Gaffney High football begins a new era

Fans at the Gaffney High School Stadium use umbrellas and other objects in an effort to shield themselves from rain that passed through Gaffney during the American Community Bank Football Classic on Friday. Finally, the wait is over.

With the first blow of a referee's whistle signaling the start of play on Friday, Gaffney High School opened a new chapter in its storied history, passing the proverbial torch from W.K. Brumbach Stadium to its new 8,250-seat on-campus facility.

While the first game played at the new Gaffney High School stadium was a mere preseason jamboree, it held significant importance for coaches, players and fans visiting the facility for the first time.

"The stadium is beautiful," said Spartanburg County resident James Teague. "We didn't know what to expect when we got here, but the school did a great job putting (the stadium) together. It made for a fun experience."

A large crowd made their way out to the stadium for the American Community Bank Cherokee County Football Classic, braving strong winds and brief periods of rain. Most seats on the home side of the field were filled, with bleachers on the visitor's side also holding a number of fans.

"That was a good crowd out here for a jamboree," said Gaffney High athletic director and head football coach Phil Strickland. "We didn't expect this big a crowd, but are glad this many came out to see the games."

Parking was a big issue for school officials in the week leading up to the jamboree. With parking being first-come, first-served at the stadium on Friday, law enforcement officials were deployed to make sure fans adhered to guidelines set by the school.

While there were fans who were not happy about the facility's parking situation, others like York County's Jim Robinson said it is all a part of Friday nights.

"Everyone is not going to be happy about parking; it's like that everywhere," Robinson said.

Plans to deploy shuttle buses to the Cherokee County Recreation Complex for regular season games were announced by school officials last week. Also chipping in to help with the school's parking squeeze is D.W. Stacy Trucking Co. owner Danny Stacy. Work still has to be done at the facility, as the scoreboard — though operational — has yet to be completed. Also, issues with several bathroom locations around the stadium must be resolved.

"As we said it was a dress rehearsal," Strickland said. "We got some reports of bathrooms and other things that needed to be worked on. I'm glad we were able to find out about these problems before the season got started."