When engineers scanned the brand‑new football field at South Marion High School in early June, a startling sight emerged from the soil: seven empty cavities, or voids, scattered beneath the turf.
The discovery forced the school, which opened its doors this summer as the first new high school in Marion County in 25 years, to postpone the start of its varsity schedule.
The voids were identified using ground‑penetrating radar, a technology that revealed pockets of empty space that could compromise the playing surface if left untreated.
Repair efforts underway
In response, the Marion County School District has launched a repair campaign, mobilizing crews to fill the cavities and restore the field to safe playing condition.
Because the work will not be finished until late October, the team will conduct its home games at neighboring schools’ stadiums, sharing facilities while the home field undergoes reconstruction.
The temporary arrangement means the football program will travel to other districts’ fields for its early matches, while still playing away games on the road as scheduled.
District officials remain confident that the field will be ready for the postseason, and they have scheduled a series of community open houses to keep families informed about the repair timeline.