Football changes could be a boon for Manning

LYNN – It’s possible the City of Lynn might hit high school sports equivalent of the Daily Double this year.John Kasian, who manages both Fraser and Manning Fields for the city, confirmed Tuesday that Lynn will be the site of all three state baseball championships next month.And now, with the news that the MIAA is penciling in teams from western and central Massachusetts to Gillette Stadium, the city is interested in seeing Manning Field considered for one of the alternate sites for the games that will be pushed out of Foxborough in December.The MIAA included central and western Mass. schools in the Gillette mix “for the purposes of fairness,” said English athletic director Gary Molea, who is a member of the state football committee. “Those people are Patriots fans too, and felt they should have the opportunity to play their games on the Patriots’ field.”Molea said that the state is looking to some of the colleges it has used in the past – namely Bentley, Stonehill and Curry – as alternate sites for the teams that will be forced to play elsewhere. He also said that large-capacity venues like Marciano Stadium in Brockton, Cawley Stadium in Lowell and Manning Field would also be considered.”They only have room for the six games they’ve played in the last few years,” said Molea. “This will mean more games.”The contract the MIAA has with Gillette runs through 2012. This December, Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 4 from Eastern Mass. will play at Gillette, while Divisions 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A will play elsewhere.Teams from the Item’s area with the potential for playing at Gillette would be St. John’s Prep (Division 1), St. Mary’s, Bishop Fenwick and Lynn Tech (Division 4).The entire Northeastern Conference, both divisions, along with Lynnfield, are in divisions that will play at other venues this winter. The order will be reversed next year, with Divisions 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A in Foxborough.”What happens after that, who knows?” Molea said.Molea also said that the new setup corrects a long-standing inequity where neither Division 4 nor 4A played in Foxborough.Even though he represents the Northeastern Conference, which will not be in Foxborough this December, Molea said on balance he’s happy with the consideration the league has received.”They allowed us to split into two conferences and have two playoff berths,” Molea said. “So ? you take the good with the bad, I guess.”Kasian said the city would certainly be interested if the MIAA were to consider putting a Super Bowl at Manning Field.”Clearly it’s something we’d be interested in,” Kasian said. “I’d be interested in talking to (the MIAA) about it.”There’s no reason, if we can handle the Tuesday play-in game, why we couldn’t handle a final.”Bill Gaine (MIAA deputy director) has already been in touch with us about planning the Tuesday semifinal game,” Kasian said. “Who knows. Maybe they’ll be coming to us for the (Super Bowl) too.””I think,” said Jim O’Leary, St. John’s Prep’s athletic director and football coach – and another member of the football board – “that venues like Manning Field and Lowell are probably better than the college sites ? especially with the bigger schools.”Since the city completed the rebuilding of Manning Field in 2008, the facility has been a popular venue for high school post-season events in football, soccer, track and lacrosse. Last fall, it hosted almost the entire boys and girls soccer North sectional final slate.