Brush High’s Korb Field to get new synthetic turf field, courtesy of Cleveland Browns

LYNDHURST, Ohio -- With skies overcast, temperatures struggling to hit the mid-50s, and a marching band blaring in the stands, it almost felt like a fall day with a Brush High football game about to get under way at Korb Field. In reality, the gathering held Wednesday (May 20) was in celebration of a gift to the school from the Cleveland Browns -- a new ForeverLawn high-quality synthetic turf field. A ceremonial groundbreaking that included the participation of Browns linebacker and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger was held to start work by Ohio Cat in installing the field so it will be ready for play when football drills begin in August. The gift marked the 19th field the Browns have gifted to an area high school, with number 18 occurring during a ceremony held Monday (May 18) at Richmond Heights High School. Speaking about taking part in the Brush groundbreaking, Schwesinger said, “It’s really cool. I can just see all the enthusiasm they have for a new field, and it just takes you back to high school. Really, that’s football in its purest form. “Obviously, all the other sports, too (will be played on the field), but I’m biased with football. Friday Night Lights -- it doesn’t get better than that. So being able to get a new field out here to keep everyone safer and to move faster is always a good thing.” Schwesinger posed for photos with a number of students and other attendees. Brush High Atheltic Director Jamar Ross said the new turf will replace artificial turf that is 12 years old. The gift from the Browns is valued at $699,000. “We’re excited,” Ross said. “This is big for the (South Euclid-Lyndhusrt School) District. With the cost of turf these days it’s a huge financial win for us. It saves us a ton of money and allows us to do some other things with those resources. “We really appreciate the Browns and the Haslams (team owners). It’s huge for the district. We’ve got tons of programs that use the field -- football, soccer, the flag programs. Our Lyndhurst Dad’s Club, sometimes they do baseball activities here. We have a youth football program that uses it, as well. So we’ll get a ton of use for it throughout the community.” The ceremony included comments from, among others, SE-L Schools Superintendent Dominick Kaple, Brush High Principal Marnise Harris, Lyndhurst Mayor Patrick Ward, and South Euclid City Council President Justin Tisdale. Also called to the podium to speak were Brush High junior defensive end Mumir Lewis, who also recently spoke at a Lyndhurst City Council meeting about his experiences being educated within the district, and junior soccer player Emily Ricciuti. Lewis, who will be playing his senior season on the new turf, and who recently signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Louisville, said after the ceremony, “(My teammates) are very excited about this. The fact that it’s been (12) years now (since the turf was replaced), I think it can help give us energy to meet our goals, and we had a lot of non-contact injuries this past year, and that could be related to the (old) turf. I think it’s going to be a great replacement and will definitely help us.” Read more from the Sun Messenger.