‘It means home. It means family’: Football returns to Hampton High School for first time in two years
· Yahoo Sports
HAMPTON, Tenn. (WJHL) - Football will be returning to Hampton High School's home turf for the first time in two years after Hurricane Helene devastated the school's football field in 2024.
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Hampton High School was hit hard during Helene. The storm's floodwaters ravaged the school's campus, including its football stadium.
"It was devastating," said Hampton High School Athletic Director Dewayne Humphrey. "At one point, we didn't know if we were going to get to finish our season. There was a lot of talk, especially after Hurricane Helene. A lot of uncertainty."
5-year-old from Bristol area found dead in SC"Just not knowing what the future held," head football coach Michael Lunsford said. "Not knowing if we would get to finish the season, if there was going to be a Hampton High School, and our main priority was just taking care of the kids."
After the storm, the team kept their heads high and adapted to a new normal as they pushed through the remainder of their season. Construction of a new football field began in March 2026.
"We've utilized the baseball field the last two seasons," said Humphrey. "Star Fitness here in Elizabethton, they opened their doors to all of our athletics, especially our football team, so they could go in and get team workouts in."
Friday night will be the first time the Bulldogs grace the new JC Campbell Stadium as they continue to use the baseball field for practice while finishing touches are done on the field.
Lunsford said the players, as well as the Hampton community, are excited to get back out there.
"Every day, we drive by. Even during the summer, they're stopping and looking and asking, 'What's getting done today? What's this?'" Lunsford said. "There's a lot of excitement with them. They're excited to be out on the field, but they're excited to see all the work that's got done as well. It looks amazing. It looks awesome. Four locker rooms, team room, a training room, coaches' offices. Just going to be a huge upgrade, and it's going to be very good for our student-athletes."
The Hampton community has also rallied around the team, sharing in the excitement and proving there's just no place like home.
"Been almost 700 days since we've got to play here," said Lunsford. "It's looking for an electric atmosphere, looking for a lot of support and looking for a lot of excitement."
"I've had two guys come to me on Friday night and say 'Hey, you've got our seats saved underneath the scoreboard, right?'" said Humphrey. "Wanting to know 'Can we sit there? Can we do the things we've always done?' They've missed it, and we've missed seeing them. We want them to be able to come in. This is Hampton. It means home. It means family."
The Hampton High School Bulldogs will take their home field for the first time Friday, Sept. 4 against Sunbright High School. The Bulldogs go into the matchup 2-0 in the season after winning their first two games against Avery County and Johnson County on the road.
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