The second annual Freedom Bowl kicks off tonight at Milton High School with the first of its five matchups. The defending Class AAAAAAA state champs will host Alpharetta Thursday Night before the event’s out-of-state double-headers resume on Friday and Saturday.
“The Freedom Bowl brings top level high school football to one location and provides much more than just football competition,” said David Menard, Founder and President of Airo Nation. “Utilizing this amazing platform will also inspire and educate our youth about what the men and women of our armed forces sacrifice to protect our freedom.”
There will be schools from five different states represented in this year’s lineup and tons of star power and top recruits. Milton is led by U.S. Army All-American and Clemson commit Paul Tchio on its offensive line. The 6-foot-6, 300-pound Tchio will play guard and defensive tackle for the Eagles this season.
Friday’s double-header opens with Pickerington Central (OH) vs. Winter Park (FL) at 5:00 p.m. Pickerington Central is the No. 6 ranked team in Ohio according to MaxPreps and finished 11-3 last season. 3-star quarterback Demeatric Crenshaw is the No. 10 overall prospect in the state for the Class of 2020 and Pickerington’s senior class also features Ohio State-commit Ty Hamilton and 3-star Abraham Alabi on its defensive line. Junior running back Nick Mosely is a three-star and junior receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr. is a four-star recruit and the state’s No. 4 rated prospect for the Class of 2021. Winter Park is a Class 8A school that posted a 10-2 record last season. Their secondary features Texas-commit Ethan Pouncy and Miami-commit Marcus Clarke. Casey Case is a 6-foot-6 quarterback committed to Buffalo that is back for his senior season.
In Friday’s nightcap, Cocoa (FL) will take on Hoover (AL). Cocoa is a Class 4A program that went 10-4 last season and Hoover is a Class 7A program that went 9-4 in 2018. Cocoa is led by Penn State commit Caziah Holmes in t its backfield and will have Florida-commit Richard Leonard at guard to power the running game. Hoover’s offense is quarterbacked by Ole Miss-commit Robby Ashford and 3-star junior running back Dylan Betts-Pauley.
On Saturday, Clearwater Central Catholic (FL) will take on defending Tennessee DII-AAA state champion Brentwood Academy at 2:30 p.m. Clearwater Catholic was 12-1 in Class 3A this past season and has a defense that is led by 3-star defensive end Jerzham Newton and linebackers Jack del Rio (Rutgers) and Harrison Thomas (Army).
Brentwood Academy will have its incredibly talented offensive line to challenge Clearwater Catholic. Guard Noah Josey is a 6-foot-5, 280-pound junior that is joined by offensive tackle Eli Sutton, a 6-foot-7, 278-pound junior that is the state’s No. 2 ranked prospect in his class.
The final matchup pairs UMS-Wright (AL) against Western (FL). UMS-Wright is coming off a perfect 14-0 season and Class 4A state title. Western resides in Class 8A and went 9-3 in 2018. WMS-Wright has Edwin White at safety, the No. 18 rated prospect in the state for the Class of 2021 and Western has senior Justin Hodges at safety, a 3-star Miami-commit.
2019 FREEDOM BOWL SCHEDULE
At Milton High School
Thursday, Aug. 29
7:30 p.m. Alpharetta vs. Milton
Friday, Aug. 30
5:00 p.m. Pickerington Central (OH) vs. Winter Park (FL)
8:30 p.m. Cocoa (FL) vs. Hoover (AL)
Saturday, Aug. 31
2:30 p.m. Clearwater Central Catholic (FL) vs. Brentwood Academy (TN)
7:00 p.m. UMS-Wright (AL) vs. Western (FL)
For more info visit thefreedombowl.net
