Blitz Reader Survey results

Wilkins

Question 1

Best state championship team in the Valley’s history?

XYour pick: 1973 Cardinal Mooney. Led by incomparable RB Ted Bell, regarded by many as the best football player in the Valley’s history, the Cardinals went 11-1 and defeated defending state champion Warren Western Reserve in the AAA state championship game, 14-3.

The Cardinals, whose only loss was a 6-0 defeat in Week 6 to Reserve, also defeated top-ranked Cincinnati Moeller in the state semifinal — a game Coach Don Bucci credits for helping put Mooney on the map.

In short, it was a darn fine choice by the readers.

XOur pick: Tough call, but we chose Mooney’s 1980 team over the 1973 team by the slimmest of margins.

Led by All-American lineman Bob Maggs, the 1980 team went 12-0 — a Boardman teacher’s strike wiped out a game against the Spartans and their junior QB Bernie Kosar — and won its three playoff games by a combined score of 123-12 en route to the Division II crown.

Question 2

At $9, are playoff ticket prices too high?

XYour pick: Yes.

XOur pick: Yes.

In fairness, last year’s presale tickets were $7, which is a little more reasonable. And we realize the OHSAA pays a lot of bills through football (because most of that money sure isn’t going to the schools hosting — or playing in — the game). But $9 for a regional quarterfinal is just too steep, especially if you want to bring your kids to the game.

We’d like to see a separate scale for kids — say, $5 for 12-and-under — and we’d like to see the escalation stop. State championship tickets are already $10 and it’s only a matter of time before that number goes up.

Question 3

Should the OHSAA move the football finals to Columbus?

XYour pick: No.

XOur pick: No.

Columbus is the right choice for the state finals in just about every sport, mainly for geographical reasons. (Why the state volleyball finals are still in Dayton baffles us and while we love the quick trip to Akron for the state softball finals, we can certainly sympathize with, say, Cincinnati teams who hate the trip. As for swimming being in Canton, well, there’s just not a better option elsewhere, so the state is pretty much stuck.)

In football, however, Stark County is the clear choice. In Canton’s Fawcett Stadium and Massillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, you have two perfectly-sized stadiums within driving distance of each other, allowing fans to see all six games over the two-day weekend in a terrific atmosphere for high school football. There might not be a better setup in the country, much less the rest of Ohio.

As for Columbus, Ohio Stadium is way, way, way too big. And holding the finals in Crew Stadium — a soccer stadium! — just seems wrong.

Question 4

After Maurice Clarett, who is the best area player of the last 25 years?

XYour pick: Tie: Jeff Wilkins and Mario Manningham.

XOur pick: Can we punt?

Can’t go wrong with any pick here. We framed the question to get a wide range of responses and we succeeded, with no clear-cut winner. (Although we should have specified that we were looking for the player with the best high school career.)

Wilkins played quarterback at Fitch, but is best known for his kicking career, first as a two-time national champion at YSU and later as a Super Bowl champion with the St. Louis Rams. Manningham was a standout receiver first at Warren Harding — who can forget his four touchdown game against Massillon as a sophomore in 2002? — and later at Michigan and the New York Giants.

As for us, there was no consensus, although if Danny McCarthy hadn’t suffered a neck injury in 2007, thereby (presumably) leading Mooney to a second straight undefeated season while under center and winning Mr. Football, he probably runs away with it.

Other reader choices include Ursuline RBs Terrence Graves, Delbert Ferguson and Sean Penny, Chaney brothers Anthony and Antwan Floyd, Campbell RB Shawn Patton, Mooney RB Steve Johnson, Rayen WR Sam Crenshaw, Struthers QB Rick McFadden.

Alas, Bernie Kosar did not make the list. He graduated in 1982.

Question 5

Should public and private schools compete in different divisions?

XYour pick: Yes.

XOur pick: No.

It’s easy to see the readers’ frustration. Over the past five years, for example, 13 of Ohio’s 30 state football champions have been Catholic schools, even though Catholic schools make up less than 10 percent of the schools in the state.

While there is a case to be made that parochial schools have an unfair advantage — particularly in the lower divisions — we feel there is a better solution, which we’ll address in a minute.

Besides, “Public school state champion” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

(No pun intended.)

Question 6

Biggest change you’d like to see?

XYour pick: Make parochial schools compete in high divisions.

XOur pick: Ditto.

Schools that draw from several different districts too often have an advantage over schools that draw from one.

Our solution would involve a multiplier. Several states have added a multiplier for private schools — 1.65 is about average — meaning private schools that draw from several districts would have their enrollment multipled by 1.65. So, if you have 100 students, you’d have an enrollment of 165.

(Aaron Dorksen of the Wooster Daily Record wrote a terrific story exploring this concept last year. You can find it at: www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4443649.)

But don’t stop at parochial schools. If a school benefits from open enrollment, they’d be under the system, too. And you can adjust the multiplier based on the school’s enrollment area — the more districts you draw from, the higher then multiplier.

Will it happen? Probably not. As parochial schools like to point out, if public schools don’t like the system, they certainly have the votes to change it. So far they haven’t.

Question 7

Which area high school has the best band?

XYour pick: South Range.

XOur pick: Boardman.

Far be it from us to levy charges of ballot-stuffing just because South Range’s band got more votes than any other answer in any other question in the survey, but something smells fishy here. (Maybe the fact that the Raiders’ band Web site calls for visitors to visit Vindy.com and vote for their favorite band has something to do with it. Hmmm.)

So, while we love South Range’s band (and would be open to the argument that it is the best for its size in the area), Boardman is our clear winner, with Poland second.

No other band sounds as good, or plays songs as varied, as the Spartans’.

Question 8

Should high school football games start at 7 or 7:30?

XYour pick: 7:30.

XOur pick: 7.

No surprise here. A 7:30 start gives fans a little bit more time to get the game after work, while a 7 p.m. start gives us a little bit more time to work on the next morning’s newspaper.

Frankly, we’d like to see it moved back to 6. Or noon. But we’ll settle for 7, especially on Saturday nights, where there is no good reason to start at 7:30.

Question 9

After Mooney-Ursuline, what’s the best area rivalry?

XYour pick: Canfield-Poland.

XOur pick: Ditto.

Canfield-Poland is also our pick for best overall rivalry when all sports are considered. There always seems to be something on the line and the fan interest is as good as it gets.

Question 10

Best place to watch a game?

XYour pick: Poland’s Dave Pavlansky Field, narrowly edging out YSU’s Stambaugh Stadium.

XOur pick: Mollenkopf Stadium.

After the recent renovations, Dave Pavlansky Field is stunning, no doubt. (Although, as one reader pointed out, the parking situation is still bad.) But for our money, you can’t beat Mollenkopf.

All things considered — stadium size (big, but not too big), turf (FieldTurf), history (between Western Reserve, Harding and JFK, there have been four state championship teams to play there) and, of course, press box size — there’s no better place for a big game.