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November 22, 2008

Playoff game schedule keeps stands full, registers running

By Todd Wills The Corsicana Daily Sun Sat Nov 22, 2008, 07:13 PM CST

Corsicana built it, and they have come.

On Friday, they came from Caddo Mills and McGregor. On Saturday it was Tyler, Garland and Lake Highlands.

And this football crazy town hasn’t seen anything yet.

Next week Corsicana could play host to the marquee weekend of Texas high school football for Week 3 of the playoffs, with playoffs games already scheduled for Carter vs. Longview and Carthage vs. Rockdale, plus the possibility of Highland Park vs. Midway and Lufkin vs. Copperas Cove.

The draw? Three-year old Tiger Stadium and the fact that Corsicana is in the center of the high school football universe.

“We will have the premier schedule of games next weekend in the state,” said Bobby August, the stadium manager for Tiger Stadium. “Not Texas Stadium, not the Alamodome. Tiger Stadium.”

Carthage and Rockdale will play Friday at 8 p.m. Longview and Carter will play at 2 p.m. Saturday. Highland Park-Midway would be 2 p.m. Friday, and Lufkin-Copperas Cove would play Saturday night.

A lot of individuals deserve credit for turning Tiger Stadium into a top destination when it comes to hosting high school football playoffs games. August said the leadership and organization of athletic director Joe Young has been integral.

Young said that August has made hospitality so much an important part of hosting playoff games that word of mouth has spread that Corsicana is the place to go for a central meeting place because of its proximity to Dallas, Waco and East Texas.

The fact that Longview had a good experience last year playing two playoff games in Corsicana has helped spread the word that Tiger Stadium is an elite site, August said.

August and last year’s AD, Sam Thompson, also hit the pavement looking for playoff games. It has helped that Tigers coach Dave Henigan was on the staff of Randy Allen at Highland Park and that August has a good friend on the Carthage coaching staff.

The bond package that paid for the new stadium that opened two years ago wasn’t passed with the idea that Tiger Stadium would become a top playoff site. But there was an idea that because of the location on Interstate 45 and Highway 31 Corsicana could be a nice central location for some schools.

“We knew the potential,” said CISD superintendent Don Denbow. “It was certainly not the primary reason. We built it for CISD kids. But hosting playoff games has been a good off-shoot.”

Denbow said according to Texas Tourism estimations, hosting football playoff games last year in Corsicana meant an estimated $1.3 million economic boost to the city.

Tiger Stadium played host to seven playoff games last year, including the Class 2A Division I state title game, an overtime thriller won by Farmersville over Tatum.

“Sam wanted to host a state championship game before he retired,” August said.

There were the two 5A playoff games last year, and with 5A being the state’s largest classification, that means the potential for larger crowds.

If things go the way they could go next weekend, Tiger Stadium could be up to three 5A playoff games this year. Plus, August predicts a Highland Park-Midway playoff game would draw a standing-room only crowd to the 10,001-capacity stadium.

“It pushes the community as a good place to come,” Denbow said. “Joe Young and Bobby August have done a good job of taking this to this level.

“It’s a happy occurrence.”

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Todd Wills may be reached by e-mail at twills@corsicanadailysun.com.

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