As though opening night of the 2024 high school football season was not enough excitement on its own, ribbon cutting ceremonies for new artificial turf football fields were held at East Surry High and Surry Central high schools Friday night.
After a multi-county, multi-district agreement brought costs down significantly, it was a deal almost too good to pass up for Surry County Schools to upgrade the football fields and renovate existing tracks surrounding the fields at a fraction of previous quoted prices.
The ribbon was cut prior to the game at Surry Central where the Golden Eagles beat Alleghany 45-7 Friday while East Surry defeated Robbinsville 21-19 later that night and had a similar ribbon cutting ceremony at mid-field during halftime.
“This field symbolizes many, many things, but it symbolizes that we can provide the best for our students, the best resources, the best academics, athletics, and really, we’re here to help them, to support them on their journey through their K-12 experience,” Surry County Schools Superintendent Dr. Travis Reeves said.
The state budget contained $62.8 million for athletic field improvements and State Sen. Eddie Settle worked diligently to bring funds home to the counties he represents. Surry, Yadkin, and Wilkes counties shared a pot of $3.75 million; Settle also brought home $2.5 million for similar work for schools in Alexander County.
“I coached football for 26 years in Wilkes County, and I took my kids to Avery County High School,” the state senator and former football coach said. “They had a turf field. It rained most of all day, we still play football… When I got on the bus, my kids said, ‘Coach, why don’t we have a turf field? Why does everybody else have it?’”
He said that stuck with him and after being elected, “When I got to Raleigh, that was on my list, if I could find the money, and I dug in there and found it. Surry County deserves the same as everybody else and better, we pay taxes too. So, we got in there and found it, and I’m proud of it.”
The school district entered into an interlocal agreement with Wilkes and Yadkin counties that they said, “Allowed us to achieve significant cost savings while maintaining the highest quality in our design and construction.” The Surry County Board of Education was told the cost savings from the interlocal deal could be more than 20% from previous quotes provided for the same work.
“In just nine months, we went from initial planning and design to the completion of this incredible facility. It is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and collaboration of everyone involved,” the district said.
They said Friday was a celebration of the new athletics facility that also marked a “new era for Surry Central and for our county” as the ribbon cutting at Surry Central was mirrored a few hours later during halftime of the home opener for East Surry High and will be duplicated once more on Sept. 13 when the ribbon will be cut on the field at North Surry High when the team hosts West Stokes.
Surry Central High Principal Misiti Holloway met Settle at mid-field with a gift. “I’d like to present you with this special Surry Central High School Golden Eagles T-shirt that we make people wear with pride as an official Golden Eagle. Thank you so much.”
Head Coach Monty Southern said the new field has created something of a “buzz” on campus in the nascent school year and it may be fair to say he was feeling pretty good about it too. “I get asked all the time could I ever imagine this happening: my answer is no. I assumed I’d be mowing grass and painting lines until I retired.”
It was Friday, after all, so football was on everyone’s mind but Coach Southern reminded that the whole project across the campuses, and counties, was about more than just the pigskin. “We’re celebrating not just the turf field but the track, you can tell it’s got a new layer to it, there is another layer coming next week. The next time you come to a home football game at Surry Central the facility truly will be complete.”
“We think it’s a pretty big deal not just for our current students, but we hope is something our community members and alumni are proud of as well,” he said before disappearing to get the team ready to take the field.
Surry County School Board member and Golden Eagle alum Kent Whitaker said, “We’re proud to be able to be here and celebrate with fans, the school, and the community this field and this facility, the track. I hope that this field and this facility will give sense of pride to not only the student athletes, but the students, the staff, and the community.”
“It wouldn’t be possible without Sen. Eddie Settle, who has made this dream a reality. Thank you, Sen. Settle, for your support of Surry County Schools,” Reeves said and the crowd applauded. “He’s been in our schools, he’s an active person, and he he’ll pick up the phone when I call — I really appreciate that.”
Whitaker added his thanks to Settle for spearheading the effort. “I’d like to extend a special thank you to Sen. Eddie Settle for his leadership and his efforts to make this happen. Senator we appreciate your support; we appreciate your vision. Also, the North Carolina General Assembly for their preparation for this to be a possibility here in our county.
When the project was first discussed by the school board there was some justifiable concern that any sort of construction or weather delay could have inhibited the start of football season. Whitaker gave credit to the project contractor GeoSurfaces, “We appreciate the product that they gave us. Also, making the timelines that were scheduled through the contract, that was important to us as board.”
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