The Liberty County Panthers first home game this season at Donell Woods Stadium has been changed to Sept. 11, to allow sufficient time for sod on new engineered soil to take root.

In Wednesday’s Courier we reported the new sod was placed at the Panthers’ football stadium and it appeared everything was on schedule for the new season. After breaking from a day-long meeting on Tuesday to discuss school furloughs, Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Conley said, "We have been advised by the contractors to give the sod six weeks to grow before we have any physical activity on the field that will interfere with the growth process. In other words, we will not be able to play football on the field until Sept. 11.

"We have made arrangements to play the Aug. 28 game at Olvey Field so that the local fans do not have to travel to another county to enjoy the game. This choice will also allow us to keep the revenue of the game in Liberty County."

Also, according to head football coach Kirk Warner, the Aug. 21 scrimmage the Panthers were set to host against Wayne County has been moved to the Yellow Jackets home field in Jesup. The game time for the scrimmage will be announced shortly.

Conley added, "If you have driven by recently, you know that the sod is down on the field, which means the drainage and irrigation upgrades have been completed. The contractors are currently in the process of rolling the sod. This is a required part of the installation process."

With the changes the first three regular season games are as follows:

Aug. 28, home against McIntosh Academy (Olvey field), 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, at Beach High School in Savannah, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, home against Effingham County (Donell Woods Stadium), 7:30 p.m.

The Courier will keep you updated of any changes to the upcoming football schedules for the Liberty County Panthers, Bradwell Institue Tigers and Long County Blue Tide as they become available.