Posted: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:28 AM - 12,030 Readers

By: Rick Cantu

Royal-Memorial Stadium qualifies as an ideal location for future high school football state championship games, according to the man whose teams best know the stadium.

Texas football coach Mack Brown has made a pitch to have high school state title games on campus, and University Interscholastic League officials said Austin will be considered as a potential site.

"I'd like to see every high school football player in the state have a chance to play there," Brown said Monday at the Texas High School Coaches Association's annual coaching school.

The issue of championship venues arose Monday during a discussion about the Class 5A, 4A and 3A title games of 2010 being played at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

Between Dec. 10 and Dec. 18, six high school football state championship games will be played at the 80,000-seat stadium. For the first time, teams in 5A, 4A and 3A will have their title games at the same predetermined site.

The UIL wants to rotate the sites of its larger-classification state championship games between Reliant Stadium in Houston, the Alamodome in San Antonio and Cowboys Stadium. UIL director Charles Breithaupt said Royal-Memorial Stadium should be added to the list.

Westlake and three-time defending state 4A champion Lake Travis will kick off the regular season Aug. 28 at Royal-Memorial Stadium. A year ago, the Chaparrals reached the 5A, Division I state-title game.

"It's going to feel like a playoff atmosphere," said Lake Travis' first-year coach, Hank Carter. The Cavaliers and Chaparrals have a two-year agreement to open the season at Royal-Memorial Stadium, Carter said.

Carter recalled the Cavaliers facing Killeen in a postseason game at Royal-Memorial two years ago, and players from both teams slipped on wet and choppy grass. The university has since installed FieldTurf, an artificial surface that grants better traction.

Attracting state championship games to Austin was one reason Texas switched from grass to FieldTurf, Brown said.