Westside High School, Anderson, SC

Westside High School Rams

      Westside High School is the crosstown rival of TL Hanna High School.  They play at Westside Stadium (formally known as District 5 Stadium).  Although their success on the football field hasn't been great recently, they play in one of my favorite stadiums.  TL Hanna and Westside start and finish their seasons with each other.  The first game does not count in the region standings but the last game of the year does.  Westside is in the 4-A classification of the SCHSL.  

 

Home stands

      The home stands are concrete with metal bleachers on top, which is probably the best look, in my eyes, for a high school stadium.  It adds more character and its more sturdy.  The stadium is built into a hill and you walk down into the seats which is also pretty cool because you're able to see the game while walking to your seats.  On the bottom level of the press box there are restrooms and a concessions area.  This picture was taken from the walkway at the entrance gates to the visitors side of the field.

Visitor stands

     The visitors stands are oddly configured with only 3/4 of the hill covered in concrete bleachers (I'm guessing they left the other hill open for children to play on, because I know I did when I was a child since Hanna and Westside shared this stadium for quite some time).  There are bathroom and concessions areas for the visitors in the those two buildings behind the stands.  For the visiting fans you can't walk below the stands and get to your seats but you can walk through the stands or down from above.

Scoreboard with scrolling message board

Ticket gates

     I'm not a Westside fan at all, but these next few pictures show why I think this setting makes Westside Stadium one of my favorites.

View from walk way to visitors side of the field

View from end zone

     I couldn't back up enough to get both sides in the picture, but you understand what I'm trying to do here.  I love stadiums that are built in a bowl.  To me it adds to the atmosphere, the lights shine brighter and everything just seems more intense.  I'd never pull for Westside, but the stadium was always fun to go to once a year for tailgating and fun times. 

Pendleton High School, Pendleton, SC

Pendleton High School Bulldogs

     Pendleton High School is located in Anderson County, between the city of Anderson and the city of Clemson.  Pendleton is in the 2-A classification of the South Carolina High School League and has an enrollment of 827.  They have had a lot of recent success on the football field which pairs nicely with their three-year-old football stadium.

Home stands

Side-view of the home stands

      The home stands are brand new  replacing the old cement-style stands that stood before.  They're extremely nice, and in good shape.  However, that is a long hike to walk up there from the bottom, but with the way they were built there really wasn't any other option.  The press box on top has plenty of room for both home and away radio teams, and gives coaches a nice birds-eye view of the field. 

  
   

     The side-view picture was taken just to show the slope of the stands and the entrances, pretty tall if you ask me.  There seems to be some sort of storage building below the stands.

   

Visitors stands

     The visitors stands also replace cement stands, and the design is perfect for the stadium.  Just like Vestavia Hills, the visitors side is shorter and just a bit more narrow.  The visitors side concession stand and bathrooms are scene in the far right corner.  I love it when there are separate concessions and bathrooms for the home and visiting stands, because lets be honest those lines can get pretty long.  The last thing about the visitors stands that I like are the middle entrances at the front.  Fans don't have to crawl over one another as much if there were only side entrances.

Scoreboard

      I love this scoreboard!  It gives all the information a fan would like to see and there's even a little scrolling message board, which is a great touch.  The logos on the top are a great addition and really make the board stand out. 

Ticket gate

View of the home concession stands and bathrooms and a full view of the field.

Full view of the stadium from the tennis courts

     I've never been to a game at Pendleton, but I really enjoyed seeing their football stadium.  I also love all the trees planted behind the end zone to add some scenery (although it blocked my view of a perfect full stadium shot), and the hedges are also a nice touch.  They've done a marvelous job with all the upgrades and it's one of, if not the best, football stadiums in Anderson County. 
     *If you use Google maps and search for Pendleton High School and click on the satellite view, you will not be able to see the current high school stadium.  Apparently it wasn't built the last time a satellite picture was taken of the area.  I thought that was pretty funny.

