Where to play the high school finals?

jacojdm · Post by **jacojdm** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:46 pm

always a falcon wrote:
Warthog wrote:Bullsh!t. I give our grounds crew more credit then you. Besides, it's football. What hell does it matter what the condition of the field is? They gonna cancel the games if it rains?
Our grounds crew is absolutely awesome. Do you see brown patches in our turf? They are the reason that there is not the hue and cry for plastic grass in DLP. They work their aZZes off and have great pride in that stadium and the rest of our athletic grounds. *steps off soapbox*

I agree, especially when one considers that hundreds, if not thousands, of folks walk around on the field after most games. They do a fantastic job to keeping the field in tip top shape.
That being said, I'm still not of the opinion that three to six football games in a 24-36 hour period could be played on a grass footbal field without some sort of damage (or mud, weather depending) issues.

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:56 pm

always a falcon wrote:
Dayons_Den wrote:
Warthog wrote:Bullsh!t. I give our grounds crew more credit then you. Besides, it's football. What hell does it matter what the condition of the field is? They gonna cancel the games if it rains?

Our grounds crew consists of what, three full-time people that probably also have facilities in their titles and job description and the baseball team if they are in town to pull the tarp?
Our grounds crew is absolutely awesome. Do you see brown patches in our turf? They are the reason that there is not the hue and cry for plastic grass in DLP. They work their aZZes off and have great pride in that stadium and the rest of our athletic grounds. *steps off soapbox*

Good point AAF. I just meant they have plenty of green paint for the mud.

Dayons_Den · Post by **Dayons_Den** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:57 pm

always a falcon wrote:
Dayons_Den wrote:
Warthog wrote:Bullsh!t. I give our grounds crew more credit then you. Besides, it's football. What hell does it matter what the condition of the field is? They gonna cancel the games if it rains?

Our grounds crew consists of what, three full-time people that probably also have facilities in their titles and job description and the baseball team if they are in town to pull the tarp?
Our grounds crew is absolutely awesome. Do you see brown patches in our turf? They are the reason that there is not the hue and cry for plastic grass in DLP. They work their aZZes off and have great pride in that stadium and the rest of our athletic grounds. *steps off soapbox*

I completely agree, and the field is a shrine to Ken Schoeni, but 3 games in such a quick turn-around would be asking an awful lot for an already understaffed department. I love the playing surface of the doyt and cochrane field- they keep them up very nicely. But as the NIU game and Toledo game a couple seasons ago showed, and even the EMU ice bowl game showed it doesn't take much to really obliterate the playing surface.

Rollo83 · Post by **Rollo83** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 4:08 pm

My high school team played in the regionals finals a few years ago at Findlay High School. They were the more athletic team and featured a lot of speed at the skill positions and a potent passing attack.

The game was played a few days after a big snow and the field was a cow pasture. The game was more of a rugby game than a football game. Players could not move what so ever. They couldn't keep the mud out of their cleats. The game ened like 8-6 with my school on the losing end.

I know football is football, but the kids played all year to get to that game and then have to play in those conditions. I realize both teams played on the same field, but its just not a fair contest of the two teams talent. It would be like asking a HS basketball team in the regional finals to not fast break so it evens the game out.

I could just hear some of you if this were to happen to our Falcons against Wisconsin. We wouldn't be able to run the spread effectively. Would that be fair to us to ask us to run it against the tackles all day against a Big Ten team? Not hardly!

BGorDeath · Post by **BGorDeath** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 4:34 pm

Boo Hoo, it snowed on our game and we couldn't run our spread offense and we lost because we couldn't adapt. We are high school players who worked long and hard to get this far in the playoffs. It's not fair. Boo hoo.

Quit treating high schoolers like they are pansies. Or should I say start treating high schoolers like the pansies they are.

Besides, when I was in high school, I walked twenty miles in five foot of snow just to find out class had been cancelled. Today's kids are pussies.

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 12:11 am

Fawcett Stadium and Paul Brown Tiger Stadium are two of the premier HS stadiums in the country. Keep the HS finals in those places. It works. Stark county is about as football crazy as you can get. BTW, anytime you can get down to Dover and check out Crater Stadium, do it. For a Div III school, it has to be the best stadium in the state. A gigantic new press box was added to the home side and there are now big black iron gates with a old style cursive "D" on them at the entrance. I was there Thursday night and couldn't believe this was the same stadium I played in 20 years ago. It's ALL brick...the whole way around. I'm not just saying this because it's my alma mater....the place is incredible and hosts playoff games as well.

As far as the Doyt? NEVER, EVER replace that beautiful grass field. NEVER>

redskins4ever · Post by **redskins4ever** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 6:16 am

Canton? You want to play the MACC in Canton???? Because thats 1) Easy to get to 2) Where I want to go in early December 3) Has tons of affiliation with the MAC

Rollo83 · Post by **Rollo83** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:17 am

[quote]Boo Hoo, it snowed on our game and we couldn't run our spread offense and we lost because we couldn't adapt. We are high school players who worked long and hard to get this far in the playoffs. It's not fair. Boo hoo.

