CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — Woodridge High School student-athletes just wrapped up the fall sports season with a brand-new artificial turf football field that features a state-of-the-art video board and a new all-weather track.
“Our field was so bad and then the soccer and football players would go back and forth who’s tearing up the field worse,” said junior soccer player Kate Lasker.
The renovations to the football field and track, which included refurbishing the long jump and pole vault area, were paid for by a lend-lease agreement with Huntington Bank that funded the $1.1 million worth of construction. Additional improvements were made to restrooms and the softball field, which received a new set of bleachers and a new public address system.
But the crown jewel of the project was the FieldTurf football field and the new video scoreboard that is featured at the football field.
“It's going to be like in Woodridge history, being the first seniors who got to play on the turf,” said senior offensive lineman Christian Helton.
The new turf expands the facility’s usage, allowing more sports to be able to practice and play games on the field without wearing out the surface, particularly with the volume of events schools typically see during the fall sports season. The football field will also give the baseball and softball teams an additional practice field to utilize.
“It’s definitely lived up to expectations and I think it’s going to be a great facility for a long time for us,” said Athletic Director Nick Mayer.
The opening of the new facility was pushed back two-three weeks because of delays with construction, so the school district had to scramble to move around various events. The FieldTurf and scoreboard made their debut during homecoming week this past football season.
“In an ideal world, we would’ve been able to have it for our first two football games,” Mayer said. “Hosting a home playoff football game, we got one of those back which was great. And we were able to host a couple of tournament games for soccer.”
The athletes said they immediately noticed a difference in playing on the artificial surface compared to a natural grass field.
“When you’re dribbling as a soccer player, (on natural grass) you’d dribble, and oops there’s a bump,” Lasker said. “It was so nice just having all the passes go to everyone.”
School officials hope the improvements will allow the facility to be used for more than just athletic events and serve as a hub for community activities throughout the year. The final step in the renovations was lining the track, which took place earlier this month, ensuring everything is ready for track season in the spring.
While younger students are excited about continuing to play on the modern surface in the future, seniors like Helton will look back on this fall with fond memories of being the first team to play on the new field.
“We got new turf, we got the first home playoff game,” That senior year it all hit me at once. Especially during senior night. I was just ecstatic.”
