2022 Regional Final Neutral Sites

It doesn't maximize money to send two Stark teams to Cleveland.
It could. Presumably, no closer teams want to host unless OHSAA offers more money to the host site. Keeping costs low offsets any presumed lower attendance.
 
I guess what I'm saying is the situation may be incapable of being rectified. If a facility doesn't want to host, then what can be done?
Maybe the OHSAA thinking is that Benson is special and it should be “saved” for the title games. I get that thinking and don’t disagree with it. Sort of like a few years ago when the finals were at OSU. They didn’t host any other playoff games except the final. I know that’s an extreme analogy but I think it fits.
 
Maybe the OHSAA thinking is that Benson is special and it should be “saved” for the title games. I get that thinking and don’t disagree with it. Sort of like a few years ago when the finals were at OSU. They didn’t host any other playoff games except the final. I know that’s an extreme analogy but I think it fits.
Fine, and I can accept that, so why not put Massillon vs. Lake in Brunswick which holds 10,000? For a mere 1,000 more in capacity, the schedulers at OHSAA sent two Parma schools across the river on I480 at rush hour to Maple Hts. instead of letting them play 1 and 3 miles from their schools. This had all the makings of a huge community event for Parma, a city without a ton to celebrate since Ghoulardi left for Hollywood. Ridiculous move.
 
Maybe the OHSAA thinking is that Benson is special and it should be “saved” for the title games. I get that thinking and don’t disagree with it. Sort of like a few years ago when the finals were at OSU. They didn’t host any other playoff games except the final. I know that’s an extreme analogy but I think it fits.
Can you tell me the last time OSU hosted a playoff game? How about a regular season game? Benson is used all season long until the playoffs. Then it becomes special? What is going on here is a complete waste of the resource. Complete failure by any and all of those in charge.
 
Fine, and I can accept that, so why not put Massillon vs. Lake in Brunswick which holds 10,000? For a mere 1,000 more in capacity, the schedulers at OHSAA sent two Parma schools across the river on I480 at rush hour to Maple Hts. instead of letting them play 1 and 3 miles from their schools. This had all the makings of a huge community event for Parma, a city without a ton to celebrate since Ghoulardi left for Hollywood. Ridiculous move.
The only thing that makes sense is that neither Strongsville (which I don't recall being a normal host site in recent years) or Brunswick wanted to host HN-Padua. Brunswick usually always hosts, so them not getting a game is a surprise. I'm guessing that Brunswick only was open to hosting Massillon-Lake and didn't want any part of HN-Padua (both HN and Padua have a lot of students who live in Strongsville and Brunswick). The OHSAA may have decided to eliminate Brunswick all together for that reason.

It still doesn't make any sense for HN-Padua not to end up at Byers unless there was not one stadium in Stark or Summit Counties willing to host Massillon-Lake (and Brunswick either was eliminated or decided not to host all together this week due to not wanting to host HN-Padua).

I'd be interested to hear from anybody who has more insight on how these sites were chosen, because that is the only thing I can rationalize.

For HN-Padua, at least Maple Heights (outside the fact that getting over the 480 bridge at rush hour is a pain in the ) holds 5,000, so it meets what I think the minimum seating capacity this game would take. So for that alone, it's a lot better than sticking this in Brooklyn again.
 
The only thing that makes sense is that neither Strongsville (which I don't recall being a normal host site in recent years) or Brunswick wanted to host HN-Padua. Brunswick usually always hosts, so them not getting a game is a surprise. I'm guessing that Brunswick only was open to hosting Massillon-Lake and didn't want any part of HN-Padua (both HN and Padua have a lot of students who live in Strongsville and Brunswick). The OHSAA may have decided to eliminate Brunswick all together for that reason.

It still doesn't make any sense for HN-Padua not to end up at Byers unless there was not one stadium in Stark or Summit Counties willing to host Massillon-Lake (and Brunswick either was eliminated or decided not to host all together this week due to not wanting to host HN-Padua).

I'd be interested to hear from anybody who has more insight on how these sites were chosen, because that is the only thing I can rationalize.

For HN-Padua, at least Maple Heights (outside the fact that getting over the 480 bridge at rush hour is a pain in the ) holds 5,000, so it meets what I think the minimum seating capacity this game would take. So for that alone, it's a lot better than sticking this in Brooklyn again.
How many do you think would have shown at Byers for the Parma Holy War if that's where it was? Genuinely curious.
 
