Last year the Maroon Tide took to the field on a new playing surface, synthetic turf.
It was the first synthetic playing field installed in Pearl River County, adorned with logos of local businesses and the Crimson Tide mascot.
Outside of some initial concern about the expense, the new field has been accepted with little outcry from school and community members.
It’s an upgrade. No longer are players standing in muddy puddles on the sidelines during rainy games. Less often will we see players lose their footing while trying to evade a defensive player.
We also won’t see a mower cruising around on the field. There’s no need; the synthetic turf doesn’t grow.
Just about any way someone looks at this field they will be hard pressed to find a downside to the Picayune School District’s decision to allow the synthetic playing surface to be installed.
We now head into the second season of this field being utilized. And with as much rain as Pearl River County has been receiving in the past month, it will certainly come in handy.
The Poplarville Biloxi jamboree game is a prime example of how beneficial the playing surface will be during inclement weather. That game was originally planned to be held on the Hornet’s home field. But rainy conditions forecast for this week forced the schools to come to an agreement to move it to Biloxi’s field because they too have a synthetic field.
It’s entirely possible that some of the Tide’s away games may be changed to home games for the exact same reason, if the rules allow for it.
While the initial expense was substantial, it is our hope the school district will see savings in the long run due to the reduced maintenance required on this field.