Football at Ohio State has support
This spring, Canton and Massillon had their contracts extended through 2009.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Ohio State officials and about half of high school players surveyed across the state say they would prefer Ohio Stadium as the site of the six division championship prep football games played each season.
Canton and Massillon in northeast Ohio have hosted some or all of the high school championship games for the past 16 years, and the cities had their contracts extended through 2009 this spring.
Horseshoe hopefuls
Although the bidding won't open for three years, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and athletic director Gene Smith say they will lobby to return the games to the Horseshoe, where they were played for most of the 1980s. They say holding the championships will help recruit students and athletes.
"Without question, we want those games here in our stadium," Tressel said. "There is no stadium in this state, or maybe the country, like Ohio Stadium. It would be such a special experience in a special environment for the kids."
Of the 1,827 high school players surveyed by The Columbus Dispatch, 52 percent said they would prefer to play at Ohio State. The newspaper surveyed players from 30 schools throughout the state that have routinely qualified for the playoffs, played in last year's championship games or have competed in at least one championship game in the last decade.
"Just about anyone who plays high school football here dreams of playing in the Horseshoe, and that's where the championships should be," said Zach Steve, a senior tackle for Columbus Brookhaven.
The stadiums in Canton and Massillon each got 11 percent of the vote, coming in after Cleveland Browns Stadium with 13 percent and Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati with 12 percent.
Cincinnati is lobbying for the games with the help of Bengals owner Mike Brown, while Cleveland officials say they plan to explore a potential bid.
In Columbus' bid this spring, the city did not offer Ohio Stadium as a site for the games. Putting the Horseshoe in the mix would ramp up the competition, said Dan Ross, commissioner of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, which chooses the sites.
"It would be tremendous for Columbus to have that facility in their bid," Ross said. "But we would give all bids for those games the same hard look."
OHSAA officials say the sites in Canton and Massillon are almost perfect. The high school stadiums have artificial turf to protect against winter weather, plenty of parking and good lighting.
More than 700 Ohio high schools compete to get a spot in the playoffs, which usually begin in November and finish up with the six division championship games in the beginning of December. The combined attendance for the title games is usually around 60,000, and Canton officials estimate they generate up to $3 million for the local economy.
At disadvantage
Some coaches in the southern part of the state have complained that traveling to northeast Ohio puts them at a disadvantage. Others argue that Canton and Massillon are the best places for the games because there are no other teams to steal the prep players' glory.
"In Columbus, the Buckeyes are the main attraction; in Cleveland and Cincinnati, the professional football teams take center stage; but in Massillon and Canton, Friday nights in the fall are what people live for," said Chris Spielman, who played at Massillon Washington High School and Ohio State. "I say leave the games there."