A high school football team is being forced out of its home field by an inundation of varmints.
Butler County High School in Ohio has deemed its own field conditions unsafe for play and as a result will move its last two home games, including its homecoming game, to another location.
According to a report from the Bowling Green Daily News, moles and as many as 10 skunks have dug holes on the field and along the sidelines.
Butler County coach Ryan Emmick said the problem has been ongoing and has been the cause of player injuries. “It’s a big issue for us and we’ve had a ton of players’ injuries this year and those injuries have occurred on our home field,” Emmick told the Daily News. “Looking back at it and looking at the condition of the field, I can’t in my own mind put our kids back on that field because we’ve got to keep them safe.
Emmick said the school has been putting “Band-Aids” on the field for a long time.
Losing the last two home games is no small thing for Butler County coffers. The school expects a loss of around $10,000 in revenue.
Emmick said fixing the field will have to be a community effort. “With budget cuts across the state, money is a struggle,” Emmick said. “In Butler County, we don’t have the tax base to pull from or that extra allotment of cash sitting there. Any cuts that come from the state directly impact programs like football.”
