Touchdown! The Millers have taken the lead, now on their new turf. Hare Chevrolet Field, home of the NHS Football team, scored some

renovations in the past few months. The renovations started late May and finished up around mid July.

     “The main thing was that new turf was installed,” assistant Athletic Director Tony Oilar said. ‘The turf that we had previously was installed in 2006, so we got 11 years out of it, which is exactly what the manufacturers said we would get.”

     Each year, the turf must pass the G-Max test for liability reasons. The G-Max test determines how hard a

surface, such as a football is, and if it’s safe enough to play on.

     “The turf, now, is much, much softer, so there should be fewer concussions,” Oilar said.

     Along with the new field, there were also minor paint jobs done to freshen up the appearance of the field.

Sophomore football manager Lindsey Wormuth said that she enjoys the new field more than the old turf, but there’s one thing she does not like about it: They cannot drive motorized vehicles on the field. “We aren’t able to drive the Gator on it, so it makes it harder for us to set up the field for practices,” Wormuth said.

      The managers eventually should be able to drive the vehicle once the field is broken in, but for now, they will carry everything by hand.

      “The gator leaves marks and the turf goes everywhere,” Wormuth said. “I think we’ll be able to drive on it toward the end of the season, though.”

     Junior Andy Cleverly, an offensive lineman, also enjoys the new turf.

     “The old turf was starting to get thin and hard,” Cleverly said. “It’s nice for position players like myself because it’s a lot softer and more comfortable when running and landing.”

     The only thing Cleverly would change about the turf is the color of the sidelines. The Millers’ sideline is black, while the visitor’s sideline is gold.

     “I’d change the the visitors sideline to black, instead of ours,” Cleverly said. “It can get pretty hot just standing there. Other than that, the new turf is great and much needed.”

     Likewise, junior quarterback Grant Gremel is also fond of the new turf. He thinks that with the new look, everyone will be excited to play on it.

     “The only thing I miss about the old turf is that I’ve done so much on that field, so it’s just a personal thing. The old field just has good memories tied with it,” Gremel said.