Head football coach James Ray works hard keeping the football field in healthy shape for his players no matter the difficulty of doing so. 

   Coach Ray had a rough time growing the field’s grass this summer. There was a layer of dead clippings on the field called thatch. 

   “Thatch is that dead grass that gets into the soil that acts like an umbrella, so water, nutrients and fertilizer wasn’t getting into the soil like it should,” Coach Ray said.

    He even had to call a company to take the thatch off. By doing this, it exposed many problems. For instance, the grass in the center of the field would not grow back, so they had to re-sod it.  

   Large amounts of rain made the field more tender. Because of this the players could not play on it without ruining it. The players would have played through the rain, but Coach Ray had to think of the long term effects. Taking all of this into account, he had to move the Biloxi game to another location. 

   The field is a bermuda hybrid called Tifway 419. This kind of grass was created by Mississippi State University. It is very thick and similar to carpet; this hybrid is great for football since it does not get torn up when it is played on.

     You may only see Coach Ray taking care of the football field while we are at school, but it takes the whole year to get it in pristine condition. 

   Some things Coach Ray is doing to make sure the field stays thriving and healthy is frequently cutting it, checking the pH levels and spraying it with weed killer. 

      “I think we’re ready for a full-slated game,” Coach Ray said.