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Mastery Charter School athletes have a new turf field

by Aaron Carter
Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
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Mastery North opens its football season on new field

Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

On Saturday, Mastery North lost its home opener, 35-6, against the Pennington School from New Jersey. It was the first time the team played on its new turf field, which will be used by other Mastery Charter School athletes.

Building from the ground up

Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

When head coach John Davidson arrived at Mastery North in 2010, one of the first things he did was walk the grounds of the school’s Germantown campus to see if it could support a football stadium.

Mastery North starts a football program

Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

In 2011, Davidson started the school’s football program, in part, to combat dwindling enrollment that some attributed to students leaving for other schools that offered football.

Coach Davidson's impact

Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

His first move was to create a weight room inside the school's locker room. To save money on demolition, Davidson and his assistant coaches knocked down a few walls. They also found equipment on Craigslist one piece at a time.

Let the construction begin

Courtesy John Davidson

Davidson started the discussion about a new field in 2017. With help from Joe Ferguson, Mastery’s former chief operating officer, and Matt Troha, its current COO, the school broke ground on its new field in August, 2023.

Years in the making

Courtesy John Davidson

In 2016, Davidson wrote a grant that secured more than $50,000. He also raised an additional $12,000. Mastery Charter School received other financial assistance from the state and the Eagles to fund the new field.

What a home field means to the team

Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

Davidson said the field gives the team a new sense of ownership. His players are far more relaxed before a game because they don’t have to rush to get dressed, get on a bus, and drive to the Germantown Supersite, their previous home field.