MACON, Ga. — This week's Central High School vs. Westside High School football match-up has been moved and rescheduled due to unfinished work at Bibb County's Brad Henderson Stadium.
School spokeswoman Stephanie Hartley said Friday's game has been moved to Thursday night at the Ed DeFore Sports Complex in west Macon.
Henderson, on Anthony Road, is owned by Bibb County, but is home field for Southwest and Central high schools.
The county has spent more than $2 million for improvements at the stadium over the last two years.
But play at the new and improved Henderson Stadium has been delayed twice this fall.
A Sept. 20 scheduled game was moved when the county discovered a broken sewer line needed to be replaced.
On Monday, Central's coach and athletic director decided Henderson was not ready.
In a Facebook post, Coach Joaquin Sample wrote, "After that walk through, we all came to the common agreement that the facility is not in any way, shape or form ready for a football game, much less the fan experience necessary to make this the event we want it to be."
"We cannot, in good conscience, put Bibb County players, band members, support staffs, cheerleaders and coaches on the field in its current condition," Sample wrote.
He wrote that the field still needed a lot of work to be ready for Central's Oct. 18 homecoming.
But county spokesman Chris Floore said "the field is ready to play" and Henderson ought to be ready for football on Friday.
He said they still need to install some fences, remove some piles of sand and clean up some work outside the stadium.
But the field and the stands are ready to play, he said.
Hartley agreed.
"The field should be ready, but the coach is being cautious," she said.
Henderson Stadium (10/1/2019)
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