George Washington High's football team will finally have a place to call home.
Workers began laying sod on Edwards Field Monday evening and, if all goes according to plan, the Patriots will play all their home games on campus for the first time in school history this season.
"They had a crowd last night when they started laying that first piece of sod,'' said GW coach Steve Edwards Jr. "I could have sold concessions. Hopefully, they'll be finished at the end of this week.''
GW has called Laidley Field home for many years, but recently began playing a couple of games a year at the high school. This season's home dates include Woodrow Wilson (Aug. 26), Nitro (Sept. 9), Riverside (Oct. 8), Greenbrier East (Oct. 29) and St. Albans (Nov. 5).
"It takes everybody to make big changes,'' said Edwards. "It just not lip service anymore. It's a start.''
Instead of putting artificial turf on the football field, a resodding and field configuration project was started in mid-June. In addition to the new sod, there will also be a practice field with an artificial surface and a renovated running track.
"They'll finish up the sod, the turf and then they'll come in and do the cosmetics of finishing the track and resurfacing it,'' Edwards said. "They'll be putting up some new fencing.''
GW will also receive this week a 12x16-foot section of the Panasonic Times Square video screen through the Don Nehlen Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Ravenswood, Woodrow Wilson, Tolsia and Greenbrier East were the other state schools to receive parts of the video screen.
"It'll have he capabilities of doing everything they do in Morgantown or down at Marshall,'' Edwards said. "You can put anything you want on it. It should be ready for the first ballgame.''
Edwards said it is an exciting time on The Hill.
Article Preview
This article is available only to our premium digital content subscribers.
Sod down on George Washington's field
George Washington High's football team will finally have a place to call home.
Workers began laying sod on Edwards Field Monday evening and, if all goes according to plan, the Patriots will play all their home games on campus for the first time in school history this season.
"They had a crowd last night when they started laying that first piece of sod,'' said GW coach Steve Edwards Jr. "I could have sold concessions. Hopefully, they'll be finished at the end of this week.''
GW has called Laidley Field home for many years, but recently began playing a couple of games a year at the high school. This season's home dates include Woodrow Wilson (Aug. 26), Nitro (Sept. 9), Riverside (Oct. 8), Greenbrier East (Oct. 29) and St. Albans (Nov. 5).
"It takes everybody to make big changes,'' said Edwards. "It just not lip service anymore. It's a start.''
Instead of putting artificial turf on the football field, a resodding and field configuration project was started in mid-June. In addition to the new sod, there will also be a practice field with an artificial surface and a renovated running track.
"They'll finish up the sod, the turf and then they'll come in and do the cosmetics of finishing the track and resurfacing it,'' Edwards said. "They'll be putting up some new fencing.''
GW will also receive this week a 12x16-foot section of the Panasonic Times Square video screen through the Don Nehlen Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Ravenswood, Woodrow Wilson, Tolsia and Greenbrier East were the other state schools to receive parts of the video screen.
"It'll have he capabilities of doing everything they do in Morgantown or down at Marshall,'' Edwards said. "You can put anything you want on it. It should be ready for the first ballgame.''
Click here to sign up for a one month subscription.
1 Month Online + Print Delivery
$31.99
Click here to sign up for our Premium subscription package.
George Washington High's football team will finally have a place to call home.
Workers began laying sod on Edwards Field Monday evening and, if all goes according to plan, the Patriots will play all their home games on campus for the first time in school history this season.
"They had a crowd last night when they started laying that first piece of sod,'' said GW coach Steve Edwards Jr. "I could have sold concessions. Hopefully, they'll be finished at the end of this week.''
GW has called Laidley Field home for many years, but recently began playing a couple of games a year at the high school. This season's home dates include Woodrow Wilson (Aug. 26), Nitro (Sept. 9), Riverside (Oct. 8), Greenbrier East (Oct. 29) and St. Albans (Nov. 5).
"It takes everybody to make big changes,'' said Edwards. "It just not lip service anymore. It's a start.''
Instead of putting artificial turf on the football field, a resodding and field configuration project was started in mid-June. In addition to the new sod, there will also be a practice field with an artificial surface and a renovated running track.
"They'll finish up the sod, the turf and then they'll come in and do the cosmetics of finishing the track and resurfacing it,'' Edwards said. "They'll be putting up some new fencing.''
GW will also receive this week a 12x16-foot section of the Panasonic Times Square video screen through the Don Nehlen Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Ravenswood, Woodrow Wilson, Tolsia and Greenbrier East were the other state schools to receive parts of the video screen.
"It'll have he capabilities of doing everything they do in Morgantown or down at Marshall,'' Edwards said. "You can put anything you want on it. It should be ready for the first ballgame.''
Edwards said it is an exciting time on The Hill.
"It's been a good community effort,'' he said. "A lot of people have stepped forward and laid it on the line for the kids and the school to have something I think we've been missing.
"Some place we call our actual home. Something when you crest over the hill the first thing you'll see. The people who are doing it are committed to making it a first-class operation. It's really exciting. It's pleasant to see, especially for a guy like me who has been here his whole life.''
Edwards said he has seen the enthusiasm spread throughout the football squad, which opens practice Monday.
"The kids are real excited to get out on it,'' said the coach. "Anytime you can get them excited to trudge around in 30 extra pounds in heat, I like it.
"They've been looking forward to this for a long time. It's really been infectious. When you can see a light at the end of the tunnel, you go, 'Wow, it's actually happening.'''
The Patriots return starting quarterback Nick Britton, a Class AAA all-state second-team selection in his first year as a full-time signal-caller last year, running back Felix Mollett, who was an all-state first-team selection, and tight end Cody Clay, an all-state second-team pick who committed to West Virginia last week.
"We've had a really good summer,'' said Edwards, who guided GW to the Class AAA playoff quarterfinals last season. "We've made good progress, but there's still a lot of work to do to put a nice performance on a nice field.''
This article is available only to our premium digital content subscribers.
Sod down on George Washington's field
George Washington High's football team will finally have a place to call home.
Workers began laying sod on Edwards Field Monday evening and, if all goes according to plan, the Patriots will play all their home games on campus for the first time in school history this season.
"They had a crowd last night when they started laying that first piece of sod,'' said GW coach Steve Edwards Jr. "I could have sold concessions. Hopefully, they'll be finished at the end of this week.''
GW has called Laidley Field home for many years, but recently began playing a couple of games a year at the high school. This season's home dates include Woodrow Wilson (Aug. 26), Nitro (Sept. 9), Riverside (Oct. 8), Greenbrier East (Oct. 29) and St. Albans (Nov. 5).
"It takes everybody to make big changes,'' said Edwards. "It just not lip service anymore. It's a start.''
Instead of putting artificial turf on the football field, a resodding and field configuration project was started in mid-June. In addition to the new sod, there will also be a practice field with an artificial surface and a renovated running track.
"They'll finish up the sod, the turf and then they'll come in and do the cosmetics of finishing the track and resurfacing it,'' Edwards said. "They'll be putting up some new fencing.''
GW will also receive this week a 12x16-foot section of the Panasonic Times Square video screen through the Don Nehlen Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Ravenswood, Woodrow Wilson, Tolsia and Greenbrier East were the other state schools to receive parts of the video screen.
"It'll have he capabilities of doing everything they do in Morgantown or down at Marshall,'' Edwards said. "You can put anything you want on it. It should be ready for the first ballgame.''
