King finally has a new and improved football field. The work began during the spring and finished in late October. The cost of the renovations for the field was around $700,000. The first game on the new field was Oct. 28 when the Crusaders defeated the River Rouge Panthers, 41-28.
Athletic director Barry Cannon said he believes King has one of the top athletic programs in the state and that the quality of the field matters.
“We’re one of the top athletic programs in the state of Michigan so we shouldn’t have to play in substandard conditions,” said Cannon. “And for the safety of our scholar athletes, if you are playing on a more substandard field, there are more possibilities for injuries.”
Senior and running back Sterling Anderson said he likes the new field.
“It feels pretty good having a new field because the turf is softer,” Anderson said. “Our last field was old and raggedy, so when we got tackled, we would sometimes get turf burns.”
Head junior varsity football coach Rickey Holmes said he feels like the project on the football field was overdue and more improvements are needed for the athletic department.
“It is beautiful. One of the best fields we have in the city so far,” said Holmes. “But there’s still more work to be done.”
The entire Crusader family is excited about the field. Some games this school year had to be played elsewhere because the field was incomplete.
“As the athletic director, I was very happy that we got a new field,” Cannon said. “It’s been in the works for years.”
