Week 1

The HSFL began its 2002 season on Sunday, September 1st with one of the most evenly matched games in recent memory. Coming off a 2001 in which they dominated nearly the entire season, Team 1 struggled early. After falling behind 2-0, the defending HSFL MVP Bob Glover got his team back on track hooking up with Pro Bowler Josh Neace for two first half touchdowns. Jeff Renn connected early on with Justin Sawicki to keep things close, but Team 1 took a 5-4 lead into halftime.

Team 1 kept the momentum going into the second half with Glover sharing quarterbacking duties with John Berlin. Glover showed flashes of the man who was once the best receiver in the HSFL by catching several passes in key situations. Berlin began to slow down, failing to lead Team 1 to scoring drives for 3 straight possessions, and after throwing an interception to Sawicki, he was relieved of his quarterbacking duties for the remainder of the game. Team 2 used that opportunity to close the gap to 7-7 at one point. Mike Arana led a defense that was able to slow down Team 1's running attack led by Josh Coons. Glover took the ball back down the stretch and finished the game off with a touchdown pass to Berlin for a 10-8 victory.

Glover led Team 1 as he did all last season, following up his MVP campaign with an incredible performance that included 8 touchdown passes and 1 touchdown reception. Team 1's rushing defense looked better than it did all of last season and rookie Josh Coons led the way. Coons, an early season Rookie of the Year candidate scored a game high 3 touchdowns and was able to give Team 1 a more balanced attack with the addition of a running game. At one point, Coons landed an elbow on Sawicki's head, leaving Sawicki confused for the majority of the game. Following the game, Sawicki had this to say regarding the injury: "After the game, I remembered I had a big red truck." Coming off an injury plagued 2001, Hall of Famer Josh Neace returned at 100% Sunday, scoring 2 touchdowns and recording a game high 3 sacks against Renn. Chris Hott made his HSFL return after sitting out all of 2001 and proved that he deserves early consideration for Rookie of the Year as well, intercepting 2 passes and scoring a touchdown in his return. Adding a game high 3 touchdowns and a touchdown pass to the Team 1 attack, John Berlin looked as good as he ever has as he looks toward winning the Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2002.

Team 2 looked more balanced than it ever has, led by the renewed commitment of Hall of Famer Jeff Renn to the quarterback position. Renn threw 5 touchdown passes, scored another and added a sack in Week 1. The other half of the resurgent Team 2 passing attack was rookie Justin Sawicki. The fastest player on the field yesterday, Sawicki scored 3 touchdowns and added an interception in his return. Hall of Famer Mike Arana looked quicker and more aggressive than he did for most of last year, and finally looked like the defensive superstar he once was. The defending touchdown leader, Arana added 2 touchdowns to his spectacular defense in the opener. Second year veteran Ryan Geib also proved that his experience from playing for the high school team this year has made him a much improved player on the defensive side of the ball, making several tackles and adding an interception. The fourth rookie on the field in Week 1 was Freshman Jake Cleek. Cleek showed great athleticism and poise in his return to the HSFL, and scored 2 touchdowns in Week 1.