Weird enough a game between national powerhouses Southlake Carroll (TX) and Northwestern (FL) will be shown on ESPU tonight, The Miami Herald’s Andre Fernandez listens to claims some of the hype surrounding this contest has taken on a decidedly unsporting vibe.

One of the first things Northwestern’s players saw when they walked into their hotel rooms Thursday night at the Embassy Suites in Dallas wasn’t a mint chocolate on their pillow.

Rather, it was the face of Southlake Carroll quarterback Riley Dodge on the cover of a local Dallas magazine with the headline “Why You Should Hate Southlake: Because the Kids Are Smarter, Stronger, and Better Looking Than Yours. And They Prove it Every Friday Night.”

”They were saying that they’re the perfect city and this and that,” Northwestern senior quarterback Jacory Harris said. “It was disrespectful. We just have go to out and do what we need to do.”

Northwestern players woke up Friday morning and found a copy of USA Today waiting in front of their hotel doors. Bulls’ players took offense to the article, which pointed out the economic differences between the schools.

It became a running joke — albeit tinged with a bit of anger — for the Bulls and their collection of two dozen fans in attendance during their two-hour practice at the stadium Friday.

”They put the magazine [in our hotel] to try to scare us, but like I’ve said before, we’ve been through so much, there’s nothing that can scare us,” Northwestern defensive tackle Marcus Forston said. “About the only thing I’m scared of is Jesus Christ. But for the article to say we’re poor, we may be from less fortunate families, but that’s something we can’t control. The only thing we can control is the next generation.

‘The article said `Perfect City vs. Liberty City.’ What do free lunches have to with a football game? They don’t know about us having desire, heart and dedication.”

Fernandez, who surely read the USA Today piece by Erik Brady, neglects to mention that said article did far more than point out economic disparity. Brady cites Northwestern receiving an “F” rating from the State of Florida, along with the school allegedly hushing up RB Antwain Easterling’s statutory rape of a 14 year old in order to maintain the player’s eligibility for the state championship.