Fans attending the Columbus East and Columbus North home football games Friday night 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.
“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.”
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
