DUNLAP, Tenn. – In the football-crazed Sequatchie Valley, where each school takes great satisfaction in one-upping its neighboring rivals, Sequatchie County High School has claimed bragging rights in facilities.
The school is set to unveil a $1.2 million, nearly 25,000-square-foot multipurpose recreational facility that will be used by Griffith Elementary physical education classes from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and then turned over to the high school for football, baseball, softball, soccer or marching band practice in the afternoons.
“Weather won’t be a factor in keeping us off the practice field anymore, that’s for sure,” Indians football coach Ken Colquette said. “Our old practice field, when it rains it turns into mush, and I’ve reached the age that I’ve become cold-natured, but now we can just go indoors and keep on practicing. Plus, with the rule about not being able to practice when it’s too hot out, this will take care of all of that.
“It’s plenty big enough that we can scatter around into different groups and work on about everything except punting and field goals.”
The idea for the multipurpose athletic facility came as a way of answering a desperate need for Griffith Elementary, which with its enrollment of around 950 students is one of the three largest elementary schools in the state and had outgrown the gym, which was built in 1962. Whenever the elementary school had programs scheduled, students were broken up into three or four groups to fit separately into the gym and P.E. classes could be held in a rotation just twice every six days.