Sports

VIDEO: St. Mary's Plays for First Time on Red Turf Field

Intra-squad scrimmage offers season preview as well as a look at the unique playing surface.

To ask some, you might think that high school football opponents will be "seeing red" this fall season at Monsignor Milewski Stadium. To ask others, opponents will have to "part the Red Sea" to beat the defending state champion Eaglets.

To ask the team itself, its new, red-colored home field playing surface is simply "blessed." St. Mary's hosted its first competitive matchup, an annual scrimmage, on Saturday, after receiving a blessing from Chancellor Fr. Thomas Machulski.

It's part of a $600,000 project to renovate the entire stadium, headmaster James Glowacki said. Of the initial total, director of facilities Robin Goddard said that $85,000 is left to be raised through the purchase of memorial bricks and other fundraisers.

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Porritt said that while the red turf may be finished first, a new set of bleachers to be installed is expected to push construction until around week three of the football season, scheduled against Mississauga (Ont.) St. Marcellinus, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m.

"We were having troubles getting everybody into our bleachers before," Porritt said in reference to the student section of St. Mary's known to fans as "Red Rowdies." "We always had to rent (additional bleachers), and now we won’t have to do that," he said.

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It's sure to be a special season for Eaglets seniors. Last season, in a memorable rain storm Oct. 1, the , 10-9, in overtime at home. St. Mary's eventually won its  with a win over Mt. Pleasant at Ford Field in Detroit.


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