Castle’s new turf put to good use

It was the perfect night to show off the capabilities of Castle High School’s new football field.

Heavy rain pounded the new turf for most of Friday night’s preseason game against No. 5 Kamehameha. The Warriors eventually shook off the foul football weather to win 15-0.

While players from both teams committed several fumbles that could be attributed to the slick ball, the field held up with minimal pooling.

Castle went without home games last season as part of the renovation process, and coach Nelson Maeda exulted in the new field before Friday’s game. The rainy loss didn’t dampen his spirits too much afterward. Just being back home after a nearly two-year absence was a thrill.

“We talked about, if this is the old field, this would have been a quagmire of mud,” Maeda said. “So even though the rain is coming really hard down here, it’s still very pleasant to be here on this FieldTurf. … Definitely, definitely (showed its worth right away).”

Castle installed a new press box in the bleachers, as well, keeping media types like me relatively dry. Thanks Castle!