Crescent High School, Iva, SC

Crescent High School Tigers

     Crescent High School is located in Iva, SC just outside the city of Anderson but inside the county, but the high school serves the towns of Starr and Iva (which are located in the country). They are in the 2-A classification and the school has a student body of around 750 students.  They are known for their stellar softball program.  The stadium is small, but has several unique characteristics that add to its charm.

Home stands

     The home stands have enough seating for the fans, and since they aren't that tall the side entrances work well.  One thing I like about the side entrances here is that since most fans know each other any way, they are able to pass by and chat with one another on the way to their seats.  The press box is tiny but it serves its purpose here, and there is room on top for the coaches to stand and get a good view of the game.  The tiger mural in between the stands is a nice touch and one of the unique characteristics of the stadium.
   

Visitors stands

     These are the visitor stands which might be a little small, but I have never been to a game at Crescent besides a JV game.  However, I suspect that the seating is fine for most teams visiting.  The press box/coaches area behind the stands is a neat touch, although I'm sure the coaches would like to have a more separated area to talk amongst themselves and the radio guys would probably like to be more distant to drown out crowd noises.  But, this is a luxury at most 2-A high schools so it's something not to take for granted.  

     The other unique characteristic about this field is the field posts.  I'm not sure what era or what the reason for their design is, but it looks like something out of the '60s and '70s and its awesome!

Scoreboard 

     Looks like a new scoreboard and it's great for Crescent.  The sponsorship locations are great and not over-done, and the logo in the middle of the scoreboard is pretty sweet.  Good job on the new scoreboard Crescent.

New concessions and bathrooms

     Another great upgrade to the stadium with the new concessions and bathrooms.  It's located in the spot where I took the end zone view picture, opposite the scoreboard. 

     

End zone view of the stadium

     It was good to get over to Crescent High School and see their football stadium.  I hadn't been there in over 10 years and the only thing I had remembered from it was the tiger mural.  Its a great small town football stadium and the field goal posts and mural are great touches along with the updated scoreboard and concession and bathroom area.  I hope to make it over to a game at some point this season.

TL Hanna High School, Anderson, SC

TL Hanna High School Yellow Jackets

      *** Click on the pictures for a better resolution, I'm not sure what happened for these to be so blurry***

      TL Hanna is located several miles from my house and it is where my father went to high school.  Growing up I went to TL Hanna football games over at what is now Westside High Schools football stadium, formally known as District 5 Stadium.  After a student died a little over 10 years ago, her family donated money for TL Hanna to build a new football stadium at the new campus.  It's a gorgeous stadium and in my high school years it was always fun to go to games because Rafael Little was the RB (eventually signed w/ Kentucky, then was with the Tennessee Titans for a while and is now playing in the CFL).  TL Hanna is also home of 'Radio', the lovable guy who still roams the hallways and leads the team out onto the field before every game.  I will go into some more detail about him later.  Enjoy!

Home stands

     The home stands are unique because the bottom half that is built into the hill are cement with metal seats, and the top half are completely metal bleachers.  You can walk up from the bottom or in through the middle entrances.  There is a press box as you can see, and on top of the press box there are spaces for coaches to stand and watch the game.  It spans the entire length of the field.

View from teachers parking lot

Visitors stands

     The visitors stands don't exactly span the length of the field but come close to doing so.  The can either be accessed from the bottom of the bleachers or the middle which is something I think is really nice at any football stadium.  Other than that, they are just your standard metal bleachers.  There are areas behind both the home and visitors stands for students to hang out which is nice.

Scoreboard

     This is a standard high school scoreboard with everything you need when watching the game.  There are game clock boards in both end zones which is a nice touch as well.

Close-up of the ticket gates

Wide shot of the ticket gates

Statue of James 'Radio' Kennedy 

     Radio was a young man when he started hanging around football practice back in the '60s.  He was allowed to ride on the bus to away games, and attended all practices.  He has been going to school at TL Hanna since then and has become a fixture at the school.  There was a movie made about Radio in 2004 and it starred Cuba Gooding Jr. and James Harris.  He got the name Radio from the transistor radio he would carry around with him wherever he went.

Front of the high school

     I hope you enjoy one of my hometown high schools and the school that I rooted for growing up.  It is a great place to watch a football game and even going to one home game just to see radio is a show in itself.

