Premier Season-Opening Prep Football Event Moves To Downtown Detroit

Games include 2011 champs match-up Brother Rice vs. Cass Tech

DETROIT, MI – The premier season-opening high school football event in Michigan has a new name and a new home. It was announced today by the Detroit Sports Commission that The Detroit Sports Commission Prep Kickoff Classic will be held in Detroit at Tom Adams Field on the campus of Wayne State University August 24-25, 2012.

The award-winning event, formerly known since its inception in 2005 as the Big Day Prep Showdown, will again be organized and promoted by the Detroit Sports Commission, the subsidiary of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. In the past, the event has featured some of the state’s top players including Devin Gardner (Inkster) of the University of Michigan, and Keshawn Martin (Westland John Glenn) of Michigan State University.

“The Detroit Sports Commission Prep Kickoff Classic will provide an electric, bowl-game like atmosphere for high school football in the city of Detroit,” said Dave Beachnau, Detroit Sports Commission executive director and organizer and founder of the event. “We believe that the setting in Midtown Detroit at Wayne State will create a unique and memorable experience for the players and fans of high school football and support the mission of Detroit Sports to bring sporting events, and visitors to the area.”

Game matchups of the Detroit Sports Commission Prep Kickoff Classic will be highlighted by 2011 Division 1 champion Detroit Cass Tech taking on 2011 D2 champion Birmingham Brother Rice.

The setting at Wayne State University will celebrate “Detroit Football” following the success of the WSU Warriors’ thrilling march to the 2011 NCAA D2 Championship game, Cass Tech winning the first-ever Detroit D1 Championship by a PSL team, and the exciting 2011 Detroit Lions’ season capped by a berth in the NFC playoffs.

“We are delighted to host this event. It is a great way for people to come and see Wayne State and Midtown Detroit,” said Allan Gilmour, Wayne State University President.

The Detroit Sports Commission Prep Kickoff Classic has already been enthusiastically embraced by the local business and civic community including the City of Detroit.

“We're delighted that the Detroit Sports Commission Prep Kickoff Classic will be played at Wayne State University and celebrate the start of the 2012 high school football season,” said Detroit Mayor Dave Bing.

As in past years, the Detroit Sports Commission Prep Kickoff Classic will feature a host of top players and major college recruits including Robert Bellon of Southgate; Jon Reschke of Brother Rice; Jayru Campbell and Jourdan Lewis of Cass Tech; Jalen Dandridge and Kahlid Hill of Crockett; Nick Maher of Woodhaven, Brandon Bean of Southfield, and Davaun Williams of Detroit King among others.

The game matchups* that have been confirmed to date are:
 Southgate Anderson vs. Woodhaven
 Dearborn vs. Clinton Twp. Chippewa Valley
 Detroit Crockett vs. Oak Park
 Port Huron vs. Utica Eisenhower
 Southfield vs. Detroit Martin Luther King
 Birmingham Brother Rice vs. Detroit Cass Tech
(*additional games may be added to the schedule)

The Detroit Sports Commission is committed to hosting a high-quality event at Wayne State University and welcomes sponsors and partners from the business and civic community who are interested in collaborating to enhance the game-day experience for the participating schools, teams and fans.
For more information on the Detroit Sports Commission Prep Kickoff Classic, visit www.detroitsports.org. You can also follow the DSC on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
The Detroit Sports Commission is a subsidiary of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau that was formed in 2001 to bring regional, national and international amateur sporting events to metro Detroit.