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Favorite area places to play/see a game, past and present.


cityofRaven
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11 hours ago, Plywood_King said:

Holston, Holston, and Holston. Best concession I'm SWVA (bold statement, but I'm standing by it) and just an all around cool, but different design.

The one time I went to Holston, I had to wade across a lake to get to the visitor side because heavy rain the entire week had flooded one end of the field.

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big-creek-full.jpgBig Creek's original field was neat. It was built on the front lawn on the school with bleachers on one sideline and the front steps to the school on the other sideline. There was also a huge green fence with an owl painted on it behind one of the goalposts to separate the field from the railroad tracks 

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There was an old aerial pic of Big Creek during a big game, maybe Bluefield. The entire area was filled with cars and they even had brought in bleachers on the school side of the field and the place was packed. I wish I knew where to find it again...

I hear that was a tough place to leave with a win even when the Owls weren't that good.

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I will make my list based on wheelchair accessibility.  Because that is very important to me. lol

My favorites to watch a game are the following:

1. Ernie.  HOME!!!!

2. I enjoyed the experience at Salem at the state game this past year.  Very great views from the wheelchair seating area.  No hills to climb to get to the seats.

3.  Virginia High.  Great accessible seating and visitor stands are raised enough that you are not obstructed too much by the players on the sideline.

4.  Mitchell.  It is a massive stadium.  I just wish there was a way they could have made the accessible seats higher up.  Lack of height and distance from field makes it hard to see, depending on where the action is.

5.  Bullitt Park.  Great accessible seating.  Most times I can get right on the 50 and they have seats beside of the spots for the wheelchairs so someone could sit with me.

Honorable mention is Falcon Stadium:

The stadium has great views from anywhere in the stadium.  That HILL is quite tough (to say the least).  Like some have previously said, they should have made a ramp to the front of the visitor stands as well.  Thankfully I have had buddies to help me up that hill.  YES, multiple buddies is needed to push me up that hill, AND they do it in shifts!!!! lol  My 2 arm drive doesn't work too well on that steepness lol.

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20 hours ago, UVAObserver said:

If Mitchell Stadium isn't your #1 choice, there are three possibilities.  One, you've never been, in which case I would demand you go on the fourth Friday in August.  Two, you've suffered a traumatic brain injury that has robbed you of your memory of how wonderful it is, in which case you have my sympathies and prayers for recovery.  Three, you're wrong, and you need to repent of your foolishness.

Mitchell Stadium doesn't move the needle for me in a hugely positive way.  While it's a perfectly fine venue in every way for playing games and it's (obviously) durable, the only thing that really commends it is the relative scale compared to other area venues.  And unless things have changed, the men's room experience at Mitchell still stands out as little more than an opportunity to urinate on an interior wall rather than the less socially acceptable practice of relieving oneself along the exterior.

Admittedly, the fact that I can only recall witnessing one Richlands victory on that field during my entire growing up years might be clouding my judgement just a wee bit. 

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46 minutes ago, mv91 said:

4.  Mitchell.  It is a massive stadium.  I just wish there was a way they could have made the accessible seats higher up.  Lack of height and distance from field makes it hard to see, depending on where the action is.

 

Better than what it was, no??

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1 minute ago, GMan said:

Better than what it was, no??

AMENNN to that!!!  Without a doubt lol :)

I made many of trips up and down the sidelines to see the action at Mitchell!! :)

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3 hours ago, EH31 said:

big-creek-full.jpgBig Creek's original field was neat. It was built on the front lawn on the school with bleachers on one sideline and the front steps to the school on the other sideline. There was also a huge green fence with an owl painted on it behind one of the goalposts to separate the field from the railroad tracks 

Big Creek was the first field to permanently install lights in 1931. Princeton was actually the first to play a night game in WV vs Shady Spring in 1929. They brought in the "portable flood lights" from Concord) Since everyone wanted to have the experience of playing at night Big Creek played a lot of home games in 1931 and 1932. They were originally called the Big Creek Warriors. This was a compromise with the people from Coalwood and Berwind. The people in War wanted to call the new high school War High like the old school in War was called but of course the people of Coalwood and Berwind objected. So the name was taken from the voting district which was the Big Creek district but the nickname was the Warriors. But since Big Creek played so many games at night everyone quickly started calling them the Owls and it stuck.

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https://www.facebook.com/pg/Appalachian-Football-882259341924297/photos/?tab=albums

 

Here are folders with most of the pictures that I have taken. There are several schools missing cause I have them stored elsewhere and will add them soon.

 

 

 

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Radford - Really nice facility overall, or at least it was the last time I was there. 

