BEAR RIVER HIGH - By Cari Doutre, Headliner Publisher - September 15, 2021
Homecoming week at Bear River High School this year couldn’t have been timed better, especially when it comes time debuting the Bears’ newly turfed football field – a project months, if not years, in the making.
And it happened just in the nick of time too.
Bear Field, home of the Bear River High football team, will be ready for this week’s homecoming football game on Friday, September 17, where the Bears host the Grizzlies from Logan High School – sort of.
While the field is playable and ready for sports, there is still work to be done before calling it complete. The school’s official “Bear Head” mascot and logo, which will occupy a spot at the 50-yard line in the middle of the field, has yet to arrive. The same goes for the lettering of the school’s name that will be placed in both end zones.
The delay is due to an employee shortage at the factory that is making the graphics. Bear River High School’s Assistant Principal Clay Chournos expects those graphics to arrive soon and will be installed before the school’s next home football game on September 30.
Prior to Friday night’s kick-off, Bear River High will have the opportunity to welcome the community to the school’s newly turfed field and to properly recognize and thank those in the community that made it happen.
To install turf on Bear Field, Bear River High made an agreement with Box Elder School District that the community needed to cover 60% of the cost first and Box Elder School District would take care of the rest.
It didn’t take long for that to happen.
Efforts to raise the money were spearheaded by Jared Fronk and Coby Reese, two local business owners and Bear River High alumni. Once the school district gave Bear River High the go-ahead it only took a few weeks for Fronk and Reese to find enough donations and fulfilling their end of the deal.
With a price tag of over $800,000 to turf the field, it came down to the generosity of 12 local businesses and business owners along with members of the community to do step up. And they did – big time.
Not only did Fronk and Reese, two former football players at Bear River High, spearhead the fundraising efforts, they also opened their wallets and donated as well. Donating $100,000 each included Crump Reese Motors (owned by Reese) and Golden Spike Power Sports (owned by Fronk) along with $100,000 donations from Rupp’s Trucking and Lanny Lewis, a local community member.
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More local businesses and their owners also joined in with the generosity. Donating $50,000 each included Chanshare Farms, Gary Madsen with Coldwell Banker Tugaw Realtors, Sierra Homes and Nucor Steel.
Then even more stepped up in with their generosity. Kent’s Market in Tremonton, Gardner Dental, C&R Auto and Cody Reese with Farm Bureau Financial Services in Tremonton each donated $25,000.
Each of these businesses, business owners and community members will be recognized Friday night on the very turfed field they helped bring to Bear River High’s students, athletes and community members to enjoy for years to come.
Because of their generosity and efforts, Bear Field won’t be utilized by just the school’s football team anymore. The Bear River High’s boys’ and girls’ lacrosse and soccer teams will also utilize the stadium and the field for practices and home games. Those teams will now be able to join the school’s football team in calling the stadium and Bear Field “home” once and for all.
“More kids will now have the opportunity to enjoy and use that field along with those coming to watch and support them,” said Chournos.
Photos by John Hurley
