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For the past 30 years, no city in West Virginia has been able to match the package local officials put together annually to host the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission Super Six High School Football Championship games here in Wheeling. During that time, the key to the local success has been to put the kids first, at all times, through events and other items that let the players know that this game is special. Charleston -- the former longtime host of the championship games -- had allowed the games there to devolve into teams showing up, playing and then going home, which is why the championships moved to Wheeling. And since 1994, Wheeling has enhanced its proposal to fend off every competing bid from other cities seeking to relocate the games -- simply because the package local officials and businesses put together could not be matched.
The playing field of cities seeking to host the games appears to be changing this year. On Wednesday, groups seeking to host the games for the next three or four years will travel to Parkersburg to pitch the SSAC board of directors. Wheeling will be there, with Super Six co-directors Rick Jones, assistant superintendent of Ohio County Schools, and Wheeling Park High School football coach and athletics director Chris Daugherty making the pitch. They will be pitching against representatives of four other cities -- a joint Morgantown/Huntington delegation, Bluefield and Charleston.
The local representatives have their work cut out for them. Jones said while much of the bid will focus on what's been done in Wheeling over the past three decades, there will be a new focus for the coming years.
"We want to try to use Oglebay Park a little bit more, just because it's so beautiful there. We have several things, there's an academic breakfast that will honor academic achievers throughout the state. There's a lot that goes into it and we'll just try to, with new people, enhance it where we can, and keep it the same on the things that really are as good as you can do," Jones said.
There's also talk of getting Marshall County Schools more involved with the Super Six if it remains in Wheeling, particularly since it will become the "Super Eight" later this year with the state's new classification system. That's a good move to keep more of the focus for the kids in West Virginia.
There is one group that appears to be gaining momentum statewide. The Morgantown/Huntington proposal, which centers heavily around West Virginia University and Marshall University, both Division I college football programs, is one of real concern given that the players would be able to experience a college atmosphere. Tom Bloom, Monongalia County commissioner, told us that the "experience" is what those cities will be prioritizing.
"Honestly, who growing up in West Virginia wouldn't want to play at Marshall or play at WVU?," Bloom said. "So it has an incentive."
Keeping the games in Wheeling is important to our local economy as the Super Six has an economic impact in the millions each year. We wish Jones and Daugherty the best as they travel to Parkersburg Wednesday to make the local pitch. Let's keep the games in Wheeling.