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Asheville High will have two TV games next football season on WMYA-40.
HENDERSONVILLE – Paul Whitaker was asked his opinion and formulated one pretty quick.
The West Henderson football coach wants the Falcons’ season opener – Aug. 19 at home against Hendersonville – to be televised live. Even if it does come with potential drawbacks that many Western North Carolina schools are having to weigh as local station WMYA-TV (40) expands its number of broadcasts.
The sister station of WLOS will show 10 games this coming season (up from four a year ago), all on Thursday nights with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
After the Hendersonville-West Henderson tilt, those games are Asheville at Pisgah (Sept. 1), Robbinsville at Christ School (Sept. 8), Cherokee at Smoky Mountain (Sept. 15), North Buncombe at Enka (Sept. 22), Brevard at Tuscola (Sept. 29), Polk County at Mitchell (Oct. 6), East Henderson at Franklin (Oct. 20), Roberson at Reynolds (Oct. 27) and Asheville at Erwin (Nov. 3).
“Our kids are excited about this,” Whitaker said.
“It’s a chance for our program to get some really good exposure. The only problem in my mind is that we won’t be back in school yet. So we’re really going to have to push hard to get the word out that we’re on TV against one of our big county rivals. I think it’ll be a good thing and I hope we fill the stands.”
The NCHSAA did not allow live TV coverage of regular-season football games until the 2015 season. And the state association has still not bent on Friday night broadcasts. That is why every WNC game is on Thursdays.
WLOS/WMYA general manager Jack Connors said the response was so positive to televised games last fall that it made sense to go to 10 games this season.
Home schools are paid a $500 broadcast fee and there will be a $3,500 scholarship given to a boys or girls athlete at every Bojangles’ Thursday Night Rivals game.
Asheville-Erwin has been a hot ticket in recent years since the two have traditionally played in the final week of the regular season with conference-championship stakes. That may be the case again on Nov. 3, but Warriors athletic director/football coach Mike Sexton said he was still willing to grant TV access.
“It’s a big gate every year because it’s a big game,”
“In my opinion, it just makes a special game even more special. I don’t think the fact that it’s on TV will affect the crowd (size) much. The people who want to be here will be here. And another plus is that some fans who physically can’t be here will get a chance to watch the game.”
The Oct. 14 game between Pisgah and Tuscola in Canton is obviously one that was on WYMA’s radar. The annual matchup between the Haywood County rivals annually draws crowds in excess of 10,000 to 12,000.
Moving the game to a Thursday was just impossible, logistically-speaking, Black Bears athletic director David Pressley said.
“We’re excited that we got chosen for the Asheville game (on Sept. 1),” Pressley said.
“We talked to a lot of people who have had positive experiences with this. (Pisgah-Tuscola) was talked about, but there is just no way. Too much goes into that week. There is no way it could ever happen.”
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