Quit treating high schoolers like they are pansies. Or should I say start treating high schoolers like the pansies they are.

Besides, when I was in high school, I walked twenty miles in five foot of snow just to find out class had been cancelled. Today's kids are pussies.

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OK superstar...we all know how tough you were in high school!  I am sure that French horn you carried in the band at half time was mighty heavy on that messy field.

All I am saying is a championship game shouldn't be determined by field conditions.  It seems the folks at the OHSAA agree since they haven't played a championship game on a  natural turf field in decades.

jacojdm · Post by **jacojdm** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:19 am

redskins4ever wrote:Canton? You want to play the MACC in Canton???? Because thats 1) Easy to get to 2) Where I want to go in early December 3) Has tons of affiliation with the MAC

I've heard people say that Canton might be a good place to hold the game. I think it's the easily filling the stadium argument.
1) Canton is pretty easy to get to if you drive a car. Interstate 77 goes directly past Fawcett Stadium, and there are exit ramps less than one mile north and south of the stadium.
2)How is weather Canton in early December different from any other MAC region school in early December?
3)Canton doesn't not have affiliation with the MAC. Fawcett is a nice facility in the heart of MAC country in Ohio, and the stadium wouldn't be half empty for a championship game. It's a great, neutral site.

Schadenfreude · Post by **Schadenfreude** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:25 am

redskins4ever wrote:Canton? You want to play the MACC in Canton???? Because thats 1) Easy to get to 2) Where I want to go in early December 3) Has tons of affiliation with the MAC

I've always thought that Canton would be the best neutral site, yes.

Now, it isn't gonna happen as long as Canton hosts the high school title games -- the events are too close together, and the community could not handle it.

But I can't think of a better place than Canton.

Canton drips football history -- Ohio history -- and by playing the game there, we make it very easy for ESPN to explain to a national audience what a special throw back lunch bucket league ours is. If the game gets slow, they can wake up the ghosts of Jack Lambert and Paul Brown all night, and all they have to do is stick a camera in the building next door.

And the stadium is right sized.

If we are going to put our game in a neutral site, I think Ford Field was the best choice among those put submitted to the MAC. But, let's face it, our crowds have gotten kind of lost in that building, and it does seem a little weird for the reward for winning being another game there. I'm sure Southern fans are used to that sort of thing, but its weird for us Yankees.

And Canton isn't that remote. U.S. 30 grows more interstate-like with each passing year. I-77 makes the trip from Cleveland easy.

The worst thing you can say about Canton is that it amounts to playing our championship game in a high school stadium.

But if it isn't beneath the NFL to open its season there, why should it be beneath us to end our season there?

And, look, one of the winners will probably go on to play in what amounts to a high school stadium in Mobile, Ala.

I've always thought Canton would be the best site -- which shouldn't be equated to bitching about Detroit, or anything. But it is my honest opinion.

Schadenfreude · Post by **Schadenfreude** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:32 am

Rollo83 wrote:All I am saying is a championship game shouldn't be determined by field conditions.

Are you saying Green Bay have forfeited to the Dallas Cowboys in 1967?

Rollo83 · Post by **Rollo83** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:11 pm

Are you saying Green Bay have forfeited to the Dallas Cowboys in 1967?

No. The Packers won. But do we really know who the better team was at that time? The NFL has moved the Super Bowl to a neutral "weather" site since then.

Schadenfreude · Post by **Schadenfreude** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:36 pm

Rollo83 wrote:
Are you saying Green Bay have forfeited to the Dallas Cowboys in 1967?
No. The Packers won. But do we really know who the better team was at that time? The NFL has moved the Super Bowl to a neutral "weather" site since then.

In other words, you are against playing the Super Bowl in Ohio.

Why do you hate Ohio?

On a more serious note: Sissy!

Final word: The Ice Bowl was the NFL championship game. The first Super Bowl -- which Green Bay won -- was played a week or two later.

Falcon30 · Post by **Falcon30** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:43 pm

Maybe I am just in a bad mood...

All of you close-minded fans of grass...have you been on fieldturf? It's grass. It's just like grass. It plays like grass, it looks like grass, it feels like grass. Open your eyes - Fieldturf is BETTER than grass. Sheesh. Artificial turf isn't green plasic carpet over concrete anymore, people!

If my sons played, I would want them to play on good, quality artificial turf over grass...ESPECIALLY in the end of November.

The title games need to be on good artificial turf unless you play all six games in different locations. End of story.

It's the Journey... · Post by **It's the Journey...** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 3:14 pm

Why not try a rotating basis and spread all of the games out? For example, but the division 1 semis and championship game at UT, the division II game at Cincinnati, etc. There are a lot of great college football stadiums in Ohio and they should all have a shot at hosting the state title game in any division. I would also keep the current site in the mix to pay homage to the strong tradition of high school football there. Thats my two cents.