wayne County, West Jones High School Football Teams
Original 12-Episode Show Follows Two Rival Teams, Coaching Staffs Through 2009 Season and Playoffs
Ridgeland, MS (April 14, 2010) - Cellular South, the nation's largest privately owned wireless communications provider, today announced plans by Fox Sports Network (FSN) to air a 12-episode reality series on national television that follows two rival Mississippi high school coaching staffs and their teams through the 2009 season and playoffs.
The series, originally broadcast last fall in Mississippi and Tennessee television markets as part of Cellular South's groundbreaking "Y'all vs. Us" integrated sports programming and customer engagement program, began airing this week across various FSN affiliates nationwide and is expected to reach more than 100 million households, including 12.7 million viewers of Fox Sports South programs.
Young & Rubicam, Cellular South's New York City-based advertising agency and executive producer of the "Y'all vs. Us" program, negotiated the agreement with Fox Sports Network. Moxie Pictures, an award-winning New York City-based documentary motion picture company, filmed the series on location in the south Mississippi towns of Waynesboro, home of the Wayne County War Eagles, and Laurel, home of the West Jones Mustangs, and traveled with both teams across the state during the season.
"'Head to Head' proves that Young & Rubicam can deliver compelling content that appeals to a wide audience," said David Sussin, vice president of programming for Fox Sports Network. "We love the show and are excited to bring it to our affiliates and their viewers across the country."
The half-hour show features Wayne County Coach Marcus Boyles and West Jones Coach Scott Pierson along with members of their respective coaching staffs and focuses on key players, relationships, weekly game preparation, strategy, community involvement and personal story lines from mid-summer "two-a-days" to the playoffs and state championship.
Boyles is one of the most successful high school football coaches in football-rich Mississippi during the last two decades and his teams perenially contend for the state championship. Pierson has been head coach at West Jones since 2002 after a stellar seven-year stint as head coach at 2A powerhouse Bay Springs.
Both coaches and Mississippi High School Activities Association agree that the reality series will help show the rest of the nation what residents of the Magnolia state already know - that Mississippi is a hotbed for some of the best high school football and is home for some of the most passionate fans in the country.
"Some of the biggest grudge matches aren't always played on Saturday or Sunday in college and professional football games," said Dr. Ennis Proctor, executive director of the MHSAA. "They're played in high school football games and pit the collective community pride of entire towns and cities against one another for regional bragging rights."
"I thought the series was an honest portrayal about what we're all about and what our lives are like," said Boyles. "A lot of people don't understand how demanding and all-encompassing these jobs are and what our hours are like - so this helps tell the story in a very compelling way. At the end of the day, we are about moulding teenagers into men and preparing them to achieve their true potential and be productive citizens in whatever path they choose in life."
Pierson said the early season jitters about the film crews being a distraction to his team proved to be a non-issue. "The cameras made us practice a little harder, try a little more and understand early on what it was going to take to compete for a state championship. I know it didn't affect my coaching style or approach, but the film series definitely captured a lot of situations and circumstances we go through every day as coaches, players, husbands, teachers, fathers and parents."
True to form, both teams were ranked among the top 10 in statewide football polls during most of the 2009 season leading up to an Oct. 24 showdown at War Eagle Field in Waynesboro. West Jones prevailed for a hard-fought 17-7road win, but Wayne County got its revenge a month later by posting a 38-21 semi-final victory over West Jones, ending the Mustangs dreams for their first 5A state championship and a perfect season.
"We are competitive on the field, but we have a tremendous amount of respect and appreciation for one another and that came through loud and clear in the documentary series," Pierson said in describing his relationship with Boyles. "We are both teachers and mentors at heart and that makes all the difference in the world when you are trying to teach and mold and shape these young people as they travel along the road to maturity and adulthood."
Cellular South will be the presenting sponsor of the national television series. "We're very pleased with the outcome of the series, which captured the drama, passion and community pride associated with the long-running rivalry between these two great schools and their communities,"said Jim Richmond, director of Corporate Communications. "We're excited that viewers across the nation will get to experience the many compelling human interest stories that come from this competition."
Richmond said the company is working with the teams, school officials and local community leaders to plan celebration events later this week in Waynesboro and Laurel to congratulate the schools and their communities on the postive national exposure.
In this region, the show will air on Fox Sports South. Below is the broadcast schedule for the remainder of this week and next week for the first episode of the reality series. All times listed are in Central Time. Check local listings for the Fox Sports Network channels in your area:
- Wednesday, April 14 - 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.
- Thursday, April 15 - 3 p.m.
- Friday, April 16 - 10:30 a.m.
- Sunday, April 18 - 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.
- Monday, April 19 - 11 p.m.
- Thursday, April 22 - 3 p.m.
- Friday, April 23 - 12 p.m.
- Saturday, April 24 - 3 p.m.
About Cellular South
Cellular South is a privately-owned diversified mobile communications company passionately committed to helping customers get the most out of their wireless devices and services. The nation's largest privately owned wireless carrier accomplishes this goal by providing the most reliable and advanced 3G nationwide voice and data network, offering industry-leading family and unlimited flat rate voice, text and mobile web plans and through its online and in-store Discover Centers, which give customers easy, simple and convenient tools, tips, advice and information to get the most out of their mobile phone. For more information, visit www.cellularsouth.com.
About Young & Rubicam
Young & Rubicam is one of the world's leading marketing communications companies. Founded in 1923, Young & Rubicam was the first agency to be founded by a creative, Raymond Rubicam. Today, run by Global CEO Hamish McLennan and Global CCO Tony Granger, the agency's work spans the communications spectrum, including digital, viral, social and experiential marketing, to build brands that are irresistible to consumers. Young & Rubicam has 186 offices in 90 countries around the world. Its clients are some of the world's most prestigious global corporations, including Accenture, Bacardi, Campbell's Soup Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, Land Rover, LG, Xerox and Virgin Atlantic, to name a few. For more information, visit http://yr.com.
About Fox Sports Net
FSN is the nation's leading provider of local sports. Through its 19 owned-and-operated regional networks, FSN serves as the TV home to more than half of all MLB, NHL, and NBA teams. FSN's nationwide roster of regional sports networks includes FOX Sports Arizona, FOX Sports Carolinas, FOX Sports Detroit, FOX Sports Florida, FOX Sports Houston, FOX Sports Indiana, FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports North, FOX Sports Ohio, FOX Sports Oklahoma, FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Southwest, FOX Sports Tennessee, FOX Sports West, FOX Sports Wisconsin, PRIME Ticket, SportSouth, and Sun Sports. FSN produces close to 5,000 live local events each year, including more than 2,800 in high definition, making FSN the most prolific producers of HD Sports programming in the country. In addition to its thousands of home team games and a wide variety of locally produced sports programs, FSN televises national sports events and programs, including Pac-10 and ACC basketball and Pac-10 and Big 12 football. For more information, visit www.foxsports.com.
