Trojan fans, leave your noisemakers, cowbells and signs in the car — only your cheers and yells will be allowed inside Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend.
Fans will have a new set of rules to abide by for the state championship game.
The Indiana High School Athletic Association will not allow noisemakers, cowbells or any other device that plays music or sound inside the Colts’ stadium. Signs to show support for your team won’t be allowed either, since it could block another fan’s view, IHSAA sports information director Jason Wille said.
No flour or baby powder, which fans sometimes will throw into the air during the game, will be allowed.
The IHSAA has rules for the state championship games that go beyond the rules put in place for the regular season. The change is due to the larger crowds expected this weekend.
Rules for what is allowed in the stadium are determined by the event host, in this case the IHSAA, according to Lucas Oil Stadium.
The stadium is expecting about 35,000 fans to show up to the six state final games this weekend, according to the Lucas Oil Stadium website. More than 44,500 parents and students showed up to last year’s state finals, according to an IHSAA news release.
The IHSAA is asking fans to come to the game earlier than they would arrive at a typical high school football game. Every person will have to go through a security checkpoint, where security guards will check through bags, Wille said.
Gates will open as early as 11 a.m., and fans can attend the other two games before Center Grove kicks off at 7:05 p.m. Center Grove fans will be sitting in the visitor section, on the east and southeast corner of Lucas Oil Stadium, according to an IHSAA news release.
More police officers will be on the scene due to the recent terror events, such as the shootings in Paris two weeks ago, according to an IHSAA news release.
The security will be the same level as a typical Colts game, he said, although fans can carry in bags or purses that are not clear. At Colts games, only clear bags can be brought inside. Large bags and backpacks won’t be allowed inside the stadium, and people should only bring the essentials, such as coats and gloves, cash or credit cards and an ID, he said.
“Don’t bring anything that’s really unnecessary,” Wille said.
Since the rules will be different, Center Grove emailed all school district employees and the parents of football players, athletics director Jon Zwitt said. Students also were reminded of the new rules through the school’s daily announcements, Zwitt said.
Center Grove fans have not had any issues in the past when the guidelines have been tighter for state games, Zwitt said.
“People don’t typically bring signs to our home games, so it’s not a huge issue for us,” Zwitt said.
