Super Six stays in Wheeling for four more years
By Rick Ryan - Charleston Gazette
The Super Six will continue to have that Wheeling feeling for another four years.
The state high school football championships were again awarded to Wheeling, their host since 1994, at the conclusion of a two-day meeting in Parkersburg of the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors voted on the location of three state championships - also approving bids to keep cross country at Cabell Midland in Ona and soccer at the YMCA Sports Complex in Beckley. All three of those contracts cover four years, from the 2012-13 school year to 2015-16.
The three Super Six title games have been played at Wheeling Island Stadium the previous 18 seasons. Prior to that, they were held at Laidley Field in Charleston from 1979-93.
Bernie Dolan of Wheeling's Super Six committee agreed that the SSAC seems to be "comfortable'' with the job his city has done hosting the games.
"I think so,'' he said. "But I think there's always room for improvement, and we always evaluate our product from the year before.
"You never know what will happen when you put your bid in. You put in what you can afford and hope it's enough. We put a substantial chunk into it as far as money for the teams and the rooms and meals we give them.''
The mysterious "second city'' to file a bid to host the football championships turned out to be Princeton, which planned to hold the games at Hunnicutt Stadium next to Princeton High School. That field was outfitted with artificial turf in 2007.
"I really commend the folks in Princeton,'' said Gary Ray, executive director of the SSAC. "They worked to put together legitimate information in their bid to try and host. I appreciate the effort they put forth.''
There had been speculation that Greenbrier East might have been working on a bid to stage the Super Six at Spartan Stadium in Fairlea - possibly with the help of Jim Justice....