Stark to host championships through ’09
Friday, May 12, 2006
[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By DON DETORE Repository sports editor[/FONT]
Fans pack the stands at Fawcett Stadium for the Division I high school football championship game in December. The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Control voted Thursday to keep the state title games in Canton and Massillon for at least the next three years.
Stark County will continue to be the high school football capital of Ohio for the foreseeable future.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association’s Board of Control voted unanimously Thursday morning to renew its contract to hold the state championship football games in Stark County. The contract calls for the games to be held in Canton’s Fawcett Stadium and Massillon’s Paul Brown Stadium for three more years, plus options for 2010 and 2011.
Previous contracts were two years with an option year.
Cincinnati and Columbus also bid for the games. After touring each site, the OHSAA’s nine-member state football finals subcommittee — made up of coaches, administrators and OHSAA officials — unanimously recommended the games return here.
“We had three different, very good proposals,” OHSAA Commissioner Dan Ross said. “Once we sorted out all the pieces, it was a difficult decision, but we made the right decision.
“Everyone was unanimous. ... It was the best proposal for our playoffs and the good of our student-athletes.”
Larry Acker, president of the Board of Control, agreed.
“The board is unanimous in believing we currently have one of the best setups in the nation for interscholastic state football championships and that making a change at this point in time is not in everyone’s best interests,” said Acker, superintendent of the North Central Local Schools in Creston.
Stark County has hosted at least four of the state title games every year since 1990, and has been the site of every state title game since 1991. Massillon has hosted the most state finals (67), followed by Columbus (37) and Canton (26).
“The difference is, in other places, it’s just another event they’re bidding on,” said Jeffrey John, sports promotion manager for the Canton/Stark County Convention & Visitors Bureau, who attended Thursday’s board meeting. “Here, the event takes precedence. The community works together and gets behind it. It’s an honor and privilege for us to host the games again.”
This year’s games are Dec. 1 and 2.
“I don’t think there’s a better place to host the games in the state than here,” said McKinley head football coach Brian Cross, who spent 16 years as head football coach at Grove City High School, near Columbus, before coming to McKinley in 2003.
“The two facilities that are being used have artificial turf, they’re both the perfect size and there’s ... not a bad seat in either place,” Cross said. “And their close proximity allows for quick travel time.”
“The other part is the hospitality of Massillon and Canton,” Massillon head coach Tom Stacy said. “They know how to put on a football game. That’s the underlying thing. It’s important to the county.”
The Convention & Visitors’ Bureau estimates that the games generate between $1 million and $2 million to the local economy every year. According to John, the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce plans to commission a survey to quantify the economic impact that the games have in the county. A similar survey, released in late March, revealed that the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival injects $26.7 million a year into the economy.
“We concentrate on making it the best experience the kids have in a game,” John said. “It might be the last game they play in. We want them to leave Stark County with a positive experience and lifetime of memories that they will carry on for them forever.
“That’s what we do best.”
Reach Sports Editor Don Detore at (330) 580-8344 or e-mail:
[email protected]
STATE FOOTBALL
FINALS SCHEDULE
The 2006 season ends the current three-year agreement with the Stark County group to host the state championships. The new three-year contract, with two option years, is effective beginning in the 2007 season.
The schedule for the 2006 finals is:
Friday, Dec. 1
11 a.m. Division IV Final, Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium
3 p.m. Division VI Final, Canton Fawcett Stadium
7 p.m. Division II Final, Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium
Saturday, Dec. 2
11 a.m. Division V Final, Canton Fawcett Stadium
3 p.m. Division III Final, Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium
7 p.m. Division I Final, Canton Fawcett Stadium
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
FOOTBALL GAMES
Contract length: Through 2009, with options for 2010 and 2011.
History: Stark County has hosted the football state finals in their entirety since 1991.
Economic impact: The Canton/Stark County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau estimates that the games annually generate between $1 million and $2 million to the local economy.
This year: State football finals are scheduled for Dec. 1 and 2.
Attendance figures
2005 60,049
2004 52,799
2003 60,524
2002 65,584
2001 47,743
2000 57,119
1999 60,011 1998 60,935
