Kentucky high school breaks in new orange turf with season-opening victory

If you happen to find yourself driving through Bourbon County, Ky. and an orange beam of light is shining off in the distance, don’t be alarmed.

That’s just the shimmer of Paris High School’s new orange turf at Blanton Collier Stadium.

The latest high school to divert away from the usual shades of green on the gridiron, the Greyhounds will stand out in the Kentucky high school football landscape — whether that’s for better or for worse is up for debate.

Dark grey end zones provide quite the contrast between the rest of the field, while even the goal posts are orange.

Popped over to Paris High School to check out the new orange field. It is indeed, very orange.

They also shoot off fireworks after touchdowns. I’m a fan. pic.twitter.com/F6KR2L78HK

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) August 24, 2024

The new field was broken in with a 27-6 Paris win over Frankfort (Ky.) on Friday night. Now equipped with fireworks, the stadium will also soon feature a jumbotron scoreboard as a part of its major renovation.

“It’s crazy to think that they’re investing this kind of time and money and energy into this, but at the end of the day, it’s going for the greater good. The kids are benefiting, and the school is benefiting all the way up from elementary to high school,” Paris head coach Tyquan Rice told Fox 56 earlier this month.

The Greyhounds won 10 games a season ago and are poised for an even greater season this fall. According to the On3 Massey Ratings, Paris is the No. 118 team in the state of Kentucky regardless of class. The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

Paris won’t play at home again until Sept. 13 against Montgomery County (Ky.). Up next for the Greyhounds is a pair of in-state road games at Paintsville on Aug. 30 and Hazard on Sept. 6.