Next round

The past several stadiums I've profiled have been from trips to south Georgia, Mobile and Birmingham.  The next round of stadiums will be from the area I grew up: Anderson SC, Greenville SC and Athens GA.  I'll finish up the ones from previous trips soon, but I want to profile some local stadiums first.  Hope everyone is enjoying the blog, comment if you wish!  

Vestavia Hills High School, Birmingham, AL

Vestavia Hills Rebels

     I visited Vestavia Hills High School while visiting my sister at Samford University.  Tonya was along for this trip as well and these pictures are from her camera.  Vestavia is in the 6-A classification of Alabama sports and has an enrollment around 1,250 (which seems small for a 6A school, however the smallest enrollment for a 6A school in Alabama is 744).  There are a lot of medium sized high schools located in Alabama, you would think there would be a better way to split up the largest division, but nothing can be perfect (not saying Vestavia shouldn't be in 6A, but 744 seems small for the largest classification). Vestavia is located right outside Birmingham on the mountain (or large hills if-you-will).  It is a gorgeous community and a great looking high school from an aesthetic point of view.

Home stands

      The home stands are pretty neat in my opinion, except for the fact that there is no middle entrance to the stands.  It is pretty large and the VH blue and red seats in the middle are a unique touch.  The press box is great and I'm sure there are concessions and bathrooms on the bottom level.  The stadium sort of sits in this valley up against the side of the hill where the home stands are located and it has the feeling of a great atmosphere when that place is full.

Visitors stands

     The visitors stands compliment the home stands very well.  It is shorter but the same width, which to me is the way it should be.  There are plenty of seats available for the bigger schools coming in, although I'm sure it looks pretty empty when the smaller schools come to visit.  Also I'm sure it is pretty intimidating to be standing over on the visiting sidelines looking up at that home side (the home side sitting on a hill has a daunting effect and makes it seem huge).  I love the field goal posts with the double support, it's kind of old school.  The entrance is great and if I remember correctly there are also entrance gates on the visitors side.  The lights are supported by big metal poles and they aren't just situated on the sidelines of the field but also along the corners of the field.
     There are a few more stadiums from Birmingham that I will profile in the coming weeks: Hoover, Wenonah and Mountain Brook.  I'm hoping to get in John Carroll Catholic High School at some point.  I loved taking a look at Vestavia Hills, not only because it's a great high school football stadium, but it's also a great town.    

The Westfield School, Perry, GA

The Westfield School Hornets

     I came across The Westfield School on a trip to south Georgia.  I was able to get in because the softball coach was there cleaning up the field, normally the gate is shut, so I got lucky and was able to take a few pictures before he left.  The school itself is very pretty and is located in Perry, Ga. (I will be profiling Perry High School in a few days). The Westfield School has an enrollment of 570 students (PK-12) and is a 3-A member of the Georgia Independent Schools Association.

Home stands

    The neat thing about this stadium is that the stands are wooden.  I'm not sure if the whole thing is made of only wood, but a large portion of it is.  It is a smaller stadium, but that is fine for a smaller school, especially when the visitors stands are just as big.  The added hedges around the field give it a nice touch.  I'm wondering if they were just recently planted or they trim them back to keep it shorter (I'd like to see them a little taller; maybe thats just the Georgia fan coming out in me).  The press box is a really good size and gives coaches plenty of room to observe the game from above (although one set of coaches are probably in the same room with the radio team if there is one).  Overall it is a very nice set of stands for the home fans.

Visitors stands, and Tonya doing the Heisman pose (or something like it haha)

     Very standard set of bleachers for the visiting fans.  No press box, which is a deviation from several of the previous stadiums profiled, but it is plenty of room for fans to mingle around and spread out.  It is a decent walk over to the other side of the stadium, and there are no concessions located near them.  Another noticeable characteristic of this stadium are the wooden poles that the lights are on.  That's a first for the blog!

Great scoreboard, and wonderful support from a lot of local businesses

Back of the home stands, and concessions area

     I was very glad that the softball coach was at the school when I drove by, it was right off the road I was traveling and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a few pictures.  It was very interesting to see the wood-look of this stadium and it's always fun to get the chance to get out there on the field.

