The question caught me off guard.
As I sat down to talk with Southern Columbia coach Jim Roth at the District 4 Football Coaches Association Media Day in August in Williamsport, Roth asked me, “Hey, when is Pottsville getting turf?”
It’s not the first time I’ve been asked this question, but I was a little speechless when the veteran Tigers coach asked it during our conversation about Southern Columbia moving up to Class AA.
Roth went on to say that he loves playing in Pottsville’s Veterans Memorial Stadium, and wishes it had an artificial turf surface so that the facility would host more PIAA playoff games.
Roth’s Tigers defeated Schuylkill Haven 31-6 in rock-hard, muddy conditions at Pottsville en route to the 2005 PIAA Class A championship as current New York Giants fullback Henry Hynoski physically ran over the Hurricanes.
Pottsville hasn’t hosted a PIAA playoff game since, with District 11 opting to use either Schuylkill Haven’s turf surface at Rotary Field, Blue Mountain’s Eagles’ Nest or Williams Valley’s Viking Stadium when District 11 is the home site for a PIAA game involving a team from Schuylkill County.
Schuylkill Haven is the only high school football field in Schuylkill County with turf, while nearby stadiums in Shamokin and Hamburg also have artificial surfaces. Lehighton is scheduled to build a new stadium with an artificial surface within the next two years. Rotary Field is a good spot for holding a Class A state game, but the facility isn’t big enough to host a Class AA, AAA or AAAA contest.
Roth’s question has stuck in my head throughout the first half of this season for several reasons.
First, Schuylkill Haven renovated the turf surface at Rotary Field over the summer, sucking out all of the rubber pellets and running them through a cleaner to remove dirt and other objects. The project will help preserve the surface and extend the life of it.
It’s hard to believe, but next year will be the 10th season Rotary Field has had turf.
Second, this weekend’s forecast doesn’t look too good. This column was written Wednesday (Football Friday is printed Wednesday), when forecasts were calling for thunderstorms tonight and rain all day Saturday.
We haven’t had much rain this season — how about none — so we’re due for a washout.
Finally, I’ve covered games at several of the top local candidates for a turf surface over the first five weeks (Blue Mountain, Pottsville, North Schuylkill, Pine Grove), and all of those fields are in great condition. So is Mount Carmel’s Silver Bowl. I’ll see Tamaqua’s field tonight.
Talking with Pottsville athletic director Eric Rismiller on Wednesday, he said installing turf at Veterans Stadium has come up several times over the years, but the discussion doesn’t last long. If turf is installed, there would be no place to throw the javelin for track and field meets. Rismiller said it’s more likely Pottsville will install turf at Alumni Field, which is heavily used for soccer and youth football.
Personally, turf fields are great for soccer, especially at the youth level. Football? That’s up for debate.
Me? I’m sort of split on the whole turf discussion.
Part of me loves the nostalgic feel grass stadiums like Pottsville and Mount Carmel have, especially early in the season. Installing a turf surface at those two places just doesn’t seem right.
Another part of me realizes how financially beneficial such a move is for a school district that uses its football complex for other fall sports. In Haven’s case, installing turf was the best thing the district ever did, considering how heavily the field is used.
Locally, Blue Mountain, North Schuylkill, Pine Grove, Tri-Valley, Upper Dauphin and Williams Valley also use their stadium for boys’ and girls’ soccer games.
Will we ever see another turf field in Schuylkill County? That’s hard to say.
It’s certainly a good topic to debate.
Player of the Week
Mark Weinus,
Pine Grove
Weinus shouldered the load for the Cardinals in their win over Millersburg on Saturday night, rushing 24 times for 226 yards and three touchdowns in Pine Grove’s 26-19 victory.
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound senior scored on runs of 11, 87 and 3 yards, the final two helping the Cardinals overcome a 19-12 halftime deficit.
In his past two games, both wins, Weinus has rushed for 404 yards.
Honorable Mention: Shane Snisky, Jim Thorpe; Logan Mirolli, Shamokin; Lucas Forbes, Blue Mountain; Hunter Harner, Tri-Valley; Tyler Skripko, Tamaqua.
(Boyer is sports editor and covers high school football for The Republican-Herald. Follow him on Twitter
@pubsportsboss)