CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin says the WVSSAC High School Football Championship games have left the Capital City almost completely booked on both hotel accommodations and restaurant reservations.
Amy Shuler Goodwin
“That’s music to any mayor’s ears when you hear hotels are at capacity and it’s going to be really hard to get a supper reservation,” Goodwin said on MetroNews “Talkline” Tuesday. “Needless to say, we’re thrilled to host after 30 years…we’re going to have to rise to that occasion,” Goodwin said.
The four state championship games will, in fact, be in Charleston for the first time in 30 years, as Wheeling has been the host since before the turn of the century. The City of Charleston won the most recent bid to host the games over Wheeling, Bluefield, and a split bid from Morgantown and Huntington.
The games will now be played at UC Stadium at Laidley Field.
Goodwin, who was raised in Wheeling, says it’s sad to see the championships moved from her hometown, but it presents a prime opportunity for her city.
“As a girl who grew up in Wheeling, it’s a little bittersweet, except now being mayor of the Capital City, I will tell you we’re really looking forward to this opportunity, but knowing full well that Wheeling set a very high bar.”
Goodwin says reaching that high bar is giving the athletes an unforgettable experience.
“Our number one goal in all of this when we went out to bid and all got together and said, ‘we’re all in,’ the main that that we said is we want to make sure that our student athletes, that these kids who are coming in are going to have an unbelievable experience,” Goodwin said.
Goodwin says providing the unforgettable experience comes with great attention to detail.
“It’s not just about putting a couple fresh coats of paint on locker rooms and new equipment, it’s also making sure that you’re coordinating food, food delivery, hotel accommodations for folks as well,” Goodwin said. “There are so many moving parts.”
The four title games were moved back one week past the original date due to a delay in the high school playoffs that stemmed from multiple injunctions filed based off what teams were in the playoffs. After the one-week delay, the playoffs began and now are at the final stage, with just three combined losses from the eight schools competing for a state title.
Goodwin says a football championship game is the pinnacle of high school sporting events in the Mountain State, and it’s the Capital City’s job to come through with a good experience.
“If you go back to the time where you were competing in sports in high school this was it. To make it to the top,” Goodwin said. “You don’t forget those experiences and we wanted to make sure that we not only met, but exceeded these athletes’ and coaches’ expectations.”
The WVSSAC High School Football Championship games are as follows:
Class A: No. 4 Cameron (12-1) vs. No. 3 Wahama (13-0) – Friday, December 13 at noon
Class AA: No. 1 Frankfort (13-0) vs. No. 2 Roane County (13-0) – Friday, 7 p.m.
Class AAA: No. 4 Herbert Hoover (13-0) vs. No. 3 Bridgeport (13-0) – Saturday, December 14 at noon
Class AAAA: No. 2 Spring Mills (12-1) vs. No. 1 Martinsburg (12-1) – Saturday, December 14 at 7 p.m.
All games can be streamed on the MetroNews Television app.