Fans attending the Columbus East and Columbus North home football games tonight will see plays develop for two of the top-ranked teams in the state on new playing fields.
Sprinturf of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, put in the new fields — artificial turf and the shock pad that forms the base — at North and then East over the summer.
These new fields replace artificial turf that was installed in 2006 at a combined cost of $1.5 million. The BCSC school board in February approved a $853,111 bid to replace the turf.
North athletics director Jeff Hester said the main reason for the turf replacement was safety.
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“You’re lucky if you can get 10 to 12 years out of a field, and that field was over 12 years old and it was time for a replacement,” Hester said. “The shock pads are new this year. It adds to the safety, and it also helps prolong the life of your field.”
East athletics director Pete Huse said the Olympians’ turf was going to need replacing within the next year, so it made sense to do both upgrades at the same time.
Having the field base in place kept the costs far below the 2016 investment, Hester said.
“The first time around, a lot of the expense is the excavation of the topsoil you have to do,” Hester said. “This time, the base was installed. They just took the old turf out and put the new turf down. It does not take as long when you’re just replacing the carpet.”
At East, the soccer lines on the field now are orange instead of yellow. The “CE” logo at the center of the field has been switched to face the home side of the field.
Most everything else is the same, except for the addition of the shock pad.
“It does have more rubber and sand now just because it’s new,” Huse said. “Over 12 years, you lose a lot of rubber.”
East and North both added lines around their fields for media to remain behind. North also has added permanent soccer lines to its field.
At North, the painting in the center of the field was switched from “CN” logo to a Bull Dog head. The end zones now are painted black, and every five yards on the field are a different shade of green.
“It kind of gives you the natural grass look,” Hester said.
North’s new turf was in place for three informal summer scrimmages that the Bull Dogs hosted in June and July, as well as last week’s controlled scrimmage against Greenwood. East’s new turf was on display for last week’s scrimmage against Martinsville.
The defending Class 5A state champion Olympians open the regular season tonight against Whiteland. East, despite losing 16 of 22 starters, is the No. 1-ranked team in the The Associated Press preseason poll.
The Bull Dogs, ranked No. 9 in 6A, will host Franklin. Both game times are set for 7 p.m.
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Class 5A No. 1-ranked Columbus East and Class 6A No. 9 Columbus North varsity football teams will each open their seasons with home games tonight. The East Olympians will take on the Whiteland Warriors, and the North Bull Dogs will go head-to-head with the Franklin Grizzly Cubs. Here is other info to know about tonight’s games.
Timing
Gates will open at both schools at 6 p.m., with ticket prices set at $5 per person for both the North and East games. The Olympians will play on their home field at 200 S. Marr Road, while the Bull Dogs will play on their home turf at 1400 25th St. Game time for both contests is 7 p.m.
Parking
Parking for both the North and East games will be available anywhere on school grounds. Olympian fans will also be able to park in the baseball parking lot off Indiana Avenue.
Tailgating
The East Quarterback Club will have food tables set up along Marr Road. Tailgating is permitted in the parking lots.
North will not have any formal tailgating set up, but it is permitted in the parking lots.
Entertainment
The Sound of North marching band will provide pregame and halftime entertainment at tonight’s game. This year’s show, “Power Up,” will feature 160 members of the Columbus North Sound of North marching band and the color guard. They will perform the piece’s first movement, “Perfect Machine,” at halftime.
The 70-member Olympian Spirit marching band will also provide pregame and halftime entertainment. The band will also perform the first movement of its show, “Yellow and Blue Makes Green,” at halftime.
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Republic sports editor Ted Schultz and photo editor Mike Wolanin will be covering tonight’s Franklin at Columbus North game.
Republic sports reporter Frank Bonner and photographer Jamie Tomlinson will be covering tonight’s Whiteland at Columbus East game.
Follow the action from both games on Twitter @therepublicnews
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