Chincoteague - Not in the area, but I had to mention it. Very little seating, but the Intercoastal Waterway is across the street, along with a magnificent sunset. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Crazy as this sounds. East ridge ky was my favorite to play at besides The Cliff. At that time the facilities were brand new. 

In terms of sight lines Mitchell by far. 

Most intimidating as a fan or player was Big Creek. Go to hell you owl with the hollow eyes. 

Best playing surface (before high schools had turf) was JI Burton. 

Crappiest playing surface was the old Honaker red clay field. 

Hands down my favorite place to catch a game was Hunnicut in Princeton. Fantastic facility. 

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12 hours ago, NewHampshireRed said:

Hands down my favorite place to catch a game was Hunnicut in Princeton. Fantastic facility. 

I'm guessing that is the stadium beside the Rays field?  If so, yes, that stadium looked amazing from the outside.  I went to a Rays game a few weeks ago and marveled in how nice the football stadium looked.

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On 7/13/2017 at 4:22 PM, GMan said:

I'll be there in a few weeks for work.....not immediately at the school, but in the very near vicinity.

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11 hours ago, swva_havok_fan said:

I'm guessing that is the stadium beside the Rays field?  If so, yes, that stadium looked amazing from the outside.  I went to a Rays game a few weeks ago and marveled in how nice the football stadium looked.

That's correct. Not sure if another stadium has that nice of a field/bleachers/facilities all combined. 

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Honakers red clay field was bull$#!t

if you think JIBs field was nice then you obviously never set foot on the field at Ralph Cummins Stadium. Incredible grass field.  

 

There wasn't anything particularly terrible about ervintons field other that the home side sideline was only 118 yards long, at the corner of the end zone on the home side going toward the hill the field actually went up hill lol

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On 8/2/2017 at 11:45 PM, redtiger said:

Honakers red clay field was bull$#!t

if you think JIBs field was nice then you obviously never set foot on the field at Ralph Cummins Stadium. Incredible grass field.  

 

There wasn't anything particularly terrible about ervintons field other that the home side sideline was only 118 yards long, at the corner of the end zone on the home side going toward the hill the field actually went up hill lol

You're correct. Never played at Cummings. My favorite thing about burton was the short grass and flat field. Felt like you were flat scootin on it. Another terrible field was Matewan. They had that "fish twine" interlocked sod. When It was muddy you'd actually dig down to the twine and get wrapped in it. 

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  • 5 months later...

WVVASPORTS @WVVASPORTS 

Bluefield may transfer ownership of Mitchell Stadium

http://www.wvva.com/story/37331903/2018/01/23/city-may-transfer-ownership-of-mitchell-stadium?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_WVVASPORTS 

 

DUQMwLZWkAAfYim.jpg

 
BLUEWELL, WV (WVVA) -

Bluefield’s Mitchell Stadium could soon have a new owner.

During Tuesday’s Board of Directors meeting, city manager Dane Rideout announced a plan to transfer ownership of Mitchell Stadium to the county school district.

The rising costs of maintaining the facility was discussed during the meeting. Rideout cited the fact that Mercer County Schools has ownership of Princeton’s Hunnicutt Field.

According to Rideout, the city would still retain ownership of the parking lots surrounding Mitchell Stadium. The city recently renovated the field turf and Rideout said the football stadium is in "the best shape it's seen in years."

Rideout will make a presentation Tuesday night to the Mercer County School Board. According to Teresa Russell with Mercer County Schools, no action will be taken during the meeting.

This past season, Mitchell Stadium served as home field for the Bluefield High School Beavers, Graham High School G-Men, and Bluefield College Rams.

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Just now, trublue said:

WVVASPORTS @WVVASPORTS 

Bluefield may transfer ownership of Mitchell Stadium

http://www.wvva.com/story/37331903/2018/01/23/city-may-transfer-ownership-of-mitchell-stadium?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_WVVASPORTS 

 

DUQMwLZWkAAfYim.jpg

 
BLUEWELL, WV (WVVA) -

Bluefield’s Mitchell Stadium could soon have a new owner.

During Tuesday’s Board of Directors meeting, city manager Dane Rideout announced a plan to transfer ownership of Mitchell Stadium to the county school district.

The rising costs of maintaining the facility was discussed during the meeting. Rideout cited the fact that Mercer County Schools has ownership of Princeton’s Hunnicutt Field.

According to Rideout, the city would still retain ownership of the parking lots surrounding Mitchell Stadium. The city recently renovated the field turf and Rideout said the football stadium is in "the best shape it's seen in years."

Rideout will make a presentation Tuesday night to the Mercer County School Board. According to Teresa Russell with Mercer County Schools, no action will be taken during the meeting.

This past season, Mitchell Stadium served as home field for the Bluefield High

I may know the guy who broke/shot/produced this story...

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