How many do you think would have shown at Byers for the Parma Holy War if that's where it was? Genuinely curious.
I think at least 5K with the chance to maybe have gotten up to the 8K mark depending on weather and it being located in Parma.

I'm basing that from 2021 Week 1 game at North Royalton (5K) nearly being sold out. Padua packed the smaller visitors side at Royalton and the much larger home side was close to being full; and the regional semifinal playoff game last year at Brooklyn (3.1K) was more than sold out last year and I'm guessing with SRO was closer to 4K. The week one game this year was also a sell out, but Padua only holds 2,500 or so.

Overall, I think Maple Heights should be fine for this game since it holds 5K. It's not as ideal as it could have been but it could have been a lot worse.
 
Last edited:
Maybe the OHSAA thinking is that Benson is special and it should be “saved” for the title games. I get that thinking and don’t disagree with it. Sort of like a few years ago when the finals were at OSU. They didn’t host any other playoff games except the final. I know that’s an extreme analogy but I think it fits.
The OHSAA doesn't concern themselves with that idea. In 1999 if Lake would have won its semifinal game they would have played twice at Fawcett that year. Do you think that the OHSAA would walk away from a huge pay day? A lot of people from Stark County would go to this game just to go....especially with the size of Benson...there would be plenty of good seats and the people would know how to park around there. This is an issue where the HoF wouldn't open it because of all the help they have to pay....plus the OHSAA is at fault because they didn't want to pay more for the use of the stadium.
 
Last edited:
Fine, and I can accept that, so why not put Massillon vs. Lake in Brunswick which holds 10,000? For a mere 1,000 more in capacity, the schedulers at OHSAA sent two Parma schools across the river on I480 at rush hour to Maple Hts. instead of letting them play 1 and 3 miles from their schools. This had all the makings of a huge community event for Parma, a city without a ton to celebrate since Ghoulardi left for Hollywood. Ridiculous move.
Parma socks and DOROTHY!! Cool it with the boom booms...lol
 
I think at least 5K with the chance to maybe have gotten up to the 8K mark depending on weather and it being located in Parma.

I'm basing that from 2021 Week 1 game at North Royalton (5K) nearly being sold out. Padua packed the smaller visitors side at Royalton and the much larger home side was close to being full; and the regional semifinal playoff game last year at Brooklyn (3.1K) was more than sold out last year and I'm guessing with SRO was closer to 4K. The week one game this year was also a sell out, but Padua only holds 2,500 or so.

Overall, I think Maple Heights should be fine for this game since it holds 5K. It's not as ideal as it could have been but it could have been a lot worse.
This year's week 1 game was well over 3,000 (some estimated it over 4K) - they bring in extra temporary bleachers for HN games and there wasn't a place to stand on the fence either. The place was packed for that game.
 
I find it interesting there is complete silence as to any schools in Stark Co that offered to host.
Christmas party or not there was no was this game was going to Benson, I wouldn’t be surprised in a few years if the title games are gone from there as well.
 
I think at least 5K with the chance to maybe have gotten up to the 8K mark depending on weather and it being located in Parma.

I'm basing that from 2021 Week 1 game at North Royalton (5K) nearly being sold out. Padua packed the smaller visitors side at Royalton and the much larger home side was close to being full; and the regional semifinal playoff game last year at Brooklyn (3.1K) was more than sold out last year and I'm guessing with SRO was closer to 4K. The week one game this year was also a sell out, but Padua only holds 2,500 or so.

Overall, I think Maple Heights should be fine for this game since it holds 5K. It's not as ideal as it could have been but it could have been a lot worse.
Agreed. If clear but cold, I think possibly 6,000 - 8,000 at Byers based on what you said and some family anecdotes. One son-in-law of mine is a Padua alum as is his father, sister, and uncle. They were all in for Byers as was my daughter's best friend, also a 20-something alum. They weren't at the week 1 game nor are they going to Maple Hts. I know another guy, Padua '85, who was thinking of coming in from Van Wert. No data, of course, but I bet there are a lot of alums like these who'd go to Byers for the nostalgia as well as some Parma locals friends or family in either school.
 
