My Top High School Football Stadiums

Football and Texas go hand in hand. Everything is bigger in the Lone Star state, and so are the stadiums that these teams play in every Friday night. Thanks to some extended runs over the last several years, Yoe fans have been able to travel to many different parts of the state and have witnessed games in some of the most state of the art stadiums in the country.

Today, I want to list some of my personal favorites. Most of these are going to be playoff venues, but there are a few small-school stadiums I would like to recognize. I will not be including any pro or collegiate stadiums on this list.

1. Waco ISD - Waco

To this day, Waco ISD is known as being one of the top spots the play a playoff football game. It is a great location for most Central Texas teams to meet up, as Cameron has done with the likes of Teague, Malakoff, West and McGregor just over the past few seasons. One major plus for this stadium is that it’s easy to get to and traffic flow is generally not a problem after games. The stadium holds 11,500 people and was recently upgraded with a new video scoreboard for the 2015 season. Hopefully Cameron fans get to hear the iconic “Texas, Our Texas” state song at least a few more times in 2018.

2. Panther Stadium - Hewitt

Built 10 years after Waco ISD in 2010, this stadium also ranks up there on my all-time favorites. It is not quite as easy to access as Waco ISD and the parking is not as spacious, but the view you get in the place is one of the best out there. I don’t believe Cameron has played in this stadium before, but I have gotten the chance to witness the likes of Franklin/Teague and Wall/New Boston play here.

3. Woodforest Bank Stadium - Shenandoah

This was the site of the epic 2012 matchup with the Newton Eagles. The stadium holds 9,000 people, and the Yoe fans did a nice job of packing in the home side for the matchup between two true elite teams. The lighting on this field is excellent and there is plenty of parking.

4. Cy Fair FCU Stadium - Cypress

Yes, there are a ton of great stadiums in the Houston-metro area. Also known as the Berry Center, this stadium is one of the newer ones out there, built in 2006. The Berry Center holds approximately 10,500 people and was the site of Cameron’s 2014 win over Edna in the state semifinals. This was also the spot where Rockdale defeated Yoakum in the 2017 semifinals.

5. Texan Drive Stadium - New Caney

This was the site of Cameron’s 54-21 win over East Chambers in third round of the 2014 playoffs. That stadium had just opened that season and features double deck seating on the home side, to go along with a jumbotron scoreboard and scrolling message screens across the stands, which are normally reserved for college levels venues.

6. Eagle Stadium - Allen

As far as the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex goes, it’s hard to beat Allen’s Eagle Stadium, which cost a whopping 60 million dollars to build back in 2012. The stadium holds 18,000 people and was the host to Cameron’s dramatic 24-21 win over White Oak in the state semifinals of 2013. That was the last game played there before cracks were discovered throughout the stadium. Allen did not play any homes games the following season and the estimated repairs were over 10 millions dollars.

7. Lion Memorial Stadium - Ennis

This was the site of Cameron’s 2012 state quarterfinals game with the Tatum Eagles. The Yoe faithful traveled extremely well for this game and this was a matchup of two state powers, and it played out just that way with the Yoemen pulling away in the second half. This stadium holds 10,000 people and was built in 2000.

Honorable Mention: Bastrop Cedar Creek, Crockett, Groesbeck, McGregor.

Least Favorite Stadiums

1. Little River Academy

Sorry Bee fans, but this is the one stadium that I dread going to every other year. Seating is extremely limited and the stands are very close together, which makes things even more compact. Academy needs to upgrade their football field, baseball field and gym, and with an ever-growing enrollment, I would anticipate that happening sooner than later. There were some renovations done to the home side, but more needs to be done.

2. Robinson

As far as playoff games go, this is a place I would avoid. It is not bad for what it is, but to me it does not build the excitement you expect for a playoff game.

3. Buddy Moorehead Stadium - Conroe

This stadium was once one of the top desired locations out there, but it is now more outdated and needs some renovations. This was the site of Cameron’s 48-26 win over Woodville in the third round of the 2016 playoffs.