High school football in the state of Ohio is unmatched. There have been plenty of outstanding players throughout the years, but the stadiums they have played in are just as iconic.
As part of the USA Today’s 250 for 250 celebration, local newspaper markets representing smaller USA Today properties in the Buckeye state are taking a closer look at high school football stadiums.
A group of sports journalists representing Ashland, Bucyrus, Cambridge, Chillicothe, Coshocton, Fremont, Lancaster, Mansfield, Marion, Port Clinton, and Zanesville and their surrounding areas compiled a list of the best high school football stadiums.
Now it’s your turn to pick the best of the best. Be sure to vote in the poll below, and if you feel we’ve left your favorite high school stadium out, go ahead and write in yours from one of the above markets.
Here are the top 16 best high school football stadiums representing these areas:
The poll will run from June 28 to July 3, during which time the results will be revealed.
Fulton Field, Lancaster H.S.
The Stadium opened in 1963 and was named in honor of Cyrus Fulton, a local philanthropist and former Anchor Hocking executive who donated funds to build the stadium. Originally a natural-grass field, the venue underwent a major multi-phase upgrade in 2018 when the school district raised funds to install high-performance synthetic turf. The current seating capacity is 5,600.
Harding Stadium, Steubenville H.S.
Known as “Death Valley” to visiting opponents, the Big Red has a 78% winning percentage there. Very cool setting with their fire-breathing horse named “Big Red” celebrates touchdowns by the host Big Red!! The stadium was built in 1930 and seats close to 10,000.
White Field, Newark H.S.
White Field has been a destination for high school football fans in downtown Newark since 1938. Fans particularly filled the stands each weekend during the 1970s when watching the memorable Newark teams led by Hoss Starr and the 1980s, watching state championship Newark Catholic teams coached by J.D. Graham. White Field has not always been a football venue. It served as the host for the championship game of the Licking County Shrine Tournament, an iconic recreational youth baseball tournament, and for a couple of seasons of the minor league Newark Moundsmen in the 1940s.
Randy Baughman Stadium, Licking Valley H.S.
Sits high on a hill in the community of Hanover, just east of Newark. The stadium bears the name of coach Randy Baughman, who has turned Licking Valley football into a state powerhouse during the past four decades. Fans fill the stadium on Friday nights, and the roar of the Panther echoes throughout the valley. The Panthers have made it an intimidating home-field advantage, completing their 10th unbeaten regular season last October.
The Colt Corral, Clear Fork H.S.
The Colt Corral is the pride of the Clear Fork Valley. Home of the Colts, it has seen every single football game ever played in Clear Fork High School history. A picturesque setting with a natural hill that people like to bring makeshift lawn chairs to for prime views.
Harding Stadium, Marion Harding H.S.
The venerable stadium dates to the Great Depression and was built as a WPA project in the 1930s. For years, it was home to the U.S. Open Drum and Bugle Corps Championships and is a regular host of OHSAA football playoff games, one of the oldest high school track meets in Ohio, and also semipro soccer. In the last decade, it’s undergone many structural improvements and upgrades, including a turf field, new track, and scoreboard. It seats roughly 7,300.
Arlin Field, Mansfield Senior H.S.
Named for Harold Arlin, the first announcer of the first commercial broadcasting station in America and Mansfield’s Chief Booster and school board president for 16 years, Arlin Field is in the heart of the city. Arlin Field seats 12,500 people and opened in 1947, and is home to the 1949 AP Poll state champions.
Bob Wine Field, Lucas H.S.
One of the best small-school settings in Richland County. Bob Wine Field turns into a Bob Ross painting during the late fall when the leaves turn colors and start to fall on the field. Bob Wine Field is home to the 2019 Division VII state runner-up Lucas Cubs. And the sound effects coming out of the press box are next level.
Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon H.S.
A fitting place for many state finals and semifinal games through the years, the place where the film “Go Tigers” was documented is as good as it gets when it comes to an all-encompassing experience. With easy access from multiple directions (from I-77 to the east, US 30 to the north, and Ohio 11 to the west), ample parking and two full-size press boxes, this venue is ideal for big games and has hosted the Ohio North-South All-Star Game annually for most of the decade.
John D. Sulsberger Memorial Stadium, Zanesville H.S.
Much like Massillon, this venue in Muskingum County hasn’t only been a big-game host in a convenient location off I-70, between Wheeling and Columbus, but offers two fully renovated press boxes, ample sideline space, and 6,000 in seating capacity — even more should fans choose to sit on the hillsides around the stadium. Nestled below “The Knoll,” the red, white, and blue “Devil Head” logo that lights up in the high school’s windows, coupled with the setting sun over the property’s west end zone, provides an ambiance few can match.
Crater Stadium, Dover H.S.
Dover fans are known for their exuberance, and this venerable stadium, which has also undergone renovations through the years, is one of the loudest anywhere. Like Sulsberger and Harding, it has also hosted myriad big games, including the annual rivalry game with neighboring New Philadelphia, which is always filled to the gills. Dover players enter through a large gray inflatable Dover helmet, where smoke pours from the nether regions, a la the Miami Hurricanes. There is as much parking here as anywhere in the East District, but limited visitor press box space and inconvenient location in the back end of a city neighborhood push this down the list a bit for me.
Jim Rockwell Stadium, New Lexington H.S.
In a region filled with great football atmospheres, such as Sheridan’s Paul Culver Jr. Stadium, Philo’s Jim Rockwell Stadium, and the former Village Park Stadium in Crooksville, none can top this venerable venue in the Perry County seat. Nestled at the base of Arethusa Springs Park, “The Rock” sits at the base of a hill in a pit-style atmosphere where fans can sit in renovated bleachers on both sides, on the adjacent hillsides, behind an expansive fence line that surrounds the playing field or freeload from the stadium’s protective chain link fences. When it’s filled, there is no better place to take in a game.
Herrnstein Field at Obadiah Harris Family Complex, Chillicothe H.S.
Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium, New Philadelphia H.S.
Follis Field, Wooster H.S.
Red Rider Stadium, Orville H.S.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Is your favorite Ohio high school football stadium the best one?
Reporting by Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
