Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
The WNC Sports Network, an independent online audio streaming service focused on high school sports, will be streaming Saturday night’s 3-AA high school football state championship game.
The game between Reynolds High School in Asheville and New Hanover in Wilmington will be played at Wallace Wade Stadium on the campus of Duke University. The game starts at 6 p.m. The game can be heard on www.wncsportsnetwork.com.
Canio Costanzo, the founder of WNC Sports Network, and Derwin Williams will have the call. The WNC Sports Network is the area’s only live audio streaming website focusing on high school sports. During the 2017 regular season, the website streamed 21 games featuring teams from the Western Mountain Athletic Conference. That’s more than any local radio or TV station in the market, according to Costanzo.
Costanzo, who holds down a full-time job as membership development specialist with the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, is a self-avowed sports fan who has been doing the play-by-play for Reynolds.
“It amazes me how many people care about these games at this level,” Costanzo told me during an interview earlier this year. He notes that 20 percent of his listeners live outside the Asheville area.
It’s such a passion that Costanzo has two crews who cover basketball, baseball and softball games, in addition to football. He notes that there’s a void in high school sports coverage, with radio stations only broadcasting football games.
Costanzo sells advertising and runs commercials during his broadcasts. He hopes to increase his advertising support so he can continue to his coverage.
