Kiski Area ready to christen new on-campus stadium, Richard J. Dilts Field

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, August 6, 2018 | 9:15 PM

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As Kiski Area began its first workout of the PIAA’s football heat acclimatization week, Sam Albert looked around the brand-new Richard J. Dilts Field and smiled.

“It doesn’t get any better,” Kiski Area’s second-year coach said. “We’ve waited all year to get here.”

The veteran coach was talking about football season itself, but the line applies to the Cavaliers’ new digs, as well. After a few years of will-they-or-won’t-they, Kiski Area officially will christen its new on-campus stadium with a Week Zero game Aug. 24 against Allderdice.

“At night time, the steam comes out of those trees,” Albert said, gesturing to the forest beyond the stadium entrance. “I’ll tell you, it’s a great feeling, man. I get goosebumps thinking about it. Throughout the summer, I stand out there and go, ‘I can’t wait.’ ”

Last season’s regular-season finale against Armstrong will go down, for now, as the final game at Davis Field in Vandergrift, Kiski Area’s home since 1962 and a host of high school football games since 1921. Kiski Area planned to move to its on-campus facility last season, but construction delays led to one final year at Davis.

“Pretty much every year I’ve been on the team, I’ve been looking forward to coming out here and playing,” said senior Hunter Dilts, the grandson of legendary Kiski Area coach and new field namesake Dick Dilts. “It’s been the last game at Davis Field for about five years now.”

The Kiski Area stadium construction dates to 2014.

The first phase, costing $1 million, installed a pair of turf fields on Kiski Area’s campus; one is in use by the boys and girls soccer teams and the second was for the football team. That phase included a $200,000 grant from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The second phase, costing $1.4 million, included bleachers, a press box and restrooms. While some last-minute touch-ups will be needed, athletic director John Peterman pronounced the facility ready for Aug. 24.

“We’re ready to play football there this year,” Peterman said.

Peterman said there will be an area for students to stand, a quality brought over from Davis Field.

Dilts, who won more than 200 career games and 13 conference titles at Kiski Area before retiring in 1993, will be recognized at the Week Zero game against Allderdice. Cavaliers alumni are invited to attend the game, for which Dilts will serve as honorary team captain and take part in the coin toss.

“Nobody deserves it more than coach Dilts,” said Albert, who grew up in Apollo and idolized the coach. “He was way ahead of his time. It’s just an honor to be at the school he was at. When the job opened, that was one of the things that drew me here.”

Added Hunter Dilts: “It’s amazing. He’s always worked so hard, and I love hearing stories about him and how he used to treat the team back in the day. It’s really a nice thing they’re doing, honoring him and naming it after him.”

With the switch to the new stadium, Kiski Area will get to both practice and play on turf for home games. Davis Field has a grass surface. The soccer teams began playing at their own on-campus field in 2016.

Kiski Area becomes the latest team to move to an on-campus turf field, joining Freeport — which moved from James E. Swartz Memorial Field in downtown Freeport to the on-campus Freeport Area Athletic Stadium in 2016 — and Armstrong, which is moving from Kittanning’s David “Red” Ullom Field to its own on-campus facility this season.

“It’s a real honor knowing there’s nothing else here (historically), absolutely nothing,” Hunter Dilts said. “We get to build everything ourselves from the ground up. It’s going to be a great experience. Playing (at Davis), there’s a lot of tradition, so a lot of people like to talk about the past, how the team was. Right here, we’ve got a whole new playing field. It’s amazing.”

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Tags: Kiski School