SPORTSfever Challenge

SPORTSfever has created high profile football and basketball made-for-TV events during the regular season that are designed to provide teams from around the state an opportunity to gain valuable experience and exposure against other top teams from other regions as a way to further prepare for the state tournament.

The Pennsylvania Kickoff Classic in September and the SPORTSfever Basketball Challenges in January have provided STN with a unique opportunity to maintain a weekend-long television production that is distributed throughout the state of Pennsylvania both live and delayed and an opportunity to marshall all of the resources of all SPORTSfever Media Properties and its affiliations to promote the events and enable the participating athletes and teams to use it as an enjoyable learning experience.

The success of the events (13 Challenges since 1999 and three Kickoff Classics since 2004) is reflected in the teams, the fans the events have attracted (estimated 40,000 at Kickoff Classics I, II & III and Challenges I-XIII) and the extensive media coverage and the television affiliates the events have drawn to the SPORTSfever Television Network.

Five of the 16 2007 state basketball finalists and four of the 16 2006 state basketball finalists played in Challenges during the regular season. 22 of the 34 2006-2007 Challenge teams qualified for the state tournament and finished with a .692 winning percentage. Five girls and 10 boys teams were ranked in the final Top 10 state rankings. Since 1999, eight Challenge teams have won state titles and seven more have finished runnerup. The 2004 AAAA state football champion Central Catholic launched its 16-0 season in the Kickoff Classic. All four Kickoff Classic III teams qualified for the district playoffs.

SPORTSfever Challenge Results

SPORTSfever Challenge XI
December 23, 2006
Alvernia College, Reading
Boys
Reading Central Catholic 64 Strawberry Mansion 53
Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg) 40 Ben Franklin 31
Franklin Learning Center 49 Hempfield 36
West York 81 Communications Tech 77
Frankford 45 Wilson 38
College Men: Alvernia College 72 Franklin & Marshall 58

SPORTSfever Challenge XII
January 20, 2007
York College, York
Boys
East Pennsboro 78 Greencastle-Antrim 72
Imhotep Charter 73 Pottsville 25
Red Lion 57 Cheltenham 54 OT
Simon Gratz 48 Liberty 27
Aliquippa 78 Prep Charter 70
Girls
Red Lion 45 Simon Gratz 27
Sharon 48 Delone Catholic 37
College Men: York College 67 Catholic University 63
College Women: York College 76 Catholic University 60

SPORTSfever Challenge XIII
January 27, 2007
East Pennsboro High School, Enola
Boys
Altoona 79 Hazleton Area 64
Scranton Prep 61 Bishop McCort 42
Northeast Catholic 63 Chambersburg 58
Girls
York Catholic 49 Bishop McCort 18
Scranton Prep 41 Westmont Hilltop 40