SPRINGFIELD — Swimming pools and lakes… those are summer staples. Often, it’s where teenagers prefer to spend their time in the summer.
Daydreams of relaxing in the sun can make summer football tournaments a grind, a wrench in those plans, with over a month until fall camp.
West Plains has approached its summer events with a new attitude.
The touch of artificial turf, like at JFK Stadium near Parkview High School, where the Zizzers have played the last two weeks, is now that gridiron daydream. They had their own turf installed in 2012, and it lasted until early last month.
Much of West Plains was devastated by flood waters in the first days of May. Car dealerships were underwater, bridges destroyed, mobile homes were washed away, and the high school was not spared. The parking lot and the baseball and softball fields took on heavy damaged, while the football surface and surrounding track were destroyed.
“You didn’t think water could rise that high that fast and be that powerful that quickly,” senior Landry Randolph said.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE FLOOD DAMAGE
As the field drained, it took metal bleachers and chunks of asphalt with it while leaving a smattering of dirt and rocks. Pole vault pads, soccer goals, and scoreboards also succumbed to the rushing water.
“It looked like somebody took a jackhammer to our track and just moved it out of the way. Our field looked someone had dumped rocks all over it and beat them it. It was just torn up.”
Fellow senior Mitchell Mahan said it looked as though a tornado had come through town.
The school district was forced to cancel classes while the track and field team moved practice to nearby MV/BT-Liberty High School. The football team has met solely on its natural grass practice field which, as Randolph pointed out, is the same he ironically will both start and end his football career on as a Zizzer.
Head coach Steve Ary described traffic jams and U-turns on the highway to avoid rushing water. He also spoke of locals left homeless. With those imaged in mind, he is keeping perspective.
“You see what other people have lost and realize what life is really about,” he said. “We’ve not suffered nearly as much as a lot of families in the area.”
People around town began the cleanup almost instantly, and the student body was no exception.
“We had 150 students out cleaning up debris the day after. It was one of those deals where everyone woke up and said: we’ve got to go start putting things back together. It was really a moving thing for me.”
The company in charge of replacing the turf broke ground on Monday, but the field may not be ready for opening night. Ary said the deadline is Sept. 1, the night of a Week 3 home game against Glendale. The Zizzers are scheduled to host Paynesville to start the season.
MV/BT-Liberty and Thayer are nearby options if necessary.
“We may go on the road, but we don’t want to have to make people travel.”
Randolph added that he thought the town was bouncing back well. The Zizzers football program will certainly play its role in getting West Plains back to normal in the coming month.
