Artificial Turf

For many South Hagerstown football players, Friday's game at North Hagerstown will be the final opportunity to beat their rivals. For some, it will be the only opportunity to play on artificial turf, For many - like senior Eric Phillips - it will most likely be the last football game they ever play. "In a nutshell, this game means everything to me," said Phillips. Phillips and his teammates have yet to taste victory against North Hagerstown. The Rebels last won the city brawl in 2002, and they'd like nothing better than a win in the 51st edition of the rivalry, and the first to be played at Mike Callas Stadium.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The Chambersburg Borough Council Monday night got a look at a sketch plan for a renovated Trojan Stadium at Chambersburg Area Senior High School, a plan the council will have to approve before major construction can begin. The grandstands of the stadium were empty for much of the past football season, after they were closed in March over safety concerns about the aging bleachers. The home stands were torn down and the visitors' side renovated in time for the stadium to host two games.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Citing scheduling issues and the precedent it might set, the Chambersburg School Board Wednesday voted down a request by the Chambersburg Youth Football League to waive Trojan Stadium rental and gate fees. At a previous meeting, League President John Snider requested a waiver of the $1,000 rental fee and 10 percent of gate receipts the district charges for use of the stadium and its artificial turf field. The league, which includes the Chambersburg Steelers teams and cheerleader squads for children ages 5 to 13, originally wanted a five-year deal, but school board member David Sciamanna suggested at the earlier meeting it be limited to one year.

The Greencastle community unofficially kicked off a capital campaign on Wednesday night that will help raise the $2.5 million for a stadium project and other athletic improvements. Greencastle-Antrim School District Superintendent C. Gregory Hoover set up 50 chairs in the G-A Middle School library hoping for a large crowd, and he wasn't disappointed. "I set up for 50 and I was very close to that," said Hoover. "It is also a community that comes together to make it a better community, which is what it is. " Last week, the Greencastle-Antrim School Board voted to move forward on major improvements to the high school stadium complex, including two artificial turf fields, a new all-weather track and the replacement of the stadium lights.

andrewm@herald-mail.com Having traveled the same road for nearly a quarter-century, Williamsport's Stan Stouffer and Pocomoke's Alan Byrd were bound to meet up eventually. The two longtime, highly successful boys soccer coaches will finally bump heads at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, when the Wildcats and Warriors face off for the first time in the Maryland Class 1A state championship game at University of Maryland-Baltimore County. While they're unfamiliar with each other, this is not unknown territory for either side.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The Buildings and Grounds Committee of the Chambersburg Area School District will make a recommendation to the school board next month on what to do with the high school's Trojan Stadium, closed last month after a bleacher floorboard broke. At Wednesday night's Chambersburg School Board meeting, the cost of repairing the bleachers was estimated at $1.3 million by Paul Taylor, an architect for Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates of Mechanicsburg, Pa. Replacing the bleachers would cost about $1.8 million and Taylor predicted that only the visitors section could be completed by football season.

kauffman@herald-mail.com FREDERICK, Md. - For much of this season, Nick Adenhart has been the star attraction on Williamsport's baseball team. But as Tuesday's Class 1A state semifinal against Havre de Grace at McCurdy Field showed, there's a lot more to these Wildcats than just one guy. Seven starters scored at least one run, six had hits and pinch-hitter Tyler Beard closed things out with a three-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning, giving Williamsport a 14-4 victory and a ticket to Saturday's state final at Joe Cannon Stadium.

Martinsburg's boys soccer team has established itself as the team to beat in the Eastern Panhandle this season. The Bulldogs hold victories over their two toughest Panhandle rivals - a 2-1 win over Musselman on Aug. 30 that was shortened by thunderstorms, and a 3-1 triumph over reigning sectional and regional champion Jefferson on Sept. 5. "They're playing team ball, and the passing game is much improved," Martinsburg coach Greg Miller said. "There's no real superstars, they depend on each other, communicate and move the ball well.

Losing 3-2 to visiting Middletown on Wednesday night only cost No. 1 North Hagerstown the MVAL Piedmont girls soccer title. Much more will be at stake at Mike Callas Stadium on Tuesday, when the Hubs play in the quarterfinals of the Maryland Class 2A West playoffs - possibly against Middletown again. Top-seeded North (13-2, 2-1), which has a first-round bye, will host the winner of Saturday's first-round game between Middletown (7-5-1, 3-0) and Liberty. "It would have been nice to win the conference, but I'll take the game in the playoffs," North coach Rick Aleshire said.

CHAMBERSBURG, PA. chambersburg@herald-mail.com Time is of the essence if the Chambersburg Area School District plans to have Trojan Stadium rebuilt by next football season and the Buildings and Grounds Committee this week will ask the school board to schedule a special meeting Feb. 22 to receive and award bids for the $5 million project. "If we don't start, we won't get finished. We need all the days," Buildings and Grounds Director Richard Bender said Wednesday.