Crews are regrading the playing surface at Bron Bacevich Memorial Stadium in St. Bernard, Ohio, after a mid-August storm sent a combined storm sewer line beneath the field into overflow, contaminating the turf and forcing an emergency closure. The Motz Group replaced the previous turf last week as part of the rebuild, with Roger Bacon High School targeting an Oct. 9 return for its homecoming game against Southport.
Roger Bacon High School President Steve Schad announced the stadium's closure on August 12, a day after the storm damaged the field, according to Roger Bacon High School. The closure forced the Spartans to relocate their August 21 season opener against Indian Hill to Shea Stadium in Norwood, where Indian Hill won 35-14, per Indian Hill Braves Athletics. As reported by WCPO 9 Cincinnati, Roger Bacon has since played its home slate elsewhere, including a matchup against Hughes at Stargel Stadium.
This is not the first time Bron Bacevich Memorial Stadium has flooded. In August 2016, a 100-year rainfall event submerged the field and prompted the school to bring in Cincinnati-based turf contractor The Motz Group for a full replacement completed in just 18 days, according to The Motz Group. A decade later, the same underlying storm sewer system appears to be at the center of the trouble again, with the station's report noting the field's contamination traced back to that combined sewer line overflowing during the mid-August storm.
A Stadium Steeped in Cincinnati Football History
Bron Bacevich Memorial Stadium opened along Mitchell Avenue in 1954, according to the same account, before receiving its first synthetic turf installation from The Motz Group in 2008. WCPO 9 Cincinnati describes the venue as one of Ohio's oldest high school football stadiums, one that has hosted standout talents including New England running back Corey Kiner and San Francisco defensive lineman James Thompson Jr.
The stadium is also tied to one of pro football's most storied names. Pro Football Hall of Famer Roger Staubach, a 1960 graduate of Purcell, played at the venue as a high schooler, per the outlet's reporting.
The field carries the name of Bron Bacevich, the Spartans' head coach from 1954 to 1973, who compiled a 150-39-8 record and led Roger Bacon to seven Greater Catholic League championships, earning National High School Football Coach of the Year honors in 1973, according to OHSAA. Over a 43-year coaching career across high schools and colleges in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, Bacevich amassed 312 total victories before his death in 1993, after which Roger Bacon dedicated the stadium in his honor in 1996, per Roger Bacon Athletics.
Rebuild Effort Backed by Local Turf Expertise
The Motz Group, founded in Cincinnati in 1977, constructs and maintains natural and synthetic fields, including Major League Soccer's FC Cincinnati field at TQL Stadium, according to the firm's project history. To keep the community informed during the rebuild, a video on the Roger Bacon Spartans Facebook page identifies Roger Bacon Athletic Director Steve Rossi and Motz Group Senior Field Consultant Stephen Torbeck in a second edition of Turf Tuesday.
The school has also invested in the stadium's infrastructure, although available accounts do not detail that investment. Whether that prior investment addressed the storm sewer line now blamed for the repeated flooding is not detailed in available accounts, and it remains unclear whether broader municipal drainage changes will be needed to prevent future contamination beyond replacing the turf itself.
Blaut's Team Navigates a Displaced Season
Roger Bacon enters the stretch run at 1-1 under head coach Mike Blaut. The Spartans were set to face Hughes, which entered at 2-0, at 7:30 p.m. at Stargel Stadium as they continue playing away from their home field, per WCPO 9 Cincinnati's report.
With crews regrading the surface and new turf already down, the school is aiming to have Bron Bacevich Memorial Stadium ready in time for the Oct. 9 homecoming game against Southport, giving the Spartans and their fans a chance to return to the historic venue for the first time since the August flooding.
