Volunteers from the Saline County Regional Airport offered personal helicopters to help dry out Bryant High School's severely saturated football field for tonight's homecoming game against the No. 1 Ranked Cabot Panthers.

Two volunteer pilots from the Saline Country Regional Airport flew into Bryant High School Stadium in an attempt to dry the fully saturated football field before tonight's homecoming game. As Coach Calley and his team of Hornets prepare for victory against No. 1 Ranked Cabot Panthers, Athletic Director Tom Farmer called on friends to help prepare the field.

The helicopters arrived around 11:30 a.m., and continued to hover over the muddy field for close to an hour. Hoping the extreme wind and pressure from the rotating helicopter blades would dry the natural grass field as quickly as possible, Farmer and State Senator Shane Broadway called on friends from the local airport with the idea. Although it wasn't a perfect fix, the effort certainly made significant difference.

"Not only is it difficult to play a good game of football in a pit of mud, it can be dangerous, too," stated Tom Farmer, Bryant Athletic Director.  "We're doing everything we can to make this field game ready for these kids tonight, and we're more than grateful for the help."  

The Bryant School Board voted to partner with Farmer and the Bryant Athletic Foundation to replace the current grass field with synthetic turf. If $400,000 can be raised in corporate and private sponsorships and donations, the Board will match those funds and construction will begin. Bryant has been forced to cancel and/or reschedule many athletic, band, and extracurricular events due to a weather damaged field. The durable, virtually weather proof synthetic turf is expected to increase the field's playability, safety, cost savings, and environmental benefits.