Documenting my travels and thoughts from around the country
2023 Week 14 (Pennsylvania)
After spending two weeks in Texas and New Mexico, I was back home in the familiar confines of western Pennsylvania. There was really only one plan for Week 14. And that was the four games at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. Continue reading “2023 Week 14 (Pennsylvania)”
2022 Week 16 (Pennsylvania)
The Pennsylvania Finals had been held at Hershey’s Hersheypark Stadium since 1998. With the state finals starting in 1988, it took four seasons before all four games were held at just one location. Before Hershey, and after those first four seasons, the games were held at Altoona’s Mansion Park Stadium. In the first and fourth year, games were held all over. Penn State, Shippensburg, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area, and South Stadium in Pittsburgh even. Continue reading “2022 Week 16 (Pennsylvania)”
2022 Week 14 (Pennsylvania)
It’s definitely strange to call it Acrisure Stadium. Though, after years of Cleveland Browns Stadium being renamed FirstEnergy Stadium, it is a bit funny that not only did the Steelers lose their naming rights partner that was Pittsburgh based, but now is named after a company that most probably still have no idea what they do. Continue reading “2022 Week 14 (Pennsylvania)”
2021 Week 16 (Pennsylvania)
What season would it be if I wasn’t at the PIAA Championships? Of course I was going to be in Hershey. And it had a semblance of normalcy this year that was utterly lacking last season. We also had a large contingent of PFN personnel there to cover Pennsylvania’s title games. Continue reading “2021 Week 16 (Pennsylvania)”
2020 Week 6 (Ohio & Pennsylvania)
My weekend went exactly as planned. Which is a bit of a shock. I had hoped for different games. But, options were limits and the options themselves had limits. So, Ohio is where I started on Thursday. Continue reading “2020 Week 6 (Ohio & Pennsylvania)”
2019 Week 16 (Pennsylvania)
The Pennsylvania State Championships are a fun, albeit slightly subdued affair. Unlike other states still playing this late, lack of warm weather hinders the crowds, and some of Pennsylvania’s crowds are paltry. Only 950 attended the Thursday afternoon game between 1A powers Farrell (one of the smallest public schools in the state) and Bishop Guilfoyle, a private school also from the west side of the state. Continue reading “2019 Week 16 (Pennsylvania)”
Week 4 saw a bit of upheaval with my schedule. Thursday didn’t have much to offer. Either a game at Cupples Stadium, North Royalton, or a three hour drive to Licking Valley. But, none of that happened due to personal reasons. Having already had four games scheduled for Friday and Saturday, I had to pass on a Thursday entirely.
2019 Week 3 (Pennsylvania)
Week 3 ended up a bit more local than I had thought. My original Week 3 plans included trips to Punxsutawney, Erie, Youngstown, and New Philadelphia. But, with a Browns game on Sunday, decided to stick a bit closer to home on Saturday night. Continue reading “2019 Week 3 (Pennsylvania)”
2019 Week 2 (Ohio)
Week 2 opened in Ohio. With the OHSAA bumped back a week starting with this cycle, meant OHSAA Week One games were this weekend. And as with most years, a number of Thursday games in the Mahoning Valley kick off the season. Continue reading “2019 Week 2 (Ohio)”
2018 Week 16 (Pennsylvania)
Once again, the season starts winding down with Pennsylvania’s PIAA Championships in Hershey. Pennsylvania is in the third year of the Six Classes experiment. The championship schedule is a much simpler two-games-a-day. Thursday and Friday hosting games at 1pm and 7pm, and Saturday starting an hour earlier. For the 21st year, the championships were held at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey. A company town just east of the state capital. The stadium holds 14,000–if ever needed–and enough parking for everyone to take two cars. Continue reading “2018 Week 16 (Pennsylvania)”