One of the things that shocked me when I first took the job at The Covington News in 2023 was the lack of sports infrastructure at Newton County Schools. 

What do you mean that thousands of kids at three different schools share one football stadium? What do you mean each school has to travel to one central location to play football games? How is this convenient for anyone?

It seemed that leadership had those same questions and decided to do something about it. Now, each of the three high schools has its own stadiums. And these aren’t just your average stadiums — these are top-notch facilities that can compete with any school in the state (well… minus Buford).

There are tons of added perks to the new stadiums. There are new storage facilities, a new scoreboard, enhanced audio and video equipment and a new weight room. Best of all, there’s a state-of-the-art press box… with A/C (a reporter’s dream).

I was on the assignment covering the Eastside High School ribbon cutting last Tuesday. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more electric environment on a Tuesday afternoon. Kids from all walks of life and all different sports came together in celebration of their new stadiums. It was an amazing celebration.

Honestly, I would call the construction of the new stadiums a no-brainer win for Newton County Schools. I think that 85-90% would agree with me on this.

But, of course, there’s always that 10%. It’s amazing to me how some people — especially on Facebook — can always seem to find the negative in something that’s an overwhelming positive for the young people in the community. 

Several people questioned the funding sources for this project. Now, if they actually took time to read our article (another recurring problem), they’d know that this project was covered through the 2024 ESPLOST that was passed by a majority of Newton County voters. 

Now, if you don’t like the ESPLOST, that’s your prerogative. I can understand that. But even if you didn’t want to read our article, it took me about 15 seconds to Google and find out how these facilities were funded. I promise people… there’s no excuse to not be informed these days.

Another common critique was not the funding itself but how it is being utilized. Some have argued that the ESPLOST should have been poured back into the classroom to assist with teacher pay and resources (pssttt…. That’s also in the ESPLOST).

Besides the fact that this is included in the ESPLOST, there’s an interesting double standard I’ve seen through these social media comments. Some of these people are the same ones who complain over the years that there’s “nothing to do” for the youth in town.

I agree that there needs to be more of a calculated push by our government to bring activities to the youth in Newton County. But let’s put our thinking caps on here. Don’t you think that getting kids involved in athletic activities such as football or track will, I don’t know, keep them out of trouble? At the very least having that environment on Friday nights will keep kids — both student-athletes and spectators — away from the streets and rooting for their school’s team.

School pride is another huge benefit to this construction. I went to a high school that played all of its home football games at Rose Bowl Field, which was a bowl located in downtown Monticello. It was a place that had storied tradition and was a staple in Jasper County.

But it had become clear, especially when I was in school, that it was time to move on. A new stadium was completed in 2020 and featured some of the high-quality features the three new stadiums in Newton County have.

While it got some pushback from some of the older generation, it was a no-brainer decision. This past school year was arguably one of the greatest in Jasper County High School history. Student-athlete participation and attendance are at record highs over there. That doesn’t happen without a calculated investment in student athletics.

Think about some place like Alcovy High School that may not have had the most success in athletics. Give them a new stadium, new equipment and watch the culture immediately improve. I predict that Alcovy will see a big spike in athletic success over the course of the next decade in large part due to these improvements.

As for Eastside and Newton, I expect their reach to only get larger. These schools now have home turfs to defend and a field that’s waiting on a legacy to be established. That’s one heck of a motivation factor.

Yes, there are plenty of issues that plague Newton County Schools. There still needs to be work in academics. There needs to be firm decisions on certain safety protocols. And I also think the Board of Education needs to find a way in future years to provide some additional relief to senior taxes.

But folks, the new stadiums are not one of those issues. This is a no-brainer home r… I mean… touchdown.

I’m excited to see how these new stadiums will not only change the lives of our young people but also our community as a whole. I hope everyone else is as well.

Evan Newton is the managing editor of The Covington News. He can be reached at enewton@covnews.com.