Pisgah pivots quickly to get more fans into County Clash

Feb. 26—After weeks of planning to seat only 100 fans at the County Clash football game between Pisgah and Tuscola, with little notice, Pisgah administrators had to scramble to seat thousands.

The quick shift came after Gov. Roy Cooper announced during a press briefing last Wednesday. Along with other changes, Cooper said that beginning Friday, stadiums could fill up to 30% of their seating capacity. In the case of Pisgah Memorial Stadium, which has a 7,000-person capacity, that means 2,100 attended the rivalry game.

While most thought the change was initially not going to be implemented until after the Feb. 26 game, which can draw upward of 15,000 people, thanks to the hard work of several local officials in numerous different capacities, many more were able to attend.

Worth the wait

Those who had 2019 season passes were able to get a modified pass for the spring 2021 season. Then, after tickets were set aside for parents of players, cheerleaders, band members and JROTC cadets, general admission tickets were sold Thursday morning. While sales were initially supposed to begin at 9 a.m. they had to begin over a half hour earlier than planned because so many people had shown up early.

In line was Ben Smathers, who spent the night with some other loyal fans right in front of the ticket booth. Smathers, 20, decided to head down with his sister, Nelsie, 15, at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday once he heard tickets would be available the next morning.

"I just thought it was kind of like a Black Friday moment. It was first come first serve, so I wanted to beat the crowd," he said.

It wasn't long before more eager fans arrived.

"There ended up being about 10 people that showed up, and eight of them sat in our car for a while," Smathers said. "We stayed up pretty much the whole night. I think we finally went to sleep at about 4 o'clock in the morning."

But they didn't sleep long, as more cars began arriving at about 5:30 a.m. Not long after, Athletic Director Heidi Morgan showed up. Because she'd been by the previous night and took note that Smathers was there first, she ushered him to the front of the line of automobiles.

"When they first started selling the tickets, the line was backed out to the road," Smathers said.

However, with two separate lines of cars moving, it wasn't long before the cars cleared out, and with less than 200 remaining, the sales were shifted to the school office.

Just after 9 a.m., Pisgah Athletic Director Heidi Morgan said she thought the drive-through ticket sales went well.

"It was smooth," she said. "People showed up before dawn, and we started early since the cars were out to the road, but as soon as they got moving, it began clearing out."

Smathers said he was thrilled to have a chance to go to the game. While Smathers considers himself a Bear, he said he wasn't particularly going for either team.

"I am a Pisgah fan, but I'm also pulling for Tuscola since my cousin, Kain Fortney, plays for them," he said. "I pray that players stay safe, and I'm just looking forward to a great game."

Pressuring Raleigh

Associate Superintendent of Haywood County Schools Trevor Putnam was among those who worked to figure out a plan to allow more fans.

But some political maneuvering was required to get Cooper's ear. Putnam first went to Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers. While Smathers contacted officials in Raleigh directly, he also reached out to his friend, state representative Brian Turner of Buncombe County, to see if he could also contact some of his colleagues in both Cooper's office and the state's department of health and human services.

"Brian did an absolutely great job going to bat for Haywood County, and high schools across the state, even though we are not his district," Smathers said.

"Haywood County is right next door, and I have a close relationship with the mayor of Canton," Turner said. "He really laid out the importance of this game — and not just the Pisgah-Tuscola game but also the importance of other games across the state."

Although Turner wouldn't reveal exactly who his contacts were, he did confirm that he was able to apply pressure to secure the change in occupancy limits prior to the County Clash. Turner said that while he tries to only use those channels sparingly, he thought this was an appropriate time to do so.

"Zeb does not make those kinds of statements lightly," Turner said. "After talking to him and talking to [NCDHHS] Secretary [Dr. Mandy] Cohen's office and the governor's office and passing along how critical this game is, I said I believed that all safety protocols had been put into place."

Turner said this is a perfect model of how public administrators, like those in the school system, and elected officials can team up for the good of the community.

"This is an example of how the different levels of government are supposed to work together," Turner said. "I'm grateful for relationships that I have with folks in Haywood County."

Smathers also gave credit to fans, parents, school officials, the school board, specifically Bobby Rogers and Chuck Francis, former NC-11 Rep. Heath Shuler, the county's Raleigh delegation, the Haywood County Commissioners, and Cooper's western office director, Drew Christy. All played an important role in advocating changes not just for the Pisgah-Tuscola game, but high schools across the state, Smathers noted.

"I truly feel the leadership and tenacity of Haywood County made a difference for every high school across North Carolina," he said.

Ultimately, Smathers thanked Gov. Cooper for updating the more limiting executive order earlier than he had to.

"There was a strong indication that there was going to be a follow-up to the executive order that expired Sunday, which would have not been in time for this game," he said. "Governor Cooper did not have to do this. This could have been delayed. I think he listened to the people of Haywood County, balanced safety with science, and created a workable solution. In these times, it is vital that we still come together as a community. Our citizens should be proud of the cooperation and leadership exhibited."