I find it interesting there is complete silence as to any schools in Stark Co that offered to host.
Christmas party or not there was no was this game was going to Benson, I wouldn’t be surprised in a few years if the title games are gone from there as well.
This is where the OHSAA has to step in...when Lake had the Perry Massillon game there were agreements that helped with involved costs. Our AD thou didn't mind taking on the responsibility. From a field stand point North Canton is out with the work they are doing, Green's, GlenOak's, and Jackson's press box would have not been able to handle the demand for space...Perry's would have been very tight....the only two Fed stadiums that could make it work would be Benson and Lake's. Massillon's of course would work but from a partisan view...I wouldn't want that...lol
 
Last edited:
Agreed. If clear but cold, I think possibly 6,000 - 8,000 at Byers based on what you said and some family anecdotes. One son-in-law of mine is a Padua alum as is his father, sister, and uncle. They were all in for Byers as was my daughter's best friend, also a 20-something alum. They weren't at the week 1 game nor are they going to Maple Hts. I know another guy, Padua '85, who was thinking of coming in from Van Wert. No data, of course, but I bet there are a lot of alums like these who'd go to Byers for the nostalgia as well as some Parma locals friends or family in either school.
I think the biggest factor is that not only is Byers right in the middle of Parma/Parma Heights, but it is also an easy drive from the two schools' alumni base that is largely in the SW suburbs. I think if it were at Brunswick, it probably would have been a similar draw as to what Byers would have been because even though Maple and Brunswick are about the same distance from Parma, a ton of alumni live in Strongsville, Royalton, Brunswick, etc., so, going to Maple is an additional 20 to 25 minutes (could be as much as an additional hour depending on traffic at the 480 bridge) than what Byers or Brunswick would have been for them.

Anecdotally, as well, I've heard from a couple people who haven't been to a game in a couple of years say they would "for sure check it out" when it was thought it would be at Byers (or Brunswick). Now, it's "looks like it will be cold and I'm not sure I want to drive all the way out to Maple."

And while it sounds silly, there is a huge imaginary wall at the river (I-480 bridge in this case) where some westsiders refuse to go across unless they have to (not sure for some of the HN-Padua casuals consider this to be a reason). Personally, I have always enjoyed going to the eastside, though Maple Heights isn't exactly a destination spot. Nothing against Maple just that it's basically Brook Park ... but further away, lol.
 
Its really a no-brainer that a boat was missed on the Parma site. Doesn't mean someone was offering a site but it would have been nice to have this in Parma. Drew Carey might have shown up.
Drew's a Rhodes guy from Old Brooklyn but throw a football across Brookpark Road and it lands in Parma ... so yeah, could have had a celebrity in the house, lol.
 
The Miz (WWE) went to Normandy but I don't think he played football.
Lol, Chris Broussard has "multiple sauces" that say both Drew Carey and The Miz opted out from attending this game when it was announced it would be played at Maple Heights.

That may be an obscure reference for a HS football message board, but Broussard is a Holy Name alum (and unfortunately an NBA meme). My sauces tell me Broussard will not be there, either.
 
Why?? Not very neutral.. 23 minutes from MU and 57 from VV. Should’ve been at Welcome Stadium.
well, this game should’ve been at Trotwood, but for some reason the OHSAA is in love with sending every BADIN game ever to Trotwood. looks like Northmont and Butler didn’t want to host. so they went with Piqua- a very, very nice complex. one of my favorite to watch playoff games. it’s a little closer for MU, but not atrocious. the OHSAA has made some poor choices regarding neutral sites this year- but i wouldn’t say this game is one of them.
 
well, this game should’ve been at Trotwood, but for some reason the OHSAA is in love with sending every BADIN game ever to Trotwood. looks like Northmont and Butler didn’t want to host. so they went with Piqua- a very, very nice complex. one of my favorite to watch playoff games. it’s a little closer for MU, but not atrocious. the OHSAA has made some poor choices regarding neutral sites this year- but i wouldn’t say this game is one of them.
In the end, I don't think the kids will let it get to them. Should be a great one.
 
Agreed. If clear but cold, I think possibly 6,000 - 8,000 at Byers based on what you said and some family anecdotes. One son-in-law of mine is a Padua alum as is his father, sister, and uncle. They were all in for Byers as was my daughter's best friend, also a 20-something alum. They weren't at the week 1 game nor are they going to Maple Hts. I know another guy, Padua '85, who was thinking of coming in from Van Wert. No data, of course, but I bet there are a lot of alums like these who'd go to Byers for the nostalgia as well as some Parma locals friends or family in either school.

Do they even have the ingredients in Maple Heights for barszcz? Peirogi on a stick? How they gonna feed the people?
 
Top