ABOVE: Maintenance Specialists from left, Dan Engeman, Scott Cole, Jared Herman and Derrick Hohense stand in front of Mahoney Field at Fairmont High School, which they work on diligently during and outside of football season. Their hard work was recently recognized as the field was one of only 94 in America recognized as a Field of Excellence by Pioneer Athletics.

FAIRMONT – Out of submissions from colleges, universities, high schools and park departments across America, Mahoney Field at Fairmont High School (FHS) was one of 94 recognized as Pioneer Athletics’ Fields of Excellence.

The natural grass field is part of the 40 acres managed by Building and Grounds Director Tyler Garrison and Maintenance Specialists Dan Engeman, Scott Cole, Jared Herman and Derrick Hohense.

“These guys take care of three baseball fields and three softball fields at the high school,” Garrison said. “They take care of the shot put area, discus area for track and field. They have four ball fields at the elementary they maintain. We’ll have two football fields at elementary and we have a practice football field they maintain in the fall.”

For Mahoney Field, it is a continuous process to upkeep and maintain the field.

“We need irrigation right away,” Engeman said. “Lawn Solutions comes to fertilize. It starts in the fall before the last playoff game you see, and then that gets the seed in. In the spring, we’ll seed it again. Lawn Solutions comes and fertilizes it, and we’re mowing throughout, keeping it short all summer with the irrigation so we don’t have too much and start getting prepped for football.”

When situations arise that cause changes in field conditions, the crew must be prepared to remedy the situation.

“If we have a muddy event, they have a game that night, it tears it up pretty good,” Garrison said. “These guys are in there dragging it back shut, re-seeding and trying to get it ready for next week.”

There have also been some changes made in the last few years to improve. For one, they added another painting machine. Herman said it is more efficient on paint and fuel, plus there’s way less waste.

“You can [halve] your completion time of getting it done, because you got two guys painting lines versus one,” Garrison said. “We’ve looked at automated machines. There’s automated machines out there where it’s GPS. We feel like, in talking to other directors, that [manual painting] is the route to go. My guys do a lot of work with other things, and this is one part of their job they enjoy, so I want to keep it going that way.”

To be recognized nationally, each crew member had their two cents on what that means to them and the hard work they’ve put in.

“We take great pride in that field,” Engeman said. “All the fields, but to be able to do it as I’ve done it for quite a while, and to do it and to get recognition, it’s really great.”

“It’s a lot of work,” Cole said. “We enjoy doing it. We don’t hate it. It’s fun to see and hear everybody else’s comments.”

“I go to every game, and I constantly hear the field looks great,” Herman said. “Very rewarding.”

“I think it’s good because I don’t think people understand it is so much work to keep it looking that good all the time through all the weather,” Hohense said. “Rain, we’ve been doing it in snow, and it takes a lot of work to keep it looking good through all the different seasons.”

When he submitted their field to the contest, Garrison said he knew they had a very good chance of being recognized.

“This crew is very dedicated and hard working,” he said. “Every one of these guys take pride in their work, and we’re very fortunate through maintenance and custodial. We have a good team that cares.”

As temperatures start to stabilize in the 60s with baseball and softball underway, the crew shifts its focus as it prepares for a busy spring and summer season.

“We’re transitioning from snow equipment to lawn equipment,” Engeman said. “We’re getting the mowers and stuff ready. They’re already playing on the fields, so we’ve already marked a few baseball and softball games.”

For winning the award, the Fairmont Area School District will receive a certificate of recognition and a banner that can be displayed at the winning field. The submitted pictures are also subject for potential use in Pioneer upcoming publications and annual calendar.