The St. Clairsville football program has grown into an annual playoff participant. The last time the Red Devils missed the postseason was back in 2016. Prior to that? 2009.
That’s 11 appearances in 13 years.
But there was one small positive to come out of the team not making the postseason back in ’09. It gave construction crews a chance to get to work earlier.
A 21-18 loss to Harrison Central kept St. C. out of the playoffs at 6-4, but it ushered in a new era for both the Red Devils and Red Devil Stadium. The turf era.
“After that last home football game in 2009, the next day, we had the Army Corps of Engineers come in to move the earth,” recalled Kelly Rine, the school’s longtime and successful athletics director from 2006 through 2019. “That was the groundbreaking, and in the Fall of 2010, we played our first game on the turf. The first home track meet came the following Spring in 2011.”
The prospect of an artificial playing surface in St. Clairsville first became a possibility when the Belmont County Fairgrounds were moved westward to their current home on Roscoe Road.
No more were the demolition derby and truck pulls a concern for the playing surface at Red Devil Stadium. It was time for an upgrade
Of course, an upgrade requires funding.
Privately Funded
Rine recalled the project totaling upwards of $1.6 million to complete. That total included all the earthwork, the turf itself, the 8-lane, all-weather track, along with necessary ADA compliance work to both the visitors’ stands and the home portion of the seating areas.
He thinks a portion of the ADA compliance work may have required school funding because of the necessary compliance repairs, but otherwise, the overwhelming majority of the project expenditures was provided by private funds.
A committee was set up to promote the project and seek donations and funding, and it received ample help and support both from the Saints Club and the Red Devil Club.
The fact the project was to be privately funded naturally made it more palatable to the citizenry inside the district. But the committee and those promoting the project knew how beneficial it would be to the district and its students—not just student-athletes.
“When we touted it, our motto, our theme was to help us build our largest classroom,” Rine said, ‘because it would be used for physical education, for marching band, all the sports teams, the community—everybody.
“That’s how we approached it, and it’s been very successful. We’ve always considered it the crown jewel of our school district.”
The natural main beneficiary, yes, is the football team. The Devils christened the new facility first with a 34-24 home-opening win against Crestview in 2010. It took until 2011 for the facility’s first home playoff victory, a 30-27 triumph against Chesapeake. Since then, the team has totaled seven first-round home playoff wins.
More Than Just Football
Yes, football is king at the stadium and gets the most usage from the turf. But it’s far from alone.
As stated, that 8-lane track has given the always successful St. C. track teams a proper home to practice and host meets. Later, the OVAC Track and Field Championships were moved to Red Devil Stadium, both the qualifying round and the overall championship.
Both the high school and middle school track teams host invitationals, and the OVAC also holds the middle school championship meet at the Belmont County Seat.
During the fall, both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, which have earned a district championship in recent memory—the boys’ as recently as last season’s win against River View at New Concord in the district finale.
Physical Education classes utilize the turf, as do the baseball and softball teams. The community has access to the track for recreational and fitness purposes.
It’s been a win-win for both the district and the community at large.
Long-Lasting
The overall project was only recently paid off completely in the last few years.
The turf is going to need replacing here in the next couple of years, so it won’t be long before another campaign kicks up to generate funding to put some new ‘carpet’ down inside Red Devil Stadium.
The district is likely hoping the new turf is as durable and lasts as long as the current turf. It’s certainly gotten its money’s worth.
“It’s starting to show its wear, and I know there is probably, within a year or two, going to be a push for new turf,” Rine said. “But it’s held up surprisingly well and given us a couple more years than anticipated. But at some point, we’ll need to replace it.”
Fortunately, the cost to replace the turf will be less, in theory, than the original cost to install it and all the associated work required.
Twelve years ago, the cost to replace turf was roughly $400,000. No earthwork will be required, nor a full 8-lane track installed as well. ADA compliance is already checked off.
Of course, as years progress, prices increase, so that $400,000 is likely going to be higher.
“It’s much cheaper to replace and 12 years ago, it was like $400,000 for new turf. But it’ll be a lot more now,” Rine admitted.
Spearheading that campaign will likely be new St. Clairsville Athletics Director Justin Clifford. While new to the position, Clifford and his family, are obviously no strangers to the district.
Plus he’ll have plenty of help from administrators, boosters, and volunteers who took part in the initial drive to raise funding for the project.
Rine will be able to act as a resource and an assistant too if need be. He’s happy to help. Rine knows how important the facility is for the district and what it’s been able to do since 2010.
“It’s been wonderful and continues to do so, from the OVAC championships to hosting multiple playoff games, not only ours but also neutral-site games,” Rine said. “It’s a source of pride for the whole school and community.”
