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Houston, TX (Aug. 31, 2018) –
The Panthers of C.E. King high school are officially playing football on the same NFL home field as the 2017 Houston Texans. The ribbon cutting ceremony marked the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey with the christening of their Hellas field at Crenshaw Stadium in North East Harris County.
Two-Time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt helped raise $37 Million for Harvey relief. The Texans played on Hellas Matrix® Turf with Helix Technology in 2017 at NRG Stadium. Now this same field has been moved to the Panther's home stadium as part of a donation program to Harris County schools in need. Hellas went to Harris County, owner of NRG Stadium, and recommended C.E. King to be the first recipient of the Texans' turf donation and the county agreed. For the next couple of years, Hellas has a contractual agreement to replace the Matrix Turf with Helix Technology at NRG Stadium following the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and donate it to a school in need in Harris County.
Days after Hurricane Harvey devastated Crenshaw Stadium with close to 50 inches of rain, Hellas crews repaired and sanitized the Panthers' field. C.E. King did not open until January of this year due to the damage from Harvey. A new C.E. King high school and stadium is set to open in 2020. "Sheldon Strong" is the motto of the school and the Panthers prove it daily.
C.E. King Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Derek Fitzhenry said, "Hellas really helped us. They moved us to the front of the list to sanitize our field and clean it." Fitzhenry added, "You just had sewer water on the field. That's going to be a big deal as far as cuts and abrasions. We had students and staff displaced from their homes but when it came time for the games, the parents and community responded and were there to support our players. Our kids had a successful year and due to Hellas, the seniors enjoyed their senior year playing all five home games at their home stadium."
Frank Petrini, COO of Hellas Construction said, "Those kids of C.E. King were just super excited today when they came off the field. The legacy of the Texans 2017 field out of NRG Stadium, just brings it to a whole new level."
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Hellas Construction, Inc. headquartered in Austin, TX, is one of the largest sports construction contractors in the United States. Specializing in the general construction of sports facilities and sports surfaces. Hellas champions innovative artificial turf manufacturing, base construction, field, track and tennis planning, installation and maintenance. hellasconstruction.com
Sheldon Independent School District is a public-school district located in the northeast area of Harris County in Houston, Texas. The district covers about 50 square miles around the Sheldon Lake area. The district has one high school, two middle schools, and five elementary schools. The district currently uses the Crenshaw Memorial Stadium for games. sheldonisd.com
About the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation (HCSCC) a component of Harris County, Texas, which was created by the Commissioners Court of Harris County for the purposes of aiding and acting on behalf of Harris County in managing, operating, maintaining and developing the sports and entertainment complex located on County-owned property, known as NRG Park. nrgpark.com/hcscc/
Houston Texans headquartered in Houston, TX at NRG Stadium, part of the NFL's AFC South Division. houstontexans.com
About SMG founded in 1977, SMG provides management services to 233 public assembly facilities including convention and exhibition centers, arenas, stadiums, theaters, performing arts centers, amphitheaters, equestrian facilities, science centers and a variety of other venues. With facilities across the globe, SMG manages more than 15 million square feet of exhibition space and more than 1.5 million sports and entertainment seats. As the recognized global industry leader, SMG provides venue management, sales, marketing, event booking and programming, construction and design consulting, and pre-opening services for such landmark facilities as McCormick Place & Soldier Field in Chicago, Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, Houston's NRG Park and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. SMG also offers food and beverage operations through its concessions and catering companies, currently serving more than 140 accounts worldwide. smgworld.com