Winter Haven High School Celebrates New Fall Sports Season with Renovated Denison Stadium
by James Coulter
Fall is upon us, and school is back in session. So, are you ready for some football? Because the Winter Haven Blue Devils certainly are, especially now that they have a newly renovated stadium to host their games.
Earlier this year, Winter Haven High School, through a partnership with the City of Winter Haven, spent more than $1.8 million on upgrades to Denison Stadium.
These renovations, according to the Polk County Schools website, included “resurfacing the track, as well as removing the old football field and installing new artificial turf.”
Gina Williams, Principal of Winter Haven High School, mentioned how the sports facility had previously been in “bad shape.” She claimed that heavy rain would often leave behind pools of standing water due to lack of drainage.
“It came to the point where holes were forming all over the field and becoming a dangerous playing field for athletes, so we needed to do something about the field and track,” she said.
Since these much-needed renovations were implemented earlier this spring, the stadium now sports a resurfaced track and a field with a fresh turf capable of withstanding heavy rain.
Not only are expectations high for upcoming sports games, including the Winter Haven Blue Devils football season, but also for potentially graduation.
Whereas graduation ceremonies had to be canceled at the stadium due to rain damage on the fields, now such ceremonies could be making a comeback soon, Principal Williams said.
“If we can bring graduation back to the stadium, that will be the biggest plan for the future,” she said. “So they want to bring it back, the community will be happy and proud.”
The Winter Haven Blue Devils will be hosting an upcoming game against Lakeland on Fri. Sep. 13.
For more information, read our article on upcoming games here: https://www.winterhavendaily.com/index.php/2024/08/23/winter-haven-high-school-blue-devils-football-team-playing-big-game-against-lake-wales-highlander-football-team/
Denison Stadium is located at 400 Ave A SE in Winter Haven. For information about upcoming sports games, visit their official website at https://winterhavenathletics.com
Recently, Principal Williams appeared on the Chattin on the Ridge podcast to discuss the renovations to Denison Stadium. Listen to the full episode on Acast: https://shows.acast.com/chattin-on-the-ridge
