Highlands looks forward to using new football field

Highlands is building its future football foundation five yards at a time.

The Golden Rams' new football field was in the process of being laid Wednesday at the stadium's site that once served as host to the high school's soccer programs.

Highlands athletic director Bill Heasley said the turf field - part of the $16 million middle school, football stadium and track project - and new track is expected to be completed by Aug. 1.

The 5-yard strips of turf were being installed by Southwest Recreational Industries Inc., the same company working on the track project.

The turf, which already had yard lines painted on it, is not Astroturf, Heasley said. It's a turf with a rubber-like base that is similar to turf inside the Steelers' indoor practice facility.

"It's not Astroturf. This stuff looks and plays like grass," Heasley said. "Your feet don't stick like they do on Astroturf."

Highlands' turf comes installed with a ¾-inch pad underneath to help soften the blow of hitting the ground. It is the same turf that was installed at Pine-Richland High School; the Philadelphia Eagles, the University of Washington and the University of Nebraska all use this type of turf, Heasley said.

In fact, he said Highlands consulted with Pine-Richland to hear pros and cons of the turf.

"(Football coach Clair Altemus) said no injuries were attributed to the field last year," Heasley said.

Highlands decided to install turf rather than grass for the simple reason of mathematics.

Heasley estimated the varsity football team alone used the grass field at Staresinic Stadium 85 times between games and practices. Then consider the Highlands ninth-grade and seventh- and eighth-grade football teams played there, the high school band practiced on it, the band held festivals on it and the school conducted graduation there, and the grass just couldn't withstand the use.

"We had a decent fall season as far as weather went," said Heasley, who added the boys and girls soccer teams will use Staresinic Stadium this fall. "But as the season wore on you could see the center of the field was getting pretty bad.

"We did a lot of research."

Highlands is starting to see the dividends of that homework.