MHSAA to Announce State Title Venue Changes on Monday

CLINTON, Miss. (WCBI) — The ‘Journey to Jackson’ will be no more for high school football teams in the state of Mississippi after Monday.

The Mississippi High School Activities Association is expected to announce at 10:00am on Monday that the football state championship games will be moved from Jackson to the three major state college stadiums beginning this season.

Mississippi State and Ole Miss are both expected to be named hosts for the next four seasons by the MHSAA.

Davis Wade Stadium will host the six state title games this year and two years from now in 2016, while Vaught Hemingway Stadium will host the state championship games in 2015 and 2017.

M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg is also expected to be featured into the rotation of the state championship games, but reports say Southern Miss will not host until at least 2018.

Coaches in the Magnolia State have been open to the idea of moving the state title games, but many don’t have a strong opinion either way.

“Moving the games out of Jackson is bittersweet and the state championships may lose some of its luster,” coach James Ray of Bruce said. “But unless we get to go then I don’t care too much.”

“My coaching buddies in Alabama like playing games at Auburn and Alabama,” coach Jamie Mitchell of Starkville told the Daily Journal. “In the end, we’re trying to win a championship no matter where it’s played.”

The MHSAA is also expected to announce that they will be moving part of the 2015 state basketball tournament to Jackson State’s home basketball arena: the Williams Assembly Center.

The reason for the move to JSU is the expansion of the tournament going into the new season.

Jackson State will likely host the 24 opening round boys games while the Mississippi Coliseum will host the 24 girls games. The semifinals and finals will all be played at the Coliseum as usual.