Big crowd welcomes Tigers back home

Everything was back to normal for the Douglas football team Thursday night in its long-awaited home debut.

The Tigers made their first appearance in Carson Valley this season after construction on their field forced them to move all but the last regular season game.

An estimated 2,000 fans were on hand for Douglas' homecoming game, in which the Tigers prevailed 55-7 over the Wooster Colts.

The Tigers wasted little time christening the new field as Reese Kizer scored on a 17-yard run just four minutes and four seconds into the game.

Even long-time play-by-play announcer Ken Carr, who has missed most of the season after suffering a heart attack in September, was back in the P.A. box, spouting his wit and rallying the spectators with his renowned pre-kickoff battle cries.

"It was sure good hearing Ken's voice out here again," Douglas coach Mike Rippee said. "It just made it feel like home."

Douglas seniors Ali Witteman and Mike Gransbery were named the homecoming queen and king respectively.

Most everyone was impressed with the new turf, which sports a gigantic Tiger head at the 50-yard line and bright orange end zones.

"The kids really enjoyed playing on it," Rippee said. "It's so green. I kept expecting to see brown spots like our old grass. But this will be great. It's plays very well."

Douglas will host next week's first-round playoff game against the No. 4 seed out of the High Desert League.

For more on Thursday's game, check page 4.

n Joey Crandall can be reached at jcrandall@recordcourier.com or at (775) 782-5121, ext. 212.