Head To Head Episode 7

It’s been a tough football season for me, and all the other Redskin fans out there. Now that my only hope is that the team tanks for a top 5 pick in the draft, I’ve been focusing my energies on following other football story lines, and the one that has me the most intrigued lately is that of two rival high schools in Mississippi, the Wayne County War Eagles and the West Jones Mustangs. Awhile back I posted the first episode of Head To Head, the reality series that is following the two teams as they battle under for supremacy under the Friday night lights.

Well, folks, Wayne County and West Jones finally had their much-anticipated show down, and I thought I would post the last episode of Head To Head that aired before they played. This last episode focused heavily on how football and real-life intersect, and shows stories of previous and current players at both high schools as they made the transition from high school athlete to college. You’ll hear the challenges that former West Jones star linebacker Archie Sims faced to gain academic qualification, as well as that of Jerrell Powe, the former Wayne County star defensive tackle and almost surefire future NFL player who had to wait three years before he could play in college. You’ll get to hear the maturation process of future Southern Miss defensive end Dasmond McCullum, as he builds himself up from a soft basketball player into a terrorizing QB-killer. You will also see that Wayne County’s Jerrell Gandy, Malik Lofton, and Marion Chapman also have a chance to play big-time college ball.

You’ll also get to hear “Enchanted Hill” by The Album Leaf again. As you may recall, “Enchanted Hill” was also featured in the first episode of Head To Head, and just like “First Breath After the Coma” by Explosions in the Sky, “Enchanted Hill” makes for the perfect epic football music. The song plays in Part 1 of this episode, about 2 mins and 50 seconds in.

I won’t spoil the results of the actual game for you, because the entire game is posted on Cellular South’s website (unfortunately it was too big for me to post myself), so I would advise this – check out the episodes of Head To Head to get you ready for the action, and then watch the game yourself.

Head To Head Episode 7 Intro – The story of Archie Sims

Head To Head Episode 7 Part 1 – Dasmond McCullum prepares for college; Wayne County has a few players poised to play at the next level, too

Head To Head Episode 7 Part 2 – Jerrell Powe fights through adversity to make it to Ole Miss

Head To Head Episode 7 Part 3 – Life after high school football

Those of you who have watched the entire series like  I have, know that this should have definitely played on ESPN instead of just regional television and online, but I’m still glad to have been turned on to this wonderful series. I can only salivate at the possibility of Jerrell Powe lining up next to Big Albert Haynesworth sometime in the near future.

Back to The Album Leaf, as I was listening to “Enchanted Hill” again, I realized that this band is at the top of my list as far as bands I love that I haven’t seen live, in some elite company amongst the likes of Godspeed! You Black Emperor, The xx, Girls, Built to Spill, and Sigur Ros. Here’s hoping for a tour featuring at least two of these artists in 2010.

The Album Leaf on MySpace