It'll be difficult to top Rich Morgan's 2008 season.

Not only did the Auburn native win a state championship as the head football coach at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, Va., but he was also voted the Virginia High School Football Coach of the Year.

Morgan and the Tigers begin the defense of their Group AAA Division 6 title, the largest classification in Virginia, tonight in a nationally-televised game against Venice High School of Florida. The game will air at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.

And like any good coach, Morgan has set the bar higher this season, with his sights on more than a state title.

“This game will help us in our journey towards the national championship,” he said. To take aim at a national title, Oscar Smith would have to sit atop the national rankings, which is a possibility. The Tigers finished the 2008 season ranked sixth in the nation, while this year's ESPN and USA Today preseason polls have them ranked in the top 10.

Oscar Smith also boasts one of the top quarterbacks in the country, Phillip Sims, who will play football at Alabama after high school.

Morgan said he is honored to get the opportunity to play in the first televised high school game of the season, especially since his team has never played on national television before.

“Obviously, I have had a lot of success with this program,” Morgan said. “But that success is due to the hard work of the kids, coaching staff and the support of my family as well. I am very fortunate that I get to have all of that.”

Morgan is a 1987 graduate of Auburn High School, where he was the co-captain and played wide receiver for the Maroons. He went on to play at Canisius College, where he earned a degree in physical education. It's been 22 years since Morgan has been back in Auburn, but he still credits his experiences as a Maroon for shaping his career today.

“I played for Bob Adams at Auburn,” Morgan said. “He was the greatest coach I have ever played for - he molded my coaching career. A lot of the things he taught me are things I try to teach my kids now.”

Morgan took his first coaching job in Atlanta after graduating from Canisius in 1993. He then came back to New York for his first head coaching position at Thousand Islands High School in 2000.

In his eighth year coaching in Virginia, Morgan has built a powerhouse program. In the past seven years, Oscar Smith has a record of 76-10, with only one regular season loss in the past six years. At least 50 of his athletes have received scholarships to play college.

And it's not like he stepped into program rich in history. Before Morgan showed up, Oscar Smith had just one league championship in 50 years. Now, they have five.

Today, Morgan and the Tigers begin the road to No. 6, and possibly more.

“If we play well in this game and have another good year, we have a chance at being nationally-ranked again,” he said. “So this is a very exciting game.”