A potential new stadium has been in the plans for a few years at R.J. Reynolds High School. Last year, the M. Douglas Crater Field & Stadium was announced as the school’s official home stadium. The plan was for the stadium to be completed for the 2023 football season and allow for the RJR football team to practice on the field instead of on the baseball field. 

“I’m very excited to play in a new stadium especially since we won’t be sharing it with another school,” freshman Tai Arnold said. “Any football player would be excited to hear about a new stadium.”

Reynolds got school board approval in 2012 to start the project. Home Field Advantage is the organization that has helped lead the charge for the project. Home Field Advantage has received donations from alumni and other charitable donors that are involved. There was a groundbreaking ceremony in March of 2022 after the donation goal was reached. Home Field Advantage the put out new bids to contractors for the stadium process to continue.

“They [Home Field Advantage] has signed a contract with Astroturf to put in the turf,” athletic director Brad Fisher said. “They signed a contract with Southern Bleachers to make the bleachers. What you see out in the field now is an underground drainage system, because with turf not being actual grass, there has to be somewhere for the water to go.”

One of the biggest roadblocks has been raising the millions of dollars that are needed for the new stadium to be put in place. The school has had former alumni who have supported and helped fund the projects. The school system has helped with some of the construction process. However, a lot of money has to be raised for projects like these, especially with the length of constructing the project.

“The school system helped with the first phase and putting in the retaining walls,” Fisher said. “The retaining walls were extremely important because, with the retaining walls, we wouldn’t have a field. The purpose of the walls is to keep the Earth from moving that way. The weight of the two gymnasiums would have the Earth move that way so it was extremely expensive but extremely important”.

Another problem that has slowed down the process has been the weather. The rain has prevented the construction from being able to be worked on due to the dampness of the ground and the hazardous working conditions. 

“Heading into April to see the project be complete and ready by August, I don’t think it can happen,” Fisher said. “I would love it and be an ecstatic person but I think we’ve got to be realistic.”

A big thing that has been associated with the stadium is the players who will never be able to play in the new stadium. The team and players have felt many things about former players and athletes not being able to have the luxury of the new stadium. One of the big things has been about the seniors who won’t get to play on the field.

“Honestly, it’s sad to hear even though we are getting a field, I feel bad for those that are graduating,” sophomore Nigel McDaniel Moore said. “They won’t get to play on a field of their own.” 

While we don’t know for sure when construction of the stadium will be complete due to things outside our control, one thing is for sure, the Crater will be ready and it will be a field that Reynolds athletes will be able to play on for a long time.