Who gets 10K fans at a HS game?
 

New Castle, Indiana...sectional SEMI FINALS Friday night...10K strong!

Largest HS gym in the world...and it was packed. Worked youth league game on Saturday with a buddy who got to work this game...Awesome environment.


https://www.thestarpress.com/story/n...al/3016678002/

Here's one from the 1968 Iowa Girls State Championship game where in the first 30 seconds the narrator says the crowd was 15,000. Newspapers had it at 13,000. It was between two small town teams with a combined population of maybe 2000. The Union-Whitten Cobras against the Everly Cattlefeeders. Or maybe it was the Lady Cattlefeeders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM6bKXx-d_s

SJ...That's pretty impressive for a couple small towns! Now, back in 1990, a kid named Damon Bailey brought 41K to the then, Hoosier Dome, for the state finals...still the largest crowd on record for a HS game, I believe.

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/03...3088638254800/

I grew up in Southern Indiana, my high school had about 400 students 9 - 12, the gym seats 3800. Seymour high school was where the regionals were played and their gym seats 8K+. Saturday regional games the place was sold out.

Back in the day the gyms were packed on Friday and Saturday nights.

Oh yeah...Seymour used to pack them in too. I think they still use that as a regional or semi-state location some years.

Before class basketball took over...I grew up in Indy and our sectional was at Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University. That also was the site of the regional and I believe, semi state as well. The sectional was incredible because almost all of the big city schools played there so you would see a lot of talented players in one venue on multiple nights.

I'm glad to see that big crowd at New Castle because I know attendance at sectionals has been dwindling over the years.

Back when OJ Mayo was coming up through the high school ranks he was bringing in a lot of fans, 16k to one game vs Oak Hill