CHARMCO – Just in time for the fiftieth season of Cavalier Field’s existence, the venerable old facility got a facelift of major proportions. The natural grass surface, which often turned into a muddy quagmire each November, received a lush, even carpet of Field Turf just in time for the 2023 season. West’s upgraded facility is one of the finest in Class A now that the turf project is completed. Gone are the days of traveling across the county to play “home” playoff games.
Greenbrier West athletic director and assistant football coach Jared Robertson detailed the process that got the ball rolling for a new turf surface.
“The turf project began with Jason Stewart, the Greenbrier East Athletic Director at the time, and I obtaining several quotes from a variety of companies for installing turf here in Charmco and replacing the turf in Fairlea. We settled on FieldTurf, partially because of price and partially because of their company being a sponsor of the WVSSAC and getting their recommendation.”
Roberston explained the process more in depth. “Once we settled on a company, we met with the administrators from the schools as well as Mr. Brooks, our county’s Facilities Director and Mr. McClure, our county Accountant. Those gentlemen took the project and discussed it further with Mr. Bryant, Mr. Clemons, and Ms. Hanna in the county office, as well as discussing the details of the project with our Board of Education members.”
As you might imagine, the prep work and installation in Charmco would be significantly higher than what was needed in Fairlea. Spartan Stadium had A-Turf installed before the 2007 season. The drainage and base needed to resurface their field was already in place for the most part.
“I give our county the credit for figuring out a way to financially pay for the project at both schools and give us two incredible facilities,” stated Robertson.
Once approved, there were several moving parts to get the project rolling.
“The biggest issue we faced was the timeline of trying to get everyone here to get started and then to get everything finished in time for Friday Night Lights. I thought we would be starting in April or early May but ended up being June before the process started. A few delays outside of our control pushed the finish date from Aug. 7 to Aug. 16 to Aug. 23 to Aug. 24. That had me sweating, because trying to move the opening night football game (Aug 25) at the last minute would not have been fun. There were some communication issues along the way because of all the moving parts but in the end, I think we ended up with a phenomenal facility.”
Before the 2023 season opener, Greenbrier West had played only 16 games on artificial turf, splitting those contests evenly at 8-8. The Cavaliers were a perfect 4-0 playing in Fairlea, winning a pair of Class AA playoff games over Herbert Hoover and Frankfort in 2010, defeating Meadow Bridge in the 2012 Class A opening round, and sealing a trip to Wheeling in the 2013 Class A semi-finals with a thrilling 21-14 win over Magnolia. West’s other four artificial turf wins came over Valley at Martin Field in Montgomery in 1991, a season-opening win at Nicholas County in 2013, a COVID replacement game at Scott in 2020, and a rain-soaked victory at Shady Spring last season.
The FieldTurf era has kicked off with a bang in Charmco. Much like former head coaches Toby Harris, Howard Hylton, and Lewis McClung, new Cavalier head coach Kelly Vaughan earned a victory in his first game. It just so happens that all four coaches with deep ties to the program also won their first games at Cavalier Field.
Coach Vaughan had nothing but praise for the new surface. “We have a beautiful facility that exudes a small college atmosphere. We’re able to practice on it over and over without worrying about wearing out an area. There will be no concerns when it comes to hosting playoff games. Our players love it. One good look and it speaks for itself. It’s so nice.” If we’re lucky, Coach Vaughan will have seven more opportunities to add home wins this season.
In its earliest days, Greenbrier West football called Rainelle’s Memorial Recreation Field their home. From 1968-73, West compiled a 20-9 record at their temporary, Rainelle home. Memorial Recreation Field opened in 1947 and had previously served as the home of the Rainelle Rangers. The Crichton Wildcats also called Rainelle their home from 1951-57, so the gridiron was familiar to most of the initial Cavalier football teams. Greenbrier West returned to Rainelle for one game in 1994, a 53-0 homecoming victory over Oceana, due to water issues at the school. The Cavaliers also played one home game at Rupert in 1973, a game plagued by clock issues.
A true home field, though, had been a dream since the inception of the school in 1968. Countless hours of volunteer effort and equipment went into the construction of the facility. Student organizations like the Victory Queen candidates raised $800 in 1970. Local businesses like Georgia Pacific, Roadway Builders, Westvaco, and Leckie Smokeless Coal labored on the field in the summer of 1971. In September of 1971, Senator Tracy Hylton and House Speaker Lewis McManus landed via helicopter at the site to pledge services to help complete the field.
There were hiccups along the way. In December of 1971, Greenbrier County voters failed to pass a levy that would’ve provided $40,000 annually for five years to complete the fields in both Charmco and Fairlea. The levy received 53.9% of support but needed 60% to pass. Undaunted, the school and community pressed on. Then-head coach Toby Harris’ father Gene, Gary Johnson, Geno McKenzie, Bernard Johnston, Sherry Hill, and many others donated their time, equipment, and expertise. Local banks made donations and politicians threw their support behind the endeavor. Six years went into the initial development of the field.
