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Canton’s new multi-purpose field isn’t quite ready yet for games

The new artificial turf field has been painted with numbers and lines in preparation for its upcoming opening.

The new artificial turf field at Canton High has been painted with numbers and lines.

This weekend’s scheduled debut of athletic competition on Canton’s new multi-purpose field has been delayed. 

Canton had scheduled night games on Friday and Saturday night with the field hockey, girls soccer and boys soccer team on the artificial turf surface. The field may be ready but additional work needs to be done on the rest of the complex. 

“Because we can not guarantee the complete safety of the track surface and the fact that we will not move bleachers, I feel it is in our best interest to wait and hold a large scale opening for the complete facility when the town takes ownership in approximately three weeks,” said Dee Stephan, Canton’s athletic director. 

The field hockey between Canton and Westbrook will still be played under portable lights on Friday beginning at 6 p.m. on its current grass home field. The annual night soccer doubleheader will be played on Bowdoin Field as it has been since 1999. The girls will kick off against Ellington at 6 p.m. and the boys will play their game against the Purple Knights at 8 p.m.

“We must keep in mind that this facility will be with us forever and that we will gain more traction by not rushing and causing any issues,” she said.

Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.

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