×

Football makes its grand return

Fans of high school football around the region will be directing their attention toward Harding Stadium Thursday night, as the 2016 season gets under way.

The fabled facility will be the site of a doubleheader beginning with a matchup between Steubenville Big Red and Washington, D.C., Woodrow Wilson at 5:45 p.m. The game between Catholic Central and Wheeling Central will follow at approximately 7:45 p.m.

Area residents who attend those games will be among the first to see the renovations that have been made to the stadium. The $2.5 million project includes improved access, new seating and a new fieldhouse for visiting teams.

And then the season gets into full swing Friday when Oak Glen visits Weir High, East Liverpool visits Edison, Toronto visits Wellsville, Martins Ferry visits Buckeye Local, Brooke visits Huntington, Claymont visits Harrison Central and Cambridge visits Indian Creek. Weirton Madonna will close out the first week of the local scheduled on Saturday, when it visits Bishop Donahue.

Those games will mark the return of the pageantry and traditions that make weekends in our region special as summer turns into fall.

Many local fans spend countless hours studying the strengths and weaknesses of each of our region’s teams, and they are quick to compare notes with their neighbors, co-workers, friends, relatives and, yes, even area coaches.

One way to make sure you’re prepared when those discussions start is to read our annual pre-season football publication, the Gridiron. The must-read magazine is being distributed with today’s newspaper, and includes in-depth stories about each of our area teams, a well as some other interesting feature stories. It is building on the 2014 and 2015 editions, which each captured first-place honors in the best special sports section category when The Associated Press Media Editors presented their annual awards.

Athletic contests help to bring area communities together, and, while a large part of the attention seems to be directed toward the football teams, we once again offer the reminder that the other fall sports, including golf, soccer, volleyball and cross country are under way. The young men and women who are involved in those sports are deserving of your support, as are those who are involved in cheerleading or in the marching band.

We must also remind everyone to keep their enthusiasm in check  and to remember that the athletes on the fields and the courts are only 16, 17 and 18 years of age. They’re high school students who need your support to grow into adults, not seasoned professionals.

Fall sports are in full swing — to the athletes, we say good luck and hope you all have safe competitions. And to the adults, we say by all means cheer for your favorite team, but never forget that building an atmosphere that encourages sportsmanship and respect rests on your shoulders.

We hope to everyone at the stadium and or the field this year.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.73/week.

Subscribe Today