The perseverance of the Greenbrier West community finally paid off after six years of persistence. Cavalier Field opened its gates for the first time on August 30, 1974. Greenbrier West defeated Richwood 22-7 in that inaugural contest. Vernon Jones scored the first West touchdown in the facility, in fact, he scored twice in the second quarter. Dennis Burns was 1-8 passing on the night, but his lone completion was a 24-yard touchdown strike to Danny Windon. Marshall Hinkle broke in the new goal posts with a pair of extra points and the West fans left Charmco happy. It would be the only home win of the 1974 season, but the bigger victory was having a field on the school campus.
Over the years, Cavalier Field would grow into quite a home field advantage. West would go an amazing 183-74 at home on its natural grass surface. That’s winning at a 71% clip. The true homefield advantage, though, was not always in effect. Due to various factors, the Cavaliers were forced to play many of their “home” playoff games in Fairlea. On twelve occasions from 1983-2013, Greenbrier West could not host a playoff game in Charmco. In hopes of improving their odds, new bleachers and a new press box were installed prior to the 2011 season. The seating capacity was increased to meet SSAC guidelines for hosting a Class AA playoff game, if only the field had a playable surface. At least two more times after the upgrade, West was forced across the county. Thirteen seasons later, that hurdle has been cleared.
There were a few memorable home playoff wins in that beloved Charmco mud. The school’s first-ever playoff win came at home against Northfork in 1982. The Blue Demons turned the ball over six times and their head coach, John Brandt, lamented the field conditions. The surface didn’t deter the homestanding Cavaliers, though. Bill Brown scored two touchdowns and Herbie Mitchell found the endzone on a 57-yard pick-six. Kelly Vaughan was West’s quarterback and nose guard in the contest. Head coach Lewis McClung got a home playoff win in his first-ever playoff game at the helm when the Cavaliers defeated Valley-Wetzel 32-6 in 2002. Michael Edens ran for 87 yards and scored two touchdowns while Bryan Spitzer was an efficient 2-3 passing, with both completions going for scores. Trent Walker set the West playoff record for carries in a game (41) and yards (200) in a 2006 playoff win over Buffalo. Walker then went on to break his single-game playoff record for yards the next week with 238 and established the single-game rushing touchdown record with 4 against Notre Dame. The Irish were not enamored with the muddied Cavalier Field surface, but it didn’t seem to hinder Walker’s abilities.
The 2013 Cavaliers set a then-West playoff record with 54 points in a romp of Notre Dame on a misty night in Charmco. Five different Cavaliers found the endzone that night and the Cavaliers set school playoff records with 68 rushing attempts, 470 rushing yards, and 495 yards of total offense on the cold, damp, November night. Of note, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio telecast his show live from Cavalier Field before kickoff.
Head coach Toby Harris got his first playoff win on a tightly packed, muddy surface in 2019. The Cavaliers defeated Tygarts Valley 52-13 on a brisk, Saturday afternoon. Kaiden Pack threw for two touchdowns, Lawson Vaughan caught both scoring throws, and Noah Brown ran through the slop for two scores. The following postseason, Harris’ Cavaliers set a program playoff record when they held Madonna to –14 rushing yards. School playoff records were also set for most points scored and largest scoring margin in the 58-0 shutout.
Finally, the 2022 Cavaliers closed out the natural grass-era of Cavalier Field with a school-record shutout streak. In Harris’ final season, Greenbrier West did not allow an opponent to find the endzones in Charmco. The Cavaliers pitched shutouts in all six games, and in the process, earned Harris his 100th win at Greenbrier West. That win was a 35-0 romp of South Harrison that got statewide media attention for the field conditions that deteriorated rapidly as the game progressed. As it turned out, that game may have been the motivating factor in turfing Cavalier Field.
Howard Hylton, coincidentally, earned his 100th win at Greenbrier West on Cavalier Field against Nicholas County in 1991. Lewis McClung got his 100th West football victory on Cavalier Field against Webster County in 2013.
New records have already been set on the artificial surface. Moses Gray recorded the first two Cavalier scores, a pair of second quarter touchdown runs. Isaac Agee caught the first touchdown pass with Cole Vandall responsible for throwing it. Hayden Ridgeway was a perfect 5-5 on PATs. In week three, West returned two interceptions for touchdowns and rolled up 271 yards of offense in the shortest regulation game ever played by a West football team. According to the game clock, the Cavaliers played a mere 15:18 to earn the win.
Coach Roberston concluded with these thoughts. “As athletic director, now I am just trying to make sure we do our due diligence to maintain the field and keep it in perfect shape not only for football, but for all our athletic programs and our students to be able to use it. You don’t think of all of the little extras that go along with it, and some of those details we had to kind of adjust on the fly as the process was being finished. All in all, though, I am thrilled with how it has turned out and am very happy for our student-athletes to have this type of football facility to represent our school the best way possible.”
The new turf surface hosts its first-ever homecoming game this Friday night when the Cavaliers host Shady Spring. Kickoff is at 7 P.M. but fans are advised to arrive early for the festivities.
