New Sierra Lutheran Head Football Coach Billy McHenry, seen here on the school's new field Wednesday, is no stranger to Northern Nevada football having coached at Incline, Sparks and Carson High in the past.
Not only will Sept. 3 be the first game of the season for Sierra Lutheran High School Falcons football team — it also will be their first home game on campus, thanks to a new athletic field.
The field also gives the Falcons’ fan-base and families an opportunity to show support without having to travel far distances to attend games.
“Last year, we only had away games because we didn’t have a field,” said SLHS Athletic Director Michael Nelson. “But now families can easily attend home games of all sports. This field allows us to have more space for our athletic programs.”
Construction was completed in spring and the size is regulated to support a variety of field sports; the length of the playing field can be adjusted and it’s 40 yards in width. Some of the field’s physical features include bleachers and a press box.
Along with the field’s renovation, the 8-man program’s new varsity head coach Billy McHenry is preparing for the upcoming preseason set for Aug. 3.
“It’s exciting to have a home field with the first complete group of seniors that played for the last three years,” he said. “I feel like this is the first year to be a part of something new. With all of the great things that happen in this school, I’m excited about the prospects for this season.”
Aside from football, a girls’ soccer program also is in the works, said SLHS Administrator Assistant Katie Allin.
“Now that we can have home games, we are going to start developing new programs,” she said.
Physical Education and theater classes will no longer collide, and each class will have more space.
“Our gym is also our theater,” Nelson said. “Now P.E. students will be able to enjoy activities outside.”
And when there’s home games, more money is saved.
“Before the field, it was a challenge,” Allin said. “Our games and practices were held outside of campus, and that required us to arrange a lot of travel and transportation plans.”
Allin said funding for the field was made possible by generous donors and families of students of the private high school. Sierra Lutheran, located at 3601 Romans Road, opened in 2002. The first day of school for SLHS is Aug. 12.
