Spielman Gridiron Classic

[GoBucks89]

Cleveland Glenville is coming to my back yard. Woo hoo!!!

Dispatch

Three central Ohio high school football teams -- Gahanna, DeSales and New Albany -- will join Cleveland Glenville in the inaugural Spielman Gridiron Classic, which will be played Sept. 5-6 at two Columbus sites.

New Albany will play at DeSales at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 5, and Glenville will play at Gahanna at 8 p.m. Sept. 6.

Chris Spielman, a former Ohio State linebacker and current ESPN analyst, is lending his name to the event, which is being organized by the central Ohio chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Ticket proceeds will go to Central Ohio FCA and the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research.

[sepia5]

Ticket proceeds will go to Central Ohio FCA

Not sure about New Albany, but Glenville and Gahanna are public schools, right? Wow, this seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen!

[GoBucks89]

Highlights from the press conference here. Coach Ginn's comments below.

Glenville coach Ted Ginn Sr., who has dealt with cancer himself in recent years, said he is excited to be involved with such a strong cause.

"It's an honor to be here today," Ginn said. "We are really excited about playing in this game, this Classic. More importantly, we are excited about the purpose of it. (Glenville assistant) Matt (Chinchar) and I are big FCA fans. Any time you can have an opportunity to be in something with your children that has a purpose like this, that is exciting.

"To be involved with Chris Spielman and the cancer cause, that's huge for us because we always talk about service. It all blends with us well at Glenville. The FCA helps hold our program together."

The Gahanna-Glenville game will pit a pair of Division I qualifiers from a year ago. Gahanna ended up 7-4, while Glenville finished 10-3 following a loss to eventual state runner-up Mentor (41-40) in a regional final.

"It's going to be a great game," Ginn said. "We're excited because it's going to be the first time we've played in Columbus. That's exciting for me. Anybody here who are Buckeye fans? For us, it's like leaving home and coming home when we come to Columbus."