Last of the grass: Natural football fields are disappearing quickly

Perhaps travelers heading in or out of O'Hare have glanced out the window and noticed a calm blue ocean sitting just north of the airport.

Maine West High School used to have one of the few teams in the area that played on a grass football field, but no more.

Not content with basic green for its new turf field, Maine West went all-in on a Columbia blue gridiron with gold end zones — the colors made famous by legendary girls basketball coach Derril Kipp.

Unusual? Yes, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

“At first, our team and some of the students did not like it,” senior linebacker Max Gutowski said. “It was super bright. But once they saw the field under the Friday Night Lights, they really loved it — even the people who were doubting.”

Maine West is just one example. Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley and Prairie Ridge also added field turf this season.

Grass vs. artificial turf was a hot topic during the World Cup, when several NFL stadiums added grass specifically for the soccer games, because by rule, the World Cup must be played on grass. Naturally, NFL players wondered why they can't have the same grass-only consideration.

The same debate could apply to high school football, but in this area, it's already been settled. Artificial turf is the dominant choice.

Now that Maine West made the switch, Maine East has the lone grass field left in the Central Suburban League. An informal listing of grass fields doesn't require much space.

Lake County has three — Lakes, North Chicago and Waukegan. There are three in the Elgin area, and both Oswego high schools have grass. Otherwise, it's a scattered few: Glenbard West, Proviso West, Thornton, Westmont, Kaneland.

There is one large conference in the area where grass fields remain abundant, but more about that later.

NFL players tend to favor grass because it's viewed as being easier on the legs and causes fewer injuries. But from a high school perspective, it's mostly about scheduling multiple events.

“I feel our kids and community have deserved a turf field for a long time,” Maine West coach George Klupchak said. “I'm thankful that it's here.”

With a turf field, teams can practice on it and not worry about chopping it up for the games. Other sports can use it, the band can practice on it, the youth football teams can race across it on weekends. The first varsity football game on the light blue turf was last Friday against Elk Grove.

“For me, it was honestly very exciting because for one, the color of our turf is very school-spirited,” Gutowski said. “I really enjoy that and also the feeling of the turf is way different from the grass. Our turf especially, compared to others, is really, really soft. I really enjoyed playing on it.”

Grass Valley Conference

The one Chicago-area conference where grass fields still thrive is the Fox Valley. Even with Prairie Ridge adding turf, seven of the 10 schools play on grass fields.

Cary-Grove's Brad Seaburg, for one, would prefer it stay that way.

“I would recommend we turf a practice field and light it and play lower-level games on that,” Seaburg said. “And we'd maintain our grass field. Our grounds crew does a great job. Our kids like it. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention, it has given us a competitive advantage over the years as we've gotten further in the playoffs.”

True, Cary-Grove is near the very top of the state in most playoff games this century — 56 over 16 seasons since winning the school's first state title in 2009.

“The rest of Chicagoland plays on turf for 12 weeks, and they come to Cary-Grove and play on grass when it's frozen or when it's wet,” Seaburg said. “Our kids are used to that and sometimes other teams aren't. It's not 100%. Talent usually takes over and execution. But when the margin is slim, you're looking for any advantage you can get.”

Burlington Central coach Brian Iossi wouldn't complain about getting a turf field, but also likes playing on grass. Coaches all seem to agree they'd rather play on turf in the rain.

“Our stadium is really nice, nice grass, it's kept well,” Iossi said. “And most of the stadiums in our conference are. Personally, we want turf just because of practice space. Otherwise, grass doesn't really bother us. I think our kids like it too.”

Iossi thought back to his playing days at Glenbard North, which had grass at the time, then in college at North Central, which had turf.

“We played one of the first games on Streamwood's new turf field,” he said. “I remember thinking it was the greatest thing in the world as a player.

“At North Central, that stuff was great. I was a lineman, though. I never got tackled on a turf field, so I don't know what it feels like. I can't imagine it feels as good as grass.”

A losing battle

The area's most famous grass field is probably Glenbard West, which has no lights and rests in a valley behind the school on the picturesque shore of Lake Ellyn.

Known as Duchon Field, it's got some quirks, such as a long jump pit situated roughly two yards past the sideline on the southwest corner of the field.

“The surface itself is actually from the 1920s and 30s,” Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet said. “They filled it in, it was still part of Lake Ellyn. It's more of a bog than it is a real field. If we get any kind of rain at all, it doesn't absorb it, it just kind of sits and you can chunk that field up pretty fast. So it's not really a great surface, but grass fields in general are a little bit better from an injury standpoint.”

Hetlet thinks it's possible Duchon Field could have artificial turf someday, but the school does have a turf practice field across the street from the front entrance, so it might not get a second turf field.

Lakes coach Jason Ellerman prefers to play on grass, but when it rains during the week, practice becomes more difficult. Now that most schools play lacrosse in the spring, the areas in front of the goals can get torn up.

“Personally, I think the best is the hybrid stuff,” Ellerman said. “I was up in Green Bay and we took a (Lambeau Field) stadium tour. Every quarter inch there is field turf and then they fill in the empty spots with dirt and sand and grass. I think that probably holds up the best.”

The Packers' field is described as 95% Kentucky bluegrass and 5% synthetic turf. Whether that can be cost effective at the high school level is unclear.

“I realize it's a losing battle,” Seaburg said. “Turf does make a lot of sense because you have so many activities that go on — band, PE, Junior Trojans on the weekend, lacrosse.

“It's inevitably going to happen, but I really think the grass is something (worth keeping). It looks nice and our grounds guys do a great job of maintaining it.”

Football on a quality grass field, with dry weather, feels like the perfect scenario. But nature doesn't always fit with a busy high school event schedule.