Rose Bowl will play host to Southern Section Division 1 championship football game

The Rose Bowl is opening its stadium to be the host for the 2022 Southern Section Division 1 high school football championship game. It will be played on Friday, Nov. 25, at 7:30 p.m. It will be the first time in 78 years that a Southern Section final has been held at the Rose Bowl.

"It will be a great event," Southern Section Commissioner Rob Wigod said.

It took two years of negotiating and brainstorming to form what Wigod says is "a true partnership" with the Rose Bowl.

It coincides with the Rose Bowl celebrating its 100-year anniversary, the announcement of the inaugural California High School Football Hall of Fame class and the unveiling of the new Hall of Fame facility at the Rose Bowl.

Parking will be $10 and suites and club seats are expected to be made available for use. A special field decoration will be created. Bally Sports will televise the game.

It is a major upgrade for the Southern Section, which held last season's final at Long Beach City College because of COVID-19 restrictions. Previous championship games in recent years were played at Cerritos College.

Last year's final between Santa Ana Mater Dei and Anaheim Servite sold out with some 9,600 tickets faster than any event since a basketball semifinal was held at USC's Galen Center in 2017.

St. John Bosco and Mater Dei are favored to reach this fall's final.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.