The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association executive board voted on Monday to approve three venues to host the 2019 WIAA football state championships.
The six championship games will be at Sparks Stadium (Puyallup), Harry E. Lang Stadium (Lakewood) and Mount Tahoma Stadium (Tacoma).
All games will be scheduled as doubleheaders on Dec. 7, with the first game kicking off at noon followed by a 4 p.m. start for the second. Mount Tahoma Stadium will host the 1B and 4A championships, Sparks Stadium will host the 3A and 2A championships while Harry E. Lang Stadium will host the 1A and 2B championships.
The three stadiums are located within 13 miles of one another, which will allow fans the possibility to see multiple games during the day. A ticket purchased at any location will provide valid entry for all three sites.
“The mission of the WIAA staff and executive board was to find three locations that were close in proximity to each other and could handle the needs of a WIAA state championship,” said WIAA Executive Director Mick Hoffman. “We are grateful for each of the site managers who made these great stadiums available as we believe they will provide a terrific atmosphere for the biggest games of the year.”
The board approved the sites and times but also noted that if two schools from similar geographic areas in central or eastern Washington advance to a championship game, they may have the option to play the game locally at a mutually agreed upon site pending WIAA approval. If agreement from the three parties cannot be reached, the game will be played as originally scheduled.
The Tacoma Dome hosted the WIAA Gridiron Classic since the 1995 season, however, rising rental fees and a revised seating configuration led to the executive board’s decision to move in a different direction at its May meeting.
WIAA state football championships sites
1B championship: Mount Tahoma Stadium (Tacoma), noon
2B championship: Harry E. Lang Stadium (Lakewood), 4 p.m.
1A championship: Harry E. Lang Stadium, noon
2A championship: Sparks Stadium – (Puyallup), 4 p.m.
3A championship: Sparks Stadium, noon
4A championship: Mount Tahoma Stadium, 4 p.m.
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
