We are just over three weeks away from the beginning of the 2025 High School Football season. The Carmi-White County Bulldogs will begin practice this coming Monday at the end of College Boulevard in Carmi.
Head Coach Clinton Wolff enters his first season at the helm after the retirement of Kurt Simon who led the Bulldogs for 28 seasons. While Wolff and his staff begin preparations and game plans for the 2025 season, there is major area of uncertainty heading to kickoff.
The playing surface at Harrington-Jeffries Stadium.
After a harsh winter and historic rainfall amounts in April, the Bermuda grass at CWCHS took a beating. The original Bermuda was installed in the early 2000s, with a new variety of grass being installed in certain areas in 2015.
Given the weather elements, and the age of the original grass, CWC made the decision to install all new Bermuda over the entire field earlier this summer.
It has taken a little longer than expected for the grass to fully grow, and weeks of no rain and heat advisories followed by continuous days of rainfall haven’t helped.
Carmi-White County was scheduled to host Mt. Carmel for a Week 0 scrimmage and the CWCHS Fall Sports Preview on August 22nd, but due to the field’s current state, that scrimmage has been moved to Mt. Carmel, who installed Astroturf a few seasons ago. Carmi is not the only school currently dealing with grass issues heading into the 2025 season, as many other area football fields, golf courses, and grass nurseries suffered significant winter kill.
Carmi-White County Jr. Pro Football was scheduled to play their first home game on August 16th, but that game currently has no designated site to be played as Christopher (CWC’s opponent) is also dealing with their own Bermuda grass issues.
“I’m hoping that we will be able to play our Week 1 game at home against Johnston City on August 29th, but we won’t be able to make that decision for a couple more weeks,” Clinton Wolff stated.
Don’t be surprised if multiple Southern Illinois High School football games this season are forced to flip locations or are completely moved to stadiums that have Astroturf.
Stay tuned to the WRUL Sports Facebook for updates regarding Harrington-Jeffries Stadium’s condition, and when CWC will be able to take the field at home.