FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 17th, 2016
COMCAST SPORTSNET KICKS OFF ITS EXTENSIVE ON-AIR/DIGITAL COVERAGE OF THE 2016-17 ILLINOIS HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS SEASON
Season premiere of “High School Lites” (hosted by Kelly Crull) to debut Friday, August 26 at 11:00 PM CT
Lincoln-Way East Griffins, who have reached the IHSA Playoffs every year in their existence (2001) — to be the featured team this season on “DRIVE, presented by Riverside Healthcare”
“Edgy” Tim O’Halloran and Scott Phillips return for their fourth seasons as CSN’s local preps sports experts
Fans are urged to follow the @CSNDrive Twitter handle for the latest Lincoln-Way East scores, analysis and photos, along with 24/7 state-wide IHSA updates via @CSNPreps
CSN to once again televise 59 IHSA Championship events this scholastic year (over 160 hours total), including LIVE coverage of all eight Football Championships & four additional playoff games, plus LIVE coverage of 32 Boys/Girls Basketball Championship games
Chicago, IL (August 17, 2016) – Comcast SportsNet, the television home of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Championships, is ready to bring its viewers another action-packed season of expert local preps sports coverage, featuring many of the very best student-athletes in the nation.
Now in its third year of its long-term partnership with the IHSA, Comcast SportsNet will once again carry a total of 59 IHSA Championship events this scholastic year (over 160 hours total), including LIVE coverage of all eight Football Championships & four additional playoff games, plus LIVE coverage of 32 Boys/Girls Basketball Championship games, which includes every semifinal, consolation and championship match-up, plus – 15 additional IHSA Championship events, including boys/girls soccer, girls volleyball, individual wrestling & competitive dance/cheer competitions among others. Note the following highlights/details for the upcoming IHSA preps season on Comcast SportsNet & CSNChicago.com:
HIGH SCHOOL LITES (Season premiere – Friday, August 26 at 11:00 PM CT)
Hosted by SportsNet Central anchor/reporter Kelly Crull, High School Lites will be THE weekly Friday night destination for all the thrilling highlights from the area’s biggest preps match-ups, along with post-game interviews featuring the area’s top coaches and players. In addition to in-depth video highlights and interviews, High School Lites will preview key Saturday match-ups, along with a special flashback segment detailing great moments from games of the past. Fans can also look forward to a brand new weekly segment this season as High School Lites will deliver exclusive footage of student athletes training at Highland Park’s EFT Sports Performance facility. Speed and endurance instruction, workout tips, along with on-the-field guidance will be featured.
Continuing this season, High School Lites will offer fans the chance to get interactive with the show by participating in the “Viewers’ Choice Game of the Week.” The wildly popular week-long poll will pit three Chicagoland matchups against one another. Fans are encouraged to vote for the game they want CSN Chicago to cover on Friday night. The winning matchup will be profiled in a special segment in the show. In addition, fans will also be given the opportunity to request the game that “Edgy” Tim O’Halloran covers each Friday night by utilizing the hashtag #SendEdgy. For year-round IHSA coverage, be sure to follow our Twitter handle @CSNPreps.
NOTES: Every airing of High School Lites will also be streamed live on CSNChicago.com…the show shifts to Saturday nights in November to accommodate IHSA Football playoff match-ups…beginning Friday, December 2, High School Lites shifts its key focus to preps basketball.
DRIVE
In every weekly airing of High School Lites this season, preps fans can look forward to a brand new season of its acclaimed, behind-the-scenes, unprecedented all-access feature series entitled, “DRIVE, presented by Riverside Healthcare.” This fall’s featured team will be the Lincoln-Way East Griffins, who have made the IHSA playoffs in every year of its existence (since 2001). The Griffins were state champions in 2005 and placed second in 2012. LWE head coach Rob Zvonar’s team features senior guard Sam Diehl, who is committed to Colgate and varsity standouts Devin O’Rourke (DE) and Nigel Muhammad (RB). Quarterbacks Max Shafer and Jake Arthur will also make key contributions. NOTE: Every episode of “DRIVE” will be made available for viewing on CSNChicago.com immediately following its on-air debut.
