Three games to feature North Florida teams will be broadcast live on TV and radio
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The inaugural Bold City Showcase will kick off the high school football season with a major event, featuring six teams from throughout North Florida in three games that will be broadcast on television and radio.
Starting the triple-header at Skinner-Barco Stadium on August 24 at 1 p.m. will be Lee against Bartram Trail in a matchup among two of top programs in the area. At 4 p.m., the rivalry between Mandarin and Atlantic Coast will take center stage. The event closes out with the 7 p.m. matchup between University Christian and Bolles.
The partnership between Airstream Ventures’ high school platform High School 9:12, WJXT-Channel 4 and 92.5 FM/1010XL will feature 10 straight hours of coverage starting at Noon. The broadcasts will open with an ESPN College Gameday-type show live from the stadium, with features on the two local state champions from a year ago, the upcoming season, highlights from the night before, and previews of the day’s games.
There will be upscaled amenities with the event as well. Reserved club seats will be available that include food and beverage with access to a climate-controlled VIP area in one endzone. Fans will also be a treated to the FanFest at the entrance for everyone attending that will have games, activities, and giveaways from sponsors.
Bartram Trail (Class 8A) will face Lee (Class 6A) in a matchup that showcases two teams with deep playoff hopes. Lee advanced to the Class 7A regional final a year ago en route to a 10-3 record. Bartram Trail won five of its last six games to end the season and will be jumping up to the state’s largest classification for 2019.
After winning the Class 7A state title in 2018, Mandarin begins another title quest as they move up to Class 8A and face archrival Atlantic Coast (Class 7A) in the opener. Quarterback Carson Beck returns for his senior season leading the Mustangs as one of the top ranked quarterbacks in the country and having committed to play at Georgia.The finale features Matt Toblin’s first game as head coach at Bolles against University Christian, who advanced to the Class 2A region final last season. The two teams met last year, with Bolles taking home a 47-7 win.
Taking the fan experience to a collegiate or professional type level, there will be reserved club seats available for all three games with assigned seats that include food and beverage with access to an air-conditioned VIP tent for $30. Tickets are $10 each, good for admission to all three games. To purchase tickets in advance, fans can visit JaxHighSchool912.com/boldcityshowcase. VIP tickets are expected to sell fast.
What they are saying about the Bold City Showcase
“Once again, we are excited about creating a first-class high school event, this time in the sport of football. We are so proud to have six great high school programs in our inaugural event. High school sports are the grassroots heartbeat of our city and football fans will now be able to experience a collegiate type atmosphere to kick off the year. Our media partners in 1010XL and WJXT TV-4 raise this event to heights and we are expecting this to be a new tradition in Jacksonville for a long time.”
Alan Verlander, Founder/CEO, Airstream Ventures
“I recall the very first conversation with Alan Verlander a few years back when I told him Channel 4 was going to create an event to showcase high school football in Jacksonville. To watch last year’s prime time game and then see this event come to life this year is exactly what we’re about at The Local Station in Jacksonville. Celebrating these athletes and their families is going to be a wonderful day for our community and to do it with great partners at 1010XL and Airstream Ventures makes it extra special.”
Bob Ellis, General Manager, Channel 4 and CW17
“We appreciate the opportunity to be a part of this year’s Bold City Showcase and continue our support of local high school athletics. Six great schools, three great games and one great day of high school football to kick off the 2019 season.”
Steve Griffin, General Manager, 1010XL/92.5 FM
“The Bold City Showcase is a great event to promote our student-athletes, coaches and teams throughout our local community. The support of the local media outlets is tremendous for our schools. This event also provides opportunities and lifetime experiences that players will talk about years from now. High School 9:12 is the positive piece in our community we have been missing to highlight high school sports and the great accomplishments of all our area schools.”
Tammie Talley, Athletics Director, Duval County Public School
“We are humbled and honored to be a part of a showcase with some of the best teams in the area. We can’t wait to take the stage with University Christian as well with the other teams participating. We are excited to compete at this high level and we greatly appreciate the opportunity.”
Matt Toblin, Head Football Coach, The Bolles School