Luverne School, Luverne, AL

Luverne School (formerly Luverne High School Tigers)

Luverne School was supposed to be the last stadium I visited on the way to Mobile in May, but then I hit up Brantley High School and Georgiana High School. Luverne houses PK-12 with a total enrollment of 1040 students, which puts it in the 3-A Alabama classification.  I have a lot of pictures of this little stadium, and it is situated right inside the high school grounds.  It's actually a pretty sweet location even though it is a small stadium.

Home stands (I'm assuming)

     I am assuming that these are the home stands since they are newer and the press box is named.  The visitors stands have a larger press box, but older, smaller stands.  The building to the left is the end of the schools gym and the walk way from the entrance over to the home stands is very small, but it puts you right in the action.  Very cool in my book.

Picture of the whole stadium

     In this view, my back is straight against the wall of the school.  Like I mentioned earlier, the walkway is very small, but it puts you right on the field.   Also these stands are extremely close to the field, assuming that both squads are not very big and cheerleading squads are small, you will be up close and personal watching a football game at Luverne School.

Visitors side of the stadium

    I'm guessing this is the former home side of the stadium judging by the pressbox, because what small school would have two press boxes unless they switched sides (Which seems to be a common thread in the stadiums I have visited, maybe the new thing now is to have a press box on both sides of the field, but I've only encountered that in small town stadiums not in the larger stadiums.  Which makes me think that the schools has switched the sides around).  This is set up very nice for the visiting fans, although it is spread out, it allows the fans to sit behind where ever their son probably stands for most of the game.  It is also closer to the entrance than the home side is.

Entrance to the stadium

Nice record of state champs and state runner up, should be due any time now for that next state championship.   The team is also in class 3-A now.

Scoreboard, I love the Tiger on top.  Very unique touch for a basic scoreboard for a small school.

Side of the school

Press box on the home stands

State banners

    I absolutely loved this stadium.  The setting is awesome, where the school is located is pretty neat too.  I would definitely drive down to this part of Alabama again on a Friday night to watch Brantley play and then come back through the next Friday night and watch Luverne play.  Two amazing small town football stadiums that explain why I really love traveling around and visiting stadiums.  Thanks Luverne School for letting me onto the field to take some pictures.

Jones County, Gray, GA

Jones County High School Greyhounds

     Jones County was a school Tonya and I came across on our way back from south Georgia.  I think it was the last one we visited on the trip because I remember the camera dying while we were taking pictures, which is why there are only four of them.  I apologize for not having more, especially one that shows the whole stadium or the sign of the school.

Home side of the field

     The home side of the field is a decent size.  This is a quad-A classification high school, and small one at that with the enrollment at 1,171 (schools w/ 1850+ students are placed in five-A).  The far left side of the stands are shorter than the main section and was an addition in the past several years. Now there are no lines on the field yet, but these seats seem very close to the field which is awesome.  The concession stand and booster club tent are right near by which is clutch for every fan and the scoreboard is visible to all.  It's a very standard home-stands look, but it is functional in every way.

Thats the visitors side, and my gf in the picture.  Her hair really isn't that poofy, windows rolled down will do that to long hair haha.  Sorry Tonya! (it does look like something out of the 80s.

     The one thing I like about the visitors stands at Jones County is that it gives the visiting band a section all to themselves.  To me that is nice so that the fans do not have to worry about the band standing up or being in the way the entire game.  Concessions aren't that close by, but definitely within hurry distance if you're needing to get back to the action.  Also once again, let me point out how different the light poles are in the Georgia and Alabama stadiums than the oil rig looking light poles that a lot of the Texas stadiums have.  

Entrance into the stadium.

     This is a gorgeous entrance.  Nice gated area, great statue and plaque to give the visiting fans a unique piece of information about Jones County.  It also gives me a nice shot of the scoreboard which is the type of scoreboard that should be standard at every high school. JCHS has a typically standard high school stadium but the entrance and the hound pound sign are two things that set it apart.