Panther Stadium got a makeover over the summer months. At first, many saw a pretty general football field, two end zones, and yard line markers. However, we now see the prominent Panther logo at midfield along with two blacked-out end zones, with one having bold orange lettering saying “Powell” and the other “Panthers.” 

Not only did the turf’s restoration bring a fresh style to PHS, but it also came with a few opinions from the school’s football team.

“My overall opinion of the turf is that it’s a huge addition to the school,” senior and football captain Trey Stenerson said. “It’s kind of a cool way to express our football team.”

New turf is widely known to be a little bit sharper and take a few weeks to be settled and broken into. On the other hand, the PHS single-game receiving yards record holder couldn’t say the same.

“In my opinion, the newer turf is softer,” Stenerson said. “[It] has more cushion.”

The field got an extensive amount of love from all football players. It showed school spirit and gave players confidence to play well. The famous saying, “Look good, feel good, play good,” is exactly what the field hits on.

Others may think the unique playing grounds are playing a contributing factor in the team’s success this year, but some of the coaching staff think differently.

“I don’t think [the field] is playing a factor,” linebackers and running backs Coach Mr. Joel Hayano said. “But the team is excited about playing at home now.” 

It takes more than just a field makeover to make a team competitive, especially when the state offers strikingly great teams. Additionally, reconstruction needed to take place. The traditional home territory torn out in June was noticeably outdated, hence the reason the school wanted to make an update.

“The new turf is much better than our old turf,” Hayano said. “The old turf was not being maintained to the degree it should have been, so it was becoming very hard and slick to play on.” 

Player safety is a priority at PHS, and some would say the previous material on the field was putting the athletes at a hazard for injuries. Non-contact injuries are a common occurrence in the sport of football. Therefore, over time the aged field would only continue to become a physical health risk.

“The main difference is that [the turf] behaves much more like real grass than the old field,” Hayano said. “It is much softer to land on as well.”

Unfortunately, the last regular season home game was played on the regenerated territory. In spite of that, the Panthers have high hopes to return to Panther Stadium in the playoffs.

The football team currently remains practicing on the field, but the girls’ and boys’ soccer teams will be taking on the renovated turf come Spring.

“I’m excited to play on it,” sophomore and girls soccer player Ivy Agee said. “It’ll be fun getting to play on brand new turf rather than an old, worn down turf.”

This new style of PHS came for a reason, whether it was just a safer environment for all athletes, maybe it was to show our school spirit, or probably both. The one thing everyone seemed to agree on was how elegant the new neighborhood looked.

“I think it looks great,” Hayano said. “It shows our school colors very well.”