Redmond at No. 9 Silverton, 7 p.m.
When the Silverton High School was setting its football schedule for this fall, a buffer before any home games was built in because of its new turf field being installed.
It turns out it wasn’t necessary.
When Silverton hosts Redmond at 7 p.m. Friday in its first home game of the season, it will be the first football game on the new surface.
But the players have been running around the field since before the first official practice Aug. 22 as the $800,000 project was completed ahead of the initial schedule, way ahead.
The whole process, from the beginning stages of planning to completion, took under 12 months.
“The big part of it was the support of companies that put their logos on the field and community support moneywise and support from local contractors,” project manager Bill McNutt said.
“We were very fortunate so that allowed us to have a real quick time frame from the start of the project to the finish.”
The team has been on the field since the second day of camp Aug. 9 and held a scrimmage on it Aug. 18.
Silverton played a jamboree on the road then beat Sandy 20-13 on the road in week one.
Finally they’ll get to play a game Friday night.
“It’s already been a great tool for practice,” Silverton coach John Mannion said. “I think while it will be great on Friday nights and Thursday nights for the lower levels, I think the big benefit will be during the week for practice.
“The community was incredibly generous to give us the field.”
McNutt said cash donations on the project were approximately $525,000 for the project.
K & E Excavating removed 500 dump truck loads of grass and dirt from the field in two and a half days, installed the drainage, put the rock on the field, graded the surface under the turf and installed the goal posts.
K & E is owned by the Kuenzi family, which has deep ties to the Silverton community, and many of their children have gone to or do go to Silverton.
“That was huge to have them because they were able to essentially start the project all the way to the end of the project when Field Turf comes in and places it,” McNutt said. “We’re very fortunate. That’s the first time we’ve had that kind of a gift.
“They really wanted to be a part of it and really did a lot for no charge. It was all done at zero cost to the project. Had we been paying, had we had to pay that bill, it would have been about $125,000.”
McNutt said the other company that played a big role in the work on the project was Eberle Concrete, Inc., of Silverton.
That company donated their services in pouring the concrete around the edge of the track on which the turf was laid.
Nine companies had their logos sewn into the sideline of the field: Rodney E. Orr Family Medical Group, Legacy Health Silverton Medical, Tires Les Schwab, Roth’s Fresh Markets, Allstate Insurance Bill Johnson, Hobbs Painting Inc., Ri*Ky, K & E Excavating, Kuenzi Electric Inc., and Pacific Sanitation.
Also new long jump runways and pits were built in the north part of the facility and new high jump and pole vault pits were installed in the south end.
Now that the field is fitting for a team that has risen to the level of one of the top teams in the state, the Foxes have to deliver on the field.
“I thought we were happy Friday to get that opportunity to roll out the new group of guys,” Mannion said. “By and large they played very well. We had a couple mistakes that made the game a little choppy.
“By and large I was very happy. A lot more good than not so good.”
bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler
Open house
An open house will be hosted at McGinnis Field for the community from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 24 with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m.
Silverton football players practice on their new turf at McGinnis Field.
Silverton players practice on their new turf field
Silverton coach John Mannion (black shirt) gets off a pass during practice.