KEARNEY — After nearly a year of work, Kearney Catholic High School was able to host their Homecoming game at the newly renovated Mile Field during the evening of Friday, Sept. 27.
Work began after a groundbreaking in November 2023, with the entire site being undergoing a renovation.
The Homecoming game was hosted against Amherst, where the Kearney Catholic Stars were able to celebrate the opening of the field with a 31-7 victory.
Needed Facility Upgrades
“While we are proud of all our KCHS alumni have accomplished over the years with less-than-ideal conditions, it is not giving our students, fans and visitors the experience they deserve,” the KCHS Foundation stated.
Among other needs, there were permanent restrooms at the football field and portable toilets could not adequately accommodate the elderly or handicapped.
Fans with disabilities also struggled to access the current bleachers. The visiting side bleachers were also small and lacked restrooms or a concession stand.
Lighting around the field was limited and is a concern as it becomes darker at game time. A recent upgrade of the lighting several years ago was helpful, but the surrounding gate and parking lot area remained generally dark.
The current visitor locker rooms were in the basement of the original gymnasium; they are not ADA compliant and haven’t been updated in 60 years, according to the KCHS Foundation.
The track was a gravel path which was unusable for track meets. “Our students get limited practice on the site and then are forced to go to other facilities at late hours to complete their event preparation,” the KCHS Foundation stated.
Due to the state of the former full field and track, KCHS was unable to host soccer and track events and has missed out on hosting 18 to 23 home games or meets a year. That number doesn’t account for junior varsity, middle school, or band events.
In interviews with parents, grandparents, alumni, faculty, administrators and students, the athletic complex was mentioned more than any other issue regarding KCHS facilities.
There was a push to modernize the facilities that was gaining momentum in 2019-2020 but was sidelined due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, the KCHS Foundation, KCHS administration, under the guidance of the consulting firm, Partners In Mission, lead a strategic planning process involving school leadership, staff, clergy, school families and the communities.
The athletics complex was identified as a major priority in the KCHS strategic survey, as it is an important, “front door,” for the community, the KCHS Foundation stated.
Having to access external facilities for track and safety concerns reignited the conversation for modernization in late 2022, early 2023.
The KCHS Foundation said that initial donor conversations indicated that they did not want “band-aid or half fixes,” to the outdoor facilities.
The ideal facilities that KCHS envisions include modern restroom facilities, bleachers to accommodate 1,000-1,500 fans, an eight-lane track, artificial turf on the football field, equipment storage, a machine shed under church property, concession stand, ADA accessible facilities and a field training room.
The KCHS goals for the facility are to improve opportunities for students to prepare for and excel in athletics, enhance the experience and safety of spectators and participants and build on the existing reputation as a quality educational institution, stated the KCHS Foundation.
The goals for the community use of the space in the future includes a welcoming and bureaucratic-free approach to making the space available to community organizations and county schools that require turf and track access.
Groundbreaking
Activity at Miles Field got underway after a groundbreaking was held in November 2023.
“The groundbreaking ceremony is a significant milestone in the expansion and development of the school’s athletic facilities. The new Kearney Catholic Activities Complex is set to become a great facility that will benefit students, athletes, and the Kearney community as a whole,” per the Kearney Catholic High School (KCHS) Foundation.
Matthew Rogers, KCHS Principal, said that the upgrades to Miles Field and the athletic complex are a long-time coming, with talk about renovations going back to the 1980s.
“Extracurricular activities are an integral part of education and teaches are students valuable life lessons of teamwork, discipline, perseverance and leadership,” Rogers said, “Todays groundbreaking is a tangible expression to fostering not only academic excellence, but also the physical and spiritual development of our students.”
First of a Kind Track
The new track is the first post-tension concrete running track in the Tri-City area, according to Kearney Catholic and Nemaha Sports Construction.
“Post-tensioning incorporates steel cables and tendons within the concrete formwork before pouring. Once the concrete reaches optimal strength, these tendons are tensioned to compress the concrete, ensuring a robust system that can endure for decades,” according to a press release.
Jeff Emanuel, President of Nemaha Sports Construction, reflected on the collaboration with Kearney Catholic High School, stating, “When Kearney Catholic High School approached us for facility upgrades, durability and quality were their top priorities. After thorough evaluation and input from all stakeholders, a post-tension concrete running track emerged as the ideal solution for this project.”
Synthetic Turf
Sara Homan, KCHS Foundation Director of Advancement, said on an interview with KGFW that the choice of synthetic turf, “was pretty obvious to maximize impact for the student body.”
She said it is true that professional sport teams have been trending back to natural grass fields for safety reasons, but after consulting with experts, it was noted that high school athletes are not operating at the level of professional athletes and a turf field would be safe.
Homan also noted that the KCHS marching band will be able to practice on the turf field, which is the same surface that all their competitions take place on. “They have never had that before,” she said.
She said to maximize the use for the entire student body, the choice of synthetic turf was the only way to go.
2023 KCHS Miles Field Groundbreaking
2024 KCHS Homecoming Game at Renovated Miles Field
