High school playoff game sells out in 7 minutes, parents outraged

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    STARK COUNTY, OH (WEWS) — A playoff game between the Massillon Tigers and Perry Panthers is causing a bit of chaos in their communities after tickets sold out in under 10 minutes.

The Division II, Region 5 semifinal match-up is slated to be played on Friday, Nov. 15 at Uniontown Lake Blue Streak Stadium.

Lake Blue Streak Stadium has a seating capacity of 6,000, and once tickets to the semifinal playoff game being hosted there went on sale by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, they quickly ran out.

SOLD OUT

Massillon City Schools tweeted that the game sold out in “approximately seven minutes.”

The school also announced its plan to ensure parents of the football team, band members and cheerleaders have a chance to buy tickets and support their children. After getting in contact with OHSAA, Massillon City Schools was ensured that it will receive 1,500 hard copy tickets that will be sold at the school’s ticket office.

Parents looking to buy these additional tickets will be required to show their ID. The school is only allowing the purchase of two tickets per family and students are only able to purchase one ticket per person, according to the school.

The additional tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, Nov. 13 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Massillon City Schools said that any leftover tickets will be sold to the general public on Thursday and Friday.

Perry High School also announced the sale of an additional 1,500 tickets that will be sold on a first come first serve basis to any Perry fan. The tickets are on sale on Wednesday, Nov. 13 from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the athletic ticket office at the high school.

Parents outraged

Despite the two schools’ attempt to allow parents to watch their children perform in the playoff game, many are still upset with how this game has been organized.

Maria Wiles is a Massillon alum and her daughter is a cheerleader at Perry High School, so this game is very important to her, like many others in the community.

Wiles said she was one of the lucky parents able to purchase tickets in the few minutes they were available, but many of the parents she knows weren’t as lucky.

“I was fortunate enough to purchase six tickets for my family and two other cheer families, but I’ve been getting messages from so many others asking if I could get more for them,” Wiles said.

Wiles isn’t satisfied with the 1,500 additional tickets the schools are offering to parents and can’t believe that this match-up would be held in a stadium with limited seating. She believes the game should be moved to a bigger venue.

“I don’t think it’s fair for parents of student-athletes who might not get to see their kids play on Friday night,” Wiles said. “They knew this was going to be a big deal. Shame on OHSAA.”

News 5 has fielded numerous phone calls from other parents who have reached out expressing their disappointment with how ticket sales were handled.

Some expressed concerns over scalpers having access to tickets and reselling them at higher prices, others are worried the 1,500 tickets each school is providing won’t be enough—or that there won’t be room for everyone at the stadium.

OHSAA responds

On Monday evening, OHSAA responded to News 5, stating: “We are in the process of working with the host site and both schools regarding tickets. We don’t have further comment at this time.”

News 5 has reached out to Massillon City School District, Perry Local Schools and is waiting to hear back.

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