Watching Toledo-Bowling Green play. With the MAC having televised games on weeknights, I was wondering if any MAC schools have entertained hosting OHSAA playoff games on Friday’s or Saturday’s. With them hosting basketball tournament games, their football venues would be good sites for football.
Mid American Conference Stadiums-OHSAA Playoffs
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eastisbest
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Toledo's playing. I'm not sure what BG is doing.
St Francis plays their games at the Glassbowl. Glassbowl hosted a great game between, I think it was Pick Central and Detroit Cass. They could obviously host but there just aren't many games that would consider Toledo neutral location.
St Francis plays their games at the Glassbowl. Glassbowl hosted a great game between, I think it was Pick Central and Detroit Cass. They could obviously host but there just aren't many games that would consider Toledo neutral location.
simkon
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The Rubber Bowl (Akron Zips) has hosted many games before, usually D-I and D-II games. Canfield played at Akron's new stadium in the playoffs and I believe that was the last high school playoff game ever played there.
The stadium for the Cincinnati Bearcats hosted playoff games for region 4 pretty frequently, I don't recall any smaller division games being played there though.
YSU's stadium is the same size as the smaller MAC stadiums and hosts games frequently.
Some smaller I-AA, D-II and D-III college stadiums are used on a regular basis both in the regular season and playoffs.
The stadium for the Cincinnati Bearcats hosted playoff games for region 4 pretty frequently, I don't recall any smaller division games being played there though.
YSU's stadium is the same size as the smaller MAC stadiums and hosts games frequently.
Some smaller I-AA, D-II and D-III college stadiums are used on a regular basis both in the regular season and playoffs.
kingpin2010
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Didn’t Massillon play Akron Hoban at Infocision in 2019
kingpin2010
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McDonald played Rootstown at Kent State in 2018 playoffs. It was a Rootstown hame game moved to Dix stadium to be played on turf
YTOWN
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I saw a few playoff games there. The 2001 Harding- St. Edward being the most memorable due to Mr. Clarett's performance.
Massillon-Hoban was at Infocision in 2019.
Crimson and Black
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Akron’s Infocision hosted semi final games in the not to distant past.
Bruce Monnin
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In the short term, I agree. But with the enrollment at most of these MAC schools shrinking, it never hurts to find ways to bring high school students onto their campuses.
BirdDog10
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The MAC schools are no stranger to hosting OHSAA events either. Toledo and BGSU have both hosted regional tournament games in basketball for years now and always do a fantastic job
simkon
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I forgot about that Tigers-Knights game in 2019, you guys are correct, that is infact the last high school game played there.
But due to $$$, I think the days of the I-A schools (MAC & Cincy) hosting are in the past unless the OHSAA is willing to pay more for use of the facility. Some of these stadiums seat in excess of 30,000 which is overkill these days with attendance dropping especially in recent years. Even the smallest MAC stadiums seat about 20,000. Now if they are going to actually sell 15,000+ tickets then that would be a different story.
But as it is the biggest college venue that would entertain hosting would probably be YSU (I-AA) which seats around 20,000. Dayton might also still be willing to host as well.
But due to $$$, I think the days of the I-A schools (MAC & Cincy) hosting are in the past unless the OHSAA is willing to pay more for use of the facility. Some of these stadiums seat in excess of 30,000 which is overkill these days with attendance dropping especially in recent years. Even the smallest MAC stadiums seat about 20,000. Now if they are going to actually sell 15,000+ tickets then that would be a different story.
But as it is the biggest college venue that would entertain hosting would probably be YSU (I-AA) which seats around 20,000. Dayton might also still be willing to host as well.
algernonsidney
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What about some of the OAC or NCAC schools? Otterbein has a nice stadium. Ohio Wesleyan does as well.
YTOWN
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I have seen a few playoff games at Baldwin-Wallace but it's been a while.
smurfyeah19
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Bowling Green used to host a D5 Doubleheader every year in the Regional Semifinals on Saturdays
I feel like otterbein has hosted a game in recent years but I could be misremembering
eastisbest
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If UToledo can host all of a local high school's games, not particularly well attended, I suspect finance isn't an issue. Probably more logistics.
eastisbest
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Unfortunatly BG replaced the House That Roars with the Mouse That Snores. The new place is sitll a good enough venue for high school sports, I might even chime only for high school sports but it's no Anderson Arena.
BirdDog10
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Speak for yourself, Anderson was great, but I've been to the Stroh several times for HS basketball and a BG game, when there's a crowd it's a great atmosphere. I've never heard anyone say otherwise
smurfyeah19
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Yeah, nostalgia is a powerful thing. If anything the thing that hurts the Stroh, is that BGSU has shifted to being a total hockey school. BG is great for HS sports because of being literally right off 75, by a bunch of places to eat, and having a ton of parking right at the arena. UT sucks for games because you typically have to park far away, have to meander quite a bit through the city to get there, and food options are okay.
BirdDog10
Well-known member
BG is predominately a hockey school for sure. It will be a very sad day when they have to move out of the ice arena. Many people will probably have the same feelings then as they do now about Anderson vs. the Stroh, but that's just how it works, can't always hang onto old things because of nostalgia
The Infidel
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Canton South Played Steubenville in either 2006 or 2007 at Mount Union.
eastisbest
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You're the first one I've heard say it was. I'm not going to be that guy that tries to convince someone they don't like something they like. To me it's a slightly larger off-the-shelf no character high school design with no sound trap. It is easy to get in and out of the bowl though.
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BirdDog10
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It probably has to do a lot with the crowd at the games. I've only been to 1 game at the Stroh that wasn't at least 80-90% capacity, and I kind of like that it's more like an old school arena with no overhang or balconies, plus there's really no bad seats. It has some some nods to Anderson Arena that I like too, with the layout of 3 main sections of seating around the court, and open windows that let outside light into the arena. You're right about the sound, but you won't find any place built in the last 30 years that's as loud as their predecessors built in the 50's and 60's because of new architecture and sound dampening materialsYou're the first one I've heard say it was. I'm not going to be that guy that tries to convince someone they don't like something they like. To me it's a slightly larger off-the-shelf no character high school design with no sound trap. It is easy to get in and out of the bowl though.
eastisbest
Well-known member
I certainly agree with your description of the design. They attempted nothing original.
I'd like it more if they'd beveled the corners with seating. Student end court that over hung the basket a bit would have added something different and something to improve the home court advantage. I'd be fine too if they'd build a wall around that concourse to keep in sound. Mind you, I'm a Toledo fan, not a BG fan so I'm not saying it out of spite. I just thought Anderson was heaps more fun.
Mr. Slippery
Well-known member
OWU hosted a playoff game sometime after they got turf. They may have hosted 1 more time after that, but that's about it. Perhaps they concluded that the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. Additionally, the parking situation on OWU's campus is inadequate for a crowd of any great size. As an 1850 student school 20 years ago, parking passes were limited to students who either: had junior standing, were 21 or older, or were designated commuters.
I'm not familiar with the school's current academic calendar, but if it's anything like the calendar I knew, this coming weekend would be about the only weekend that OWU could host a playoff game. Most of the students would be leaving town next Friday for Thanksgiving break and wouldn't be coming back until the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The same was probably true for a portion of the staff. That doesn't leave much of a labor force behind to host a game during what would be 2 weekends of neutral site playoff games.
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BlueBeard36
Member
I always thought Hiram College should host playoff games, a middle ground between the Mahoning Valley and eastern Cle suburbs