Freedom Bowl to bring 12 football teams to Milton, benefit wounded vets

Stoneman Douglas of Parkland, Fla. is on tentative list of participating schools
ajc.com

A new series of six football games to be played at Milton High over Labor Day Weekend was announced officially on Wednesday.

The event – called the Freedom Bowl – will bring 10 out-of-state teams to Milton in north Fulton County over three days. Milton and North Gwinnett will be the Georgia teams participating.

There is no official word on the out-of-state teams or the matchups, but it has been learned tentatively that the other participating schools are Mainland of Daytona Beach, Fla.; Wekiva, Fla.; Cardinal Gibbons of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Chaminade-Madonna of Hollywood, Fla.; Stoneman Douglas of Parkland, Fla.; Saint Joseph Regional of New Jersey; Muscle Shoals, Ala.; Bob Jones of Madison, Ala.; and Saint Mathews Catholic of Canada.

Each winning team will get a Freedom Bowl championship trophy, according to Airo Nation and Spire Sports + Entertainment, the event organizers.

The Freedom Bowl’s mission is raise awareness for veterans with proceeds benefiting wounded service men, women and their families. The event will seek to educate and inspire participants on character, leadership and teamwork skills on and off the field, according to David Menard, founder and president of Airo Nation.

“The Freedom Bowl brings top level high school football to one location and provides much more than just football competition,” Menard said. “Utilizing this amazing platform will also inspire and educate our youth about what the men and women of our armed forces sacrifice to protect our freedom.”

The games will be played Aug. 31-Sept. 2.

“Hosting the Freedom Bowl at ‘the M’ was an easy decision,’’ Milton athletics director Gary Sylvestri said. The Freedom Bowl encompasses everything Milton High School stands for – community, integrity and competition. I truly believe this will be the biggest high school football event in the country for years to come.’’

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