The PIAA football championships have been played at the sweetest place on Earth — Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pa. — consecutively since 1998. And while other locations have hosted previously, a new location will be hosting the championships for the next four years.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Steve Rotstein reported that Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg, Pa. will host the PIAA championships for the next four years, beating out Altoona High School, Hersheypark Stadium and Penn State’s Beaver Stadium.
The WPIAL had five teams qualify for the PIAA championships in 2021, with Serra Catholic in 2A, Central Valley in 3A, Aliquippa in 4A, Penn-Trafford in 5A and Mt. Lebanon in 6A all playing in Hershey in early December. All but Serra Catholic were able to bring home state titles for the WPIAL in a banner year.
The location of the state championships won’t have any actual effect on the games themselves, but a high school stadium hosting the six biggest games of the year does damper the atmosphere and reward of a long, long season for the high school athletes.
With the state title games moving out of Hershey, Pa., high school football in Pennsylvania got a lot less sweet.
Unfortunately, Hershey Park has not updated their stadium in years. It’s an awful place for fans to sit and be at for games and concerts. It’s a shame they let this happen.