‘Game-changer’: Richland 2 to debut upgrades to facilities, Harry Parone Stadium
Harry Parone Stadium is one of the iconic high school sporting venues in the Midlands.
Built in 1970, the stadium located at Spring Valley High School in Northeast Columbia has hosted numerous sporting events over the years and even some state football championships.
One of the more memorable moments came in 1973 when Spring Valley hosted Spartanburg, which had future Clemson star and NFL quarterback Steve Fuller and was averaging close to 60 points a game.
The game was played in front of a standing-room only crowd of more than 10,000 fans. Players and coaches remember fans seated on the hill in the end zones for the game. Tommy D’Eridita, a starting linebacker, scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter with a reverse on a kickoff to give Spring Valley a 20-17 victory and its first state title.
“It was huge and loud and people were standing up. First time that you could barely hear the players standing next to you,” former Spring Valley player Rodney Lamar said last year of the game and atmosphere.
This year, Harry Parone Stadium will look a lot different as high school football season begins this week. The 50-year-old facility got much needed upgrades complete with field turf and a new track. The SC High School League track and field championships are held there every year as well as Bojangles Track and Field Classic.
The first game will be played in the remodeled stadium Friday when Richland Northeast, which has its home games there, hosts Irmo. Spring Valley has its home opener next week against Ridge View.
“It is a game-changer. We felt like we had one of the best stadiums in the Columbia area, although it is older,” Spring Valley coach Robin Bacon said. “Getting turf in there will help us if we want to have state championship games in there and capacity to do it.
“It is incentive for our kids for where our program and district are going to at this time. We feel like we have the best kids and now with best facilities and that is a step in the right direction.”
Spring Valley Athletic Director Tim Hunter said the SC High School League hasn’t contacted the school about hosting any football championships. SCHSL commissioner Jerome Singleton said last month the site for state championship games haven’t been determined yet. The last several years, Class 3A, 4A and 5A title games have been held at Williams-Brice Stadium, and Class A and 2A at Benedict College.
Singleton said all options, including holding them at a large high school venue, are on the table.
Spring Valley isn’t the only Richland 2 stadium getting upgrades. Turf has been installed at Westwood High School and District 2 Stadium at Blythewood High School.
New on-campus stadiums are currently under construction at Ridge View and Richland Northeast and should be done in time for the 2021 season.
The new stadiums and upgrades are part of the $467 million approved in the 2019 bond referendum, which will fund construction, maintenance and improvement of the district’s schools. Some of the improvements include new roofs, new stadiums, weight rooms, new buses, HVAC replacements and, in some cases, new schools.
“I have been here since we opened in 2005, and we haven’t had any upgrades athletically so it is exciting. The turf looks really good and the kids are excited,” Blythewood athletic director Barry Mizzell said.
Blythewood has its home opener set for next week. Ridge View, which also plays at District 2 Stadium, hosts Northwestern on Friday.
Both Ridge View and RNE will have to wait another year before their stadiums are done. The two schools have held on-campus games at their schools over the past few years but are looking forward to having a permanent place of their own.
“It is exciting when you walk down that gate and you see the change and construction,” Ridge View coach Perry Parks said. “You feel happy as a program for the positive stuff we have done and and have our voices heard and the community actually get us a stadium. It makes the work that much more rewarding.”
