The Niagara Falls High School football team practiced and played in mud last year. On Thursday, football players and athletes from all of the other teams at the school came out for the formal dedication of the new $18 million sports complex.
The facility, located behind the high school, features new stands, artificial turf fields, running tracks and a new field house for wrestling.
"A lot of games, we had to travel to like Lancaster or Jamestown to overcome some of this stuff because our field was deemed unplayable at Sal Maglie," said football coach Donald Bass.
"Not to have to worry about that again is huge. It allows us to start practice earlier and get out of here. It allows to do more individual teaching. It's tremendous. I can't even put it into words."
And it isn't just football. One wrestler said practices used to be on the basketball court with the wrestlers having to rush to roll up their padding so the Wolverines basketball players could start practice. Now, wrestling is in its own new field house.
Deputy Superintendent Mark Laurrie says it's a facility for kids to be proud of.
"We have a running track, two football fields, one for community use. We have two hardball fields, two softball fields. We have tennis courts. We have lacrosse and soccer fields. We have a field house for wrestling. Every sport imaginable can be played or practiced out here and it's second to none," Laurrie said
Laurrie says the field also Title 9 compliant for the female students wearing the blue and gold of the Wolverines.
