HOFV Announces GEICO ESPN High School KickOff Game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
IMG Academy vs. Bishop Sycamore High School to take place Sunday, August 29th, 2021 at 1:30pm Eastern Daylight Time
CANTON, Ohio – July 28, 2021 – Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (“HOFV” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: HOFV, HOFVW), the only resort, entertainment and media company centered around the power of professional football and owner of the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls (the “Destination”), today announced it will be hosting the GEICO ESPN High School Kickoff game between the world-renowned IMG Academy, based in Bradenton, Florida, and Bishop Sycamore High School, a local high school in the northeast suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN and take place on Sunday, August 29th, 2021, at 1:30pm at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on the Destination’s campus. Tickets will be available on Wednesday, July 28, and can be purchased for $10 at https://www.hofvillage.com/p/events/geico-espn-high-school-kickoff-game.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have IMG Academy compete at the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls,” said Michael Munoz, Vice President, Youth Football and Partnerships for HOFV. “With all of the homegrown football talent that Ohio has to offer, seeing one of our local schools compete against IMG Academy will be incredibly memorable. In addition to providing another exciting event for our guests and fans to enjoy, our goal is to provide every young athlete involved with an unforgettable experience that they will cherish as they continue to develop their sports careers.”
The nationally renowned IMG Academy has 20 of the 37 players ranked in the ESPN 300 and ESPN Junior 300. Bishop Sycamore, a new program with young talent and several players on both sides of the ball, has multiple Division 1 offers. Some of the players ranked include: No. 1 Junior Lebbeus Overton - DE (Milton, Ga.) and the No. 2 Senior Quinn Ewers - QB (Southlake Carroll, Texas). Three other Top 100 ESPN ranked senior quarterbacks join Ewers in leading their teams this kickoff weekend: No. 36 Connor Weigman (Bridgeland, Texas), No. 39 AJ Duffy (IMG Academy, Fla.), and No. 100 Gunner Stockton (Rabun County, Ga.), as well as junior quarterback No. 275 Malachi Singleton (North Cobb, Ga.). Of the athletes participating, 12 have already committed to top Division I college football programs, including Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas A&M, TCU, and UCLA.
2021 GEICO ESPN High School KickOff Schedule
*Notes: All times are ET.
Thursday, August 26
Southlake Carroll (Texas) vs. Highland Park (Texas)
8 p.m. on ESPNU from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Friday, August 27
Milton (Ga.) vs. North Cobb (Ga.)
7 p.m. on ESPN2 from North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Ga.
Saturday, August 28
St. Frances (Md.) vs. St Thomas Aquinas (Fla.)
Noon on ESPN from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Oakland (Tenn.) vs. Madison-Ridgeland (Miss.)
3 p.m. on ESPN2 from Madison-Ridgeland Academy Ridgeland, Miss.
Pace Academy (Ga.) vs. Rabun County (Ga.)
6 p.m. on ESPN2 from Rabun County High School in Tiger, Ga.
Bridgeland (Texas) vs. Klein Cain (Texas)
9 p.m. on ESPNU from Klein Memorial Stadium in Spring, Texas
Sunday, August 29
IMG Academy (Fla.) vs Bishop Sycamore (Ohio)
1:30 p.m. on ESPN from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio
About Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company
Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: HOFV, HOFVW) is a resort and entertainment company leveraging the power and popularity of professional football and its legendary players in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Headquartered in Canton, Ohio, the Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company is the owner of the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls, a multi-use sports, entertainment and media destination centered around the Pro Football Hall of Fame's campus. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.HOFREco.com.
About IMG Academy
Located in Bradenton, Florida, IMG Academy is the world’s largest and most advanced multi-sport training and educational institution. Established in 1978 as the Bollettieri Tennis Academy, IMG Academy now spans over 600 acres and continues to evolve and expand as the industry leader for athletic and performance development.
Our history of success remains unrivaled around the globe, and IMG Academy continues to develop elite athletes who achieve success at the collegiate and professional levels. Past alumni and trainees have included world No. 1 tennis players and Grand Slam champions, No. 1 overall NFL draft picks, top NBA athletes, successful PGA Tour/LPGA players, and NCAA champions. Graduates attend many of the most notable universities in the nation, including Stanford, Duke, Ohio State, and Johns Hopkins, as well as several service academies.
IMG provides an all-inclusive campus for athletes of all levels. Our world-renowned location includes professional-grade sports facilities and accommodations, world-class technology, and a wide variety of programming, including a 6th-12th grade boarding school, year-round camps, adult camps, corporate retreats, group hosting, team training, events, and professional and collegiate training.
IMG Academy’s sport programs include baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and track and field. IMG’s Athletic and Personal Development (APD) program also provides unparalleled training that supports each department on campus and truly separates IMG from any other sports academy or athletic venue in the world.
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