Meridian High School has set itself apart in the area, giving its refurbished football field at Ray Stadium a pop of color.

During a ribbon cutting Thursday, Meridian High athletes, coaches, administrators and alumni joined with school district and city of Meridian officials to officially reopen the stadium’s football field now sporting a Florida blue color instead of its traditional green turf.

“It is truly a great day to be a Wildcat,” said Meridian Public School District Superintendent Amy J. Carter. “Eight years ago when I started this journey, our facilities were not what they were supposed to be. Fast forward eight years later, and we are here today, this is one example of the great things that are happening in Meridian Public School District.”

Workers with ACT Global began in June to replace the artificial turf at Ray Stadium at a cost of $369,836. The upgrade, along with a new state-of-the-art video scoreboard at a cost of more than $500,000, is part of the district’s capital improvements plan for all of its facilities.

The stadium’s old green artificial turf with blue lettering had been in use since 2012 and was nearing the end of its lifespan. Prior to 2012, the Wildcats played on a grass field.

The new artificial playing surface is royal blue with white lettering. The color was chosen because blue and white are Meridian High’s primary school colors.

“Since 1937, Ray Stadium has been home to a lot of fun memories,” said MPSD Athletic Director Cheyenne Trussell. “It’s been over 12 years since the turf was put down once before, and we wanted to do something special. Ray Stadium is always a special place.”

The blue field draws attention, he said, noting Tupelo High School coaches are pleased with the reception it received from its students, staff and fans when it installed a blue playing surface a decade ago.

“I put it on Facebook yesterday and it’s somewhere around 13-14,000 views already and a lot of compliments. There’s just so much history here at Ray Stadium and everybody is kind of rooting for it to come back to the way that it once was,” Trussell said.

He said the investment in the field is for more than just Meridian High’s football program because other sports teams and student groups use the field, including both boys and girls soccer teams, the marching band and track teams.

Senior offensive lineman Santravious Thames said he likes the new blue color and the new video scoreboard and thinks it will help motivate the team’s players.

“I think the community will be happy that we have a brand new state-of-the-art field,” he said. “We are one of the last schools in 7A to get (a video scoreboard) … now we can see ourselves on the screen like everybody else.

“I think it shows that the school cares about us a little bit,” he added, “and I think more people will come out to the game now.”

Senior defensive back Kelvin Jones agreed, saying the bold pop of color and the video scoreboard are good morale boosters.

“From the aesthetics standpoint, it’s amazing,” he said. “I think it builds morale. It makes guys want to be here and helps them buy in and get ready to come to work.”

But, he said, the team needs to work hard to produce the outcome fans will come to expect with a nicer stadium.

Meridian High’s first home football game is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 29, against Quitman High School.

Contact Glenda Sanders at gsanders@themeridianstar.com.