ESPN to show Mater Dei's season opener

ESPN is going to give Matt Barkley some more prime time exposure.

ESPN has included Barkley and Mater Dei on its 2008 high school football broadcast schedule, which was announced Thursday.

The 2007 Gatorade Player of the Year and the Monarchs will have their season opener against L.A. City Section power Carson broadcast live by ESPN2 on Sept. 3. The game will be played at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach and will start at 6 p.m.

Barkley, who has committed to USC, was recently rated the No. 1 prospect for the Class of 2009 by ESPNU and Scouts Inc.

Mater Dei will start the season ranked No. 32 in ESPN's Fab 50 national football poll.

Carson is coming off a 2007 season that saw it go 11-3 and reach the Championship Division title game, where the Colts lost to Birmingham, 41-6.

Carson features tight end Morrell Presley, who is also headed to USC.

ESPN will carry 19 high school games on its various networks: ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.

The complete 2008 schedule:

Aug. 23
Cathedral (Ind.) vs. Carmel (Ind.), 9 a.m., ESPN
 
Aug. 29
Mays (Ga.) vs. Carver (Ga.), 5 p.m., ESPNU
 
Aug. 31
Rockhurst (Mo.) vs. Blue Springs South (Mo.), 9 a.m., ESPN
 
Sept. 1
St. Thomas (Fla.) vs. Elder (Ohio), 9 a.m., ESPN
 
Sept. 3
Mater Dei vs. Carson, 6 p.m., ESPN2
 
Sept. 5        
Armwood (Fla.) vs. Plant (Fla.), 5 p.m., ESPNU
 
Sept. 11
Rider (Texas) vs. Sulphur Springs (Texas), 6 p.m., ESPN2
 
Sept. 12
Bastrop (La.) vs. Dollarway (Ark.), 5 p.m.,ESPNU
 
Sept. 19
Apopka (Fla.) vs. South Panola (Miss.),5 p.m., ESPNU
 
Sept 26                  
Brentwood Academy (Tenn.) vs. Prattville (Ala.), 5 p.m., ESPNU
 
Sept 27
Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) vs. De La Salle, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU
 
Oct. 2
DeMatha (Md.) vs. Our Lady of Good Counsel (Md.), 3:30 p.m., ESPN2
 
Oct. 3
Pahokee (Fla.) vs. Byrnes (S.C.), 5 p.m., ESPNU
 
Oct. 4
Cypress Bay (Fla.) vs. Katy (Texas), TBD, ESPNU
 
Oct. 10
Lowndes (Ga.) vs. Valdosta (Ga.), 5 p.m., ESPNU
 
Oct. 16
Cypress Falls (Texas) vs. Cypress Ridge (Texas), 5 p.m., ESPNU
 
Oct. 17
St. Joseph’s Prep (Penn.) vs. Cardinal O’Hara (Penn.), 3 p.m., ESPNU
 
Oct. 31
Godby (Fla.) vs. Madison County (Fla.), 5 p.m., ESPNU
 
Nov. 7
Mountain Pointe (Ariz.) vs. Desert Vista (Ariz.), 7:30 p.m., ESPNU

Contact the writer: preps@ocregister.com