St. Andrew’s adds new turf, Jumbotron
The St. Andrew’s football team will take the field on a brand new turf surface complete with a new Jumbotron this season, school officials say.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School replaced Roger W. Stribling Field’s natural grass surface with an artificial turf field at the school’s North Campus, St. Andrew’s spokesman Emily Gordon said.
“The new field will elevate St. Andrew’s athletics to a higher standard with a surface that is the best product available on the market,“ Gordon said.
The school looks forward to opening the field on Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. when the Saints face off with the West Lincoln Bears out of Brookhaven. This will be both teams’ first full game of the season.
Gordon said the school community will come together to “celebrate and bless” the new addition with a family tailgate and Saints Celebration, a spirited event that recognizes all St. Andrew’s athletes.
The school will also unveil its new digital scoreboard and Jumbotron.
Head Football Coach Johnny Nichols said these additions will make St. Andrew’s facilities among the best in the state.
“The new turf and the new Jumbotron will give our St. Andrew’s student athletes and coaches, as well as our entire school family and community, the opportunity to play on and attend games at one the best facilities in the area,” Nichols said. “It's an exciting time for St. Andrew's athletics.”
The new field includes the latest in advanced technology to support safety and temperature control with a surface that will be cooler than other turf fields, Gordon said.
She said Director of Athletics DeWayne Cupples and the school believe the turf will raise the quality of the athletic field space to equal that of the state-of-the-art Athletics and Recreation Center, which opened in 2017.
Cupples led a team that researched turf fields during the 2022-2023 school year to select the new playing surface.
In addition to the scoreboard and field, the football team will be wearing Guardian Caps, a padded, soft-shell cover worn over the helmet, during all practices designed to absorb impact and reduce the risk of concussion.
Guardian, the manufacturer of the caps, says the caps can reduce impact by up to 33 percent. Gordon said Guardian caps are already mandated by the National Football League for high-contact positions at practices during the 2023 season and some NFL teams have been requiring all players to wear them, regardless of position.
The caps were provided to St. Andrew’s by St. Andrew’s parents Dr. Jack Moriarity, a neurosurgeon, and Dr. Risa Moriarity, a professor of emergency medicine at UMMC. Dr. Jack Moriarity is a trained unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant (UNC) for the NFL.
When Coach Nichols asked Dr. Moriarity for suggestions on how to improve player safety, Moriarity reached out to his friend and colleague Dr. Allen Sills, chief medical officer of the NFL and parent of a St. Andrew’s graduate. Dr. Sills strongly recommended the caps for St. Andrew’s players, Gordon said.