CINCINNATI – The Ohio opener of the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown has been moved to Stargel Stadium.
Tom Gamble, In-Game Sports president and Showdown organizer, told WCPO on Wednesday that Withrow will play Woodward in a high school football game at 7 p.m. Aug. 22 at Stargel Stadium.
The game, which is part of the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown presented by First Financial Bank, Mercy Health Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, and Meijer, was originally scheduled at Withrow High School’s Angus King Stadium but is being moved to celebrate the final season at Stargel Stadium which will be moved after this season to accommodate the new FC Cincinnati stadium.
Stargel Stadium, used as a home field for CPS football teams, will also be the host site for the Taft-Thurgood Marshall game at 7 p.m. Aug. 23. A second Showdown game, Anderson versus Mount Healthy, will be played at 7 at Princeton High School that same night.
“CPS is once again thrilled to be involved in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown,” said CPS Athletics Manager Josh Hardin. “Year after year, the Showdown is one of the best high school events highlighting student-athletes in the country. And we have some great matchups to kick off the season, with Withrow versus Woodward and Taft playing Thurgood Marshall. “This will be our last season at Stargel, so we want to highlight the stadium this season. There have been a lot of great games and memories made in the stadium, and we plan to start and finish this fall season off right. New Stargel Stadium planning is off to a great start, and we are looking forward to having future Showdown games being played there as well.”
Woodward coach Kali Jones said the Bulldogs played at Withrow in 2017. The 2019 game will be at Woodward, Jones said.
The Withrow (1-9 in 2017) versus Woodward (2-8 in 2017) game is one of two Ohio games scheduled for Aug. 22. Summit Country Day will play Purcell Marian that night at Walnut Hills.
This year's Showdownwill kick off Aug. 17 with two games.
Lawrenceburg (11-2 in 2017) will play at East Central (12-3) in a renewal of that Southeastern Indiana rivalry at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 17. East Central won the Class 4A state title in 2017.
Covington Catholic (15-0), the reigning Class 5A state champion in Kentucky, will play at Ryle (8-3) at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 17. CovCath has not lost in the regular season since Oct. 28, 2016.
After the two games Aug. 23, there is also a full schedule of Ohio games Aug. 24.
A new and expanded format of the Showdown includes 44 schools playing in marquee games every Friday night all season from Aug. 17 through Oct. 26. Previously, there were 20-plus games in the first two to three weeks of the season.
A total of 244 Showdown games have been played since 1998.
