Changes are afoot for Iola High’s season-opening football game.
Matt Baumwart, the Mustangs’ athletic director, said Iola will be unable to host the Sept. 3 opener against Osawatomie because of damage to the field.
The game has been rescheduled for Sept. 2 at the Humboldt Sports Complex.
Iola police said a suspect, whose name has not been released, drove a vehicle onto the football field at Iola’s Riverside Park sometime late Friday or early Saturday, leaving several ruts on the new sod. Criminal charges are pending.
The damage left noticeable tracks, plus one small area where the tires cut through the grass, exposing the dirt and mud underneath.
Iola’s next home game is set for Sept. 17 against Wellsville.
THE FOOTBALL field was replaced entirely over the summer, aided by a $35,000 private donation, after crews noted they were going to have to remove a portion of the field as part of an ongoing citywide lead clean-up effort.
Along with the $35,000 gift, USD 257 officials were aided by Iolan Donna Houser in raising another $5,000 needed to complete the project.
The replacement work was finished in July.
Humboldt’s Cubs kick off the season the next night, Sept. 3, also at the Humboldt Sports Complex, against Leon-Bluestem.