“EDGY” TIM O’HALLORAN & SCOTT PHILLIPS
Veteran Illinois high school football sports writer/recruiting authority “Edgy” Tim O’Halloran (@EDGYTIM) returns for his fourth season as a contributing reporter for High School Lites. O’Halloran’s CSN Preps Power Rankings (@CSNPreps), players & coaches profiles and recruiting updates can be found at CSNChicago.com. In addition, O’Halloran’s content is also featured on CSNChicago.com’s partner site, Rivals.com. Scott Phillips (@phillipshoops) also returns for his fourth season as a contributing reporter for High School Lites and will take center stage this upcoming basketball season. Phillips is also a key contributor to NBCSports.com’s “CollegeBasketballTalk.”
IHSA FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PAIRING SHOW
For the fifth-straight year, Comcast SportsNet and the IHSA will present the IHSA Football Playoff Pairing Show LIVE on Saturday, October 22 at 8:00 PM. Brackets will be unveiled as 256 Illinois teams, from 1A to 8A, will find out their first round opponent. This two-hour show will also be streamed live on CSNChicago.com and IHSA.tv.
IHSA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
For the sixth-straight year, Comcast SportsNet will carry the IHSA Football State Championships during Thanksgiving weekend LIVE from Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL. The Class 1A-4A games will take place on Friday, November 25, while the Class 5A-8A contests will be held on Saturday, November 26. Exact times/channel locations will be announced in early November.
CSNCHICAGO.COM
Fans are urged to visit CSNChicago.com’s dedicated Preps section (csnchicago.com/preps) for the latest Preps Power Rankings, special segment video features, the latest IHSA news, game highlights and recaps, special mid-week segments previewing the upcoming week’s action featuring detailed analytical breakdowns from “Edgy Tim” O’Halloran and Scott Phillips, and much more.
SOCIAL MEDIA
A reminder, social media fans can follow the network’s @CSNDrive Twitter handle for the latest Lincoln-Way East scores, highlights, players & coaches interviews, and analysis. CSNChicago.com digital reporters Scott Changnon (@ScottyChag) and Mark Strotman (@markstrot) will provide up-to-the-minute Griffins news all season long, plus – LWE fans can follow the school’s Twitter handle (@LWEastAthletics), along with the school’s dedicated football Twitter handle (@LWE_Griffins) and utilize the hashtag #DriveGriffins. In addition, @CSNPreps will provide fans with the latest statewide updates throughout the scholastic year, which will include Power Rankings, scores, analysis, and viewer/reader Twitter photos from game day.
Comcast SportsNet Chicago, a partnership between the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), Chicago Bulls (NBA), Chicago Cubs (MLB), Chicago White Sox (MLB) and the NBC Sports Group, features over 275 live pro games in high definition each year. In addition, CSN delivers extensive pre/post-game coverage for its core pro team partners, as well as the Chicago Bears, along with Emmy Award-winning regional sports news and analysis via SportsNet Central and SportsTalk Live. Through the network’s growing digital platform, CSNChicago.com, Chicago sports fans tap into the most comprehensive and dedicated 24/7 online destination for breaking news, up-to-the-minute game previews/recaps, highlights, multimedia video clips, blogs and standout coverage from CSNChicago.com’s team of “Insiders.” Follow the network on Twitter via @CSNChicago.
NBC Sports Regional Networks, part of NBC Sports Group, consists of 10 regional networks that deliver more than 2,200 live sporting events annually, along with award-winning news, comprehensive analysis, digital content and original programming to more than 43 million homes. The NBC Sports Regional Networks are: CSN Bay Area, CSN California, CSN Chicago, CSN Mid-Atlantic, CSN New England, CSN Northwest, TCN, CSN Philadelphia and SNY. For additional information, visit CSN.com. For more information on NBC Sports Group properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios, headshots and logos, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.
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