After a long, hard, and trying year, McPherson Stadium will be getting artificial turf for the upcoming football season.
“The team is really happy after hearing about the decision to give the stadium turf,” sophomore cornerback Christoper Lewis said. “It will help recruiting.”
The condition of the field at McPherson Stadium has been an ongoing concern. The football team played two games in a sea of mud. Another game was moved to Xenia High School’s stadium, because field conditions were so bad. Lewis sprained a ligament running through the mud and missed four games as a result. He said that the turf will be safer for players and makes the team look “more legit.”
Head Coach Cedric Pearl has mixed feelings about the change to artifical turf. He approves the change, but he also seems to prefer natural grass. “There’s nothing like the feel of natural grass,” Pearl said. “Central has always had natural grass, so it’s hard not to want to keep it that way.”
The football team improved greatly this season by finishing 5-5 after winning just two games the past two seasons.