For more than a century, no number one and number two high school football team had ever met-until October 6, 2001.

This is the story of two teams-Concord De La Salle, a private Catholic school in an upscale Northern California suburb, and Long Beach Poly, a proud public institution from a blue-collar SoCal seaport-striving to achieve the same goal: the all-American dream.

In this supercharged account of the first-ever national high school championship game, acclaimed sports journalist-and former Poly varsity football player-Don Wallace goes out onto the field and straight into the heart of each team. One Great Game offers a rare look at the world of young-adult sportsmanship, featuring up-close and personal interviews with the team players and their families, coaches and cheerleaders, rabid fans and sworn enemies. The result is a powerful piece of sports literature in the tradition of the classic Friday Night Lights. More than a book about football, One Great Game is an engaging cultural history about 21st-century American life.