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Should the IHSA have played this past weekend with temperatures in the mid-to-low 30s? It really is an interesting question, because until recent years, soccer was always played - rain, snow and cold. As long as there wasn't thunder in the area, games went on.
Coaches, officials and fans in attendance this past weekend at North Central College in Naperville wondered outloud if about this issue on Friday and Saturday.
The title game between Edwardsville and New Trier drew the smallest "large school" title crowd in the 13 years I've been covering the IHSA state finals. Lincoln-Way East coach Brian Papa called me at game time on Saturday night to ask what the temp was. He believes this was the coldest title game during his time in soccer.
Neuqua Valley coach Jim Johns sent me an email on Sunday stating,"it would be nice if we could find a Final Four site were we did not wait for a football game to be played on Saturday. I do not think it did New Trier and Edwardsville any favors to play at 8 p.m. That game should have be played earlier, so the weather would have been better and the play and the crowd would have been even better."
It makes you wonder if the boys soccer season should start earlier in August, so it doesn't drag into November.
- Joe Trost
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Joe- It wasnt that cold and the attendence from the finals is most lilkely becasue of the distance from Edwardsville and a New Trier playoff football game 10mins away from most kids homes.
I was at the NT-Barrington football game and it was sparsely attended. Not an excuse for the attendance at the final.