WATERTOWN, S.D. (KELO) — Watertown Stadium has been at the center of the town’s athletic history for more than eighty years, but on Friday, the high school football team played its final home game there in front of a packed crowd.

Watertown Stadium has plenty of character. From its concrete exterior, bleacher seating and writing from past players all over the locker room, it has been a Watertown staple.

“There’s been a lot of history to athletics in this building, in this area. There’s been everything from minor league baseball, high school football, high school track and high school baseball. A ton of different things have been here,” Watertown head football coach John Hodorff said.

It’s a place where multiple generations of athletes dreamed of playing.

“Growing up, watching my brother play in here and all the memories that’ve been made in this stadium, it’s just an honor to be able to play here,” senior free safety Jeremiah Schulte saied.

“There’s no other place in the state that’s like playing in this atmosphere. The old musty smell is kind of one of a kind,” senior offensive and defensive lineman Jayden Lambert said.

This season was the Arrows’ last football season in the stadium, and in their final home game, they clinched a spot in the class 11AA state championship with a 20-7 win over Brookings.

“It meant a lot to finish the stadium out with a bang. It was crazy in here, so that helped out a lot. The crowd was bumping the whole time,” Lambert said.

“I remember I went to the last state game we had in 2013. I was pretty young, but to be able to go to that place, because we have a picture in our locker room, I’m like, ‘man, we get to play there on Friday.’ It’s pretty special,” senior quarterback Treyton Himmerich said.

Although Watertown Stadium will always hold a special place in the community’s heart, the team is looking forward to breaking in their new facility next season.

“Everything’s going to be about as nice as you’re going to find anywhere, and when the community of Watertown goes out to support stuff, they come out in huge numbers, so we would expect the same over there,” Hodorff said.

Watertown will take on Pierre in the state championship game on Friday at 7 p.m. Friday at the Dakota Dome in Vermillion. You can hear from both teams in our state championship preview show, which airs at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.



Source link

By admin

Malcare WordPress Security