CLAY, W.Va. — When the Clay County Panthers open the 2018 football season next Friday night, it will be at their home stadium. There were concerns games would not be played at Clay County High School and rumors in the community caused a lot of unrest.
“We’re just excited to find out we can play on our field and we’re looking forward to it,” said Head Coach Jason Nichols.
The field was heavily damaged in the 2016 flood which wiped out the team’s locker room, weight room, and all of the equipment. The damage to the flood however wasn’t noticed until almost a year later after the winter caused drains to collapse and sinkholes to develop.
During the off season, the coaching staff has worked to patch the field and make it safe for play. Nicholas indicated that would continue this season and hopefully once 2018 is behind them major repairs can be tackled.
“That is still the goal and that’s going to happen,” Nichols said. “It will still be the same facility, just with major upgrades.”