Spring Valley’s football field is currently under reconstruction, replacing the current grass field with a turf field designed by principal Tam Larnerd, head varsity football coach Marcus Teal, head varsity flag football coach Nathan Pangelinan and athletic director Yvonne Arguello.

“I’m kind of grateful,” senior wide receiver Connor Beathe said. “Obviously, grass and turf have their different pros and cons. With turf, you can grip [the field] more. I’m happy, it will make our school look a lot better. Our [old] field was kind of sad and was not the best. And [the] turf will be a lot better.”

According to Arguello, the switch to turf fields was made by CCSD. After testing the move with a few schools last year, CCSD made the decision for schools to put in turf fields for safety and financial reasons.

“Not sure where all the funding comes from, but as a coach and parent of athletes, I like the switch to a new, improved turf field,” coach Pangelinan said. “I know that the field will reduce water use and provide an equitable space for our teams to have games.”

The construction began last week on Oct. 13, and while no definitive date has been announced for when it will be completed, according to Arguello, it should be done sometime in the middle of December.

“I think athletes and coaches will like the new field,” Arguello said. “They see college and professional athletes play on turf all the time and will appreciate that they have the opportunity to play on the same type of field, which can help them prepare for post-secondary competition.”

The turf will feature the same football markings that were laid out before each game in the past. What is new is the end zone design, which is navy blue and features “Spring Valley” on one end and “Grizzlies” on the other in white letters with a gold outline.

“I think it’s going to look great,” Beathe said. “I think turf fields look a lot better than grass fields in general. It looks cool. I’m excited, I really am.”

The new turf field comes with soccer field markings as well, making it possible for the soccer programs to have games in “The Den” when the football team is not playing at home.

“Playing on turf makes the game faster,” head varsity women’s soccer coach William Hemberger said. “The grass can slow down passes and long balls; turf actually speeds it up. So I believe it will be an advantage for us because we have a faster team.”