THROOP, Pa. — The turf is fresh, and the lights will be a lot brighter at Mid Valley High School in Throop.
The school district made the decision to renovate its athletic complex, including the football field.
"The field last year was terrible. It was really muddy couldn't get any traction on it this year. I'm really excited to play on the new field," said senior Victor Holt.
The football field, track, baseball, and softball fields have all been upgraded, as well as new drainage and fresh pavement.
Superintendent Patrick Sheehan says making repairs year after year wasn't cost-effective.
So with the help of Lehigh Valley Health Network and taxpayer funding, the roughly $10 million project was given the green light.
"Now would be the time to do it because we needed all of the fields done, and we wanted to do them all together. It was more cost-effective to do it that way," said Sheehan.
The original athletic complex was completed in 1987. Mid Valley football coach Stan Yanoski can remember the first time he took the field back then.
"I was a junior in high school when the stadium was built brand new, and I played the first game on the new field, and now I'm going get to be the head coach of the new field," Yanoski said.
District officials say these upgrades will mostly benefit the students, but they hope the community takes the opportunity to use it.
"Whether they walk around the track or the walking trail and just being able to come up here and, you know, see everything that's going on," said Yanoski.
Players we spoke with say they had pride in their school before but are looking forward to taking the field for the first time with a fresh new look.
"I always got chills running out, but now this year, hopefully, it's gonna be packed. Everyone wants to see the new stadium. I got the chills this year, definitely," said senior Jordan Chmielewski.
There is still work being done on some of the other parts of the complex, including the tennis courts and the cross-country trail, but the football field makes its debut Friday night as the Spartans host Lackawanna Trail.
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