The Raiders began spring practice in much the same way they usually do, only this time there’s a different feel.
Habersham Central is entering a new region in 2016, as outlined in our story about the Raider’s bright future. Adding to the excitement of a new season on the horizon was breaking in the new John Larry Black Field at Raiders Stadium.
The new turf field is very attractive and the changes throughout the stadium are well documented. Everyone from the fans to the players and coaches are very excited about the new field.
“The kids were really excited,” says Raiders coach Walt Paulson on breaking in the new field. “We’ve been practicing with all the kids in the program from 8th to 12th grade; the younger kids were extra excited.”
The Raiders players echo Paulson’s statements.
“It was awesome stepping on the field for the first time,” adds junior Trey Wetherton. “I felt like a little kid who just got a brand new toy from Santa.”
When changing over from grass to turf field, there are perhaps some differences on how the two play.
“I can already tell a difference between the two,” says Wetherton. “It feels much smoother and faster compared to grass. I don’t know how it will affect us when we play on Friday nights.”
“The turf feels just like what I would imagine a perfect grass turf would feel like,” says Paulson. “The biggest difference between [the grass and turf] is all positive. No uneven terrain, no bear spots, dirt spots or mud spots. I guess we were used to that, so it’s been everything we expected and more.”
When August rolls around, these Raiders will be ready to take on a new era of Habersham Central football behind their new head coach Benji Harrison (2nd year), new region and new field.
“I can honestly tell you we are very jazzed up about this season and ready to show everybody what Habersham football is really made of,” states Wetherton.
