R. Basil Rutter Field will have a football game played on it this Friday, but it will not feature the Athens Bulldogs.
Instead, Trimble will play Belpre at the stadium, while the Bulldogs will travel to face undefeated Fairland.
Trimble, who’s considered the “home” team, is using the field because its stadium was torn down in December after being condemned due to years of decayed stone bleachers. Trimble hoped to have temporary seating installed by the first home game, but bad weather delayed the installation crew.
The Athens Football Twitter account tweeted Sunday afternoon to make sure fans would not be confused into thinking that the Bulldogs were home this week.
Athens offered Trimble the field once it was determined that Glouster Stadium would not be ready. Trimble Local Schools Superintendent John Hurd said the plan is to have seating by Trimble’s second home game on Sept. 22.
However, if the stadium is still not ready by then, Athens — whose home schedule wouldn’t conflict with Trimble’s until October — could be a temporary home for the Tomcats.
Athens Athletic Director John Rodgers said Trimble is dedicated to have its stadium ready by Sept. 22, but if another delay were to happen, it’s possible that Athens will open its doors to Trimble again.
