Aiken County School Board's vote against FieldTurf at North Augusta High School has implications on more than the football program.
By a 5-4 vote, the Board voted down Tuesday the revision that would allow for the installation of the artificial surface, which would eliminate the issues faced by wear and tear on the field.
Rashad Byrd knows the dangers that come with playing football. The North Augusta Star Player of the Year has dealt with the expected bumps and bruises, but can attribute his two major injuries to the playing surface at North Augusta High School.
"I've twisted my ankles on the practice field and game field at North Augusta. I broke my ankle during the summer of my sophomore year on the practice field," Byrd said. "Last season, during the White Knoll game, I twisted my knee on the game field. I guess I hit a bad part of the field and just went down."
The rising senior is a standout linebacker and tight end for the Yellow Jackets who amassed 232 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, five sacks, three fumble recoveries, three blocked punts and two interceptions last season on defense and five touchdowns on offense.
Though Byrd's statistics were impressive on any surface, he said his game against River Bluff High School - on artificial turf - was his greatest of the season. Byrd tallied his normal double-digit tackles, but also had two interceptions in the game.
"I can tell there's a huge difference," Byrd said. "I prefer turf, having played on it twice this season, and it just made me feel faster. I don't know what it is, there's just something about it. You feel more mobile on FieldTurf; you don't have to worry about any holes that can cause you to twist your ankles."
Principal John Murphy has guided the school through the beginning of its reconfiguration with the building of a science and technology wing. In the next five or six years, Murphy expects to see another wing built and the baseball and softball fields moved on campus.
"It's not just a football issue, it's a school improvement issue," he said. "It's not just a football field, it's a classroom for athletics. I think the kids deserve to be in the best facility we can provide for them. We're going to need the space in the next phase of expansion."
The field is home to nine teams during a normal school year - three high school football, two middle school football and four high school soccer teams. The wear and tear on the field makes for a poor playing surface for the students and can be unsafe, Murphy said.
"The surface is poor. We plant new sod every July, and it's gone by the end of the year," he said. "We need the turf, it's not a luxury item for us. ... I'm disappointed with the result, but I respect the Board's decision."
Artificial turf is a need instead of a luxury, according to School Board member Keith Liner, whose district represents North Augusta.
"One of the goals in the rebuild of North Augusta High School is to get all of the athletic facilities on campus," he said. "It's the only high school that doesn't. I look at that as a safety issue. For years, North Augusta has had the luxury of using City fields. While we're very grateful, it's time for us to have our own facilities so athletes don't have to travel back and forth for practice and sporting events. I look at FieldTurf as an integral part of that because the campus is so limited in space and land."
Star news editor Scott Rodgers contributed to this report.
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