Turf Grass Is Americas Default Lawn Setting. Chicago Researchers Are Rethinking the Possibilities  WTTW News

See the article here:
Turf Grass Is Americas Default Lawn Setting. Chicago Researchers Are Rethinking the Possibilities - WTTW News

Water-saving turf removal program, Beyond Lawn, enormously successful in first year  Vail Daily

See more here:
Water-saving turf removal program, Beyond Lawn, enormously successful in first year - Vail Daily

A tale of two turfs: Bay Area residents split over using artificial grass  The Mercury News

Read the original post:
A tale of two turfs: Bay Area residents split over using artificial grass - The Mercury News

Green Bay Man Leaps Into Dream Job, Tending The Lambeau Turf  Wisconsin Life

Read this article:
Green Bay Man Leaps Into Dream Job, Tending The Lambeau Turf - Wisconsin Life

Explaining bermudagrass: When it will be sold to the public, what it is, and where it grows  KSL NewsRadio

Read the rest here:
Explaining bermudagrass: When it will be sold to the public, what it is, and where it grows - KSL NewsRadio

When newcomers look across the acres of golf course greens at Lancaster Country Club, theres something Matt Wolfe hears time and again.

They always assume its fake, says Wolfe, who, as superintendent, is responsible for maintaining the golf course.

The grass is real. Its a playing surface that can handle golfers taking divots. Its a living organism with a team devoted to keep it alive. You fight dead grass, weeds and pests on a quarter-acre lawn? For the U.S. Womens Open, this teams managing a 110-acre course, some of which is mowed to a fraction of an inch and still healthy enough for world-class golfers. Dont forget the sites flooded five times this year alone.

The turf managers are scientists as well as artists who paint a scene. If things go as planned, their canvas will not be a lush, pretty picture.

Were hosting the best players in the world, and were going to challenge the best players in the world, says Josh Saunders, director of golf course operations. So when they step on the first tee, I want them to think that, this place looks dangerous, looks mean. Its going to be a tough test for them.

Josh Saunders gives us an in-depth look at course turf and playing surfaces for the upcoming U.S. Women's Open.

Danger aside, there are many reasons why this golf course turf is different from your lawn.

Lets start with the grass species. Cool-season grasses like bluegrass and ryegrass reign in home lawns for texture, color and growth. The country club course is dominated by bentgrass, which can be mowed low and doesnt need much pesticide or fertilizer, Wolfe says.

The course along New Holland Pike was designed by renowned architect William Flynn more than a century ago. With that heritage comes a mix of different grass species in the playing surface.

The bentgrass loves heat, Saunders says. With springs cool and damp weather, this species is finally waking up, he said two weeks from the start of the championship.

The record-setting heat in late April pushed a different grass, poa annua, to produce its first flush of seedheads. Afterwards, the grass takes a break and turns yellow.

Thats what Im battling now, he says. Its only an aesthetic thing. It has nothing to do with playability. Everythings fine. Everythings healthy. Its just an aesthetic aspect of how were going to look to 135,000 people who are going to be on property throughout the week.

MORE FROM THE U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

An influx of 80 volunteers over the weekend helped keep up with maintenance at the U.S. Women's Open.

Since the last championship, the clubs dealt with a pandemic, the death of a project manager during on-site renovations and historic flooding.

Focusing on the flooded turf during Tropical Depression Ida, patience is the way to recover, Saunders says. The Conestoga River, which runs through the course, reached its third-highest historic crest during that 2021 storm.

Youre maintaining a living organism, and its going respond, and its going to recover naturally on its own, Saunders says. So you have to be patient and not rush, rush the whole process of cleanup.

The grounds crew needs to understand the microclimates throughout the 27-hole course. Each area has different levels of shade, drainage and air flow. More than 500 trees were removed since the last championship, further changing these areas.

The team watches weather, scouts for signs of potential issues and takes steps to prevent problems. Dollar spot fungus, for example, can create sand dollar-sized patches of dead turf and thrives in wet grass. If rains in the forecast, pre-treating with a fungicide should help prevent an outbreak, Wolfe says.

On the insect side, the annual bluegrass weevil is an enemy for the abundant poa annua grass. The first generation of adults emerge around the time forsythia bloom, Wolfe says. Applying insecticide prevents them from laying eggs. But, if they miss the window and adults reproduce, the next generation of grubs have a grass buffet. The population grows along with the damage. Through the golf season, the team looks for signs of damage and digs into the soil to look for grubs smaller than a pencil eraser.

MORE FROM THE U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

Grounds crew members work on the bunkers at the 16th hole at Lancaster Country Club.

Work on the course has been ongoing with construction renovating bunkers, changing tees and expanding fairways. Over the winter, the team removed dead trees and repaired bridges.

On April 1, as plants throughout the course started waking up, the turf team turned to the big event. Theyre looking for turf thats dense, vigorous and upright, with a good color. This is not the time to irrigate the entire course at once. Limiting water makes a firm and fast surface for the golfers and prevents disease.

The approach to the 13th green at the 79th U.S. Womens Open

Its a delicate balance. Too much water, and the roots become shallow and not resilient. Too little water brings other issues.

You want to keep the grass searching for water, Wolfe says.

Usually, he has a team of 25 to 30 people during the busy season. This year, a team of 20, including managers, prepped for the championship. The country club hires seasonal workers to boost the ranks through the federal H-2B temporary non-agricultural visa program. Most of the employees are from Mexico and have worked on site for more than a decade, Wolfe says. Last year, eight seasonal workers started their work in Lancaster in April. This year, the start time lottery draw means seven workers will arrive weeks later, after the U.S. Womens Open is over.

The 2024 crew is smaller and includes three former golf course superintendents, turf school students and a few new hires who have never worked on a golf course.

An influx of 80 volunteers over the weekend helped. Every volunteer works in the industry so training wasnt an hurdle, a luxury in a tight labor market, Wolfe says.

During the tournament, staff and volunteers plan to meet at 4 a.m. and then mow, roll and adjust as the course setup shifts pin positions and tee locations. They need to wrap up by the time play starts at 6:45 a.m.

The rough is mowed to 3-4 inches; fairways to 0.4 inches; tees to 0.375 inches; approaches to 0.225 inches. The height of the greens is top-secret, Saunders says.

The team aims to make the playing surface as consistent as possible and only give greens enough moisture to survive the day for playability and health of the grass.

At 4 p.m., theyre back for a meal and then wait for play to end to prep the course for the next day. On the night shift, theyll check moisture levels and water with hoses where needed. In a few hours, theyll be back to do it again.

Want seasonal gardening articles and tips sent to your inbox weekly? Sign up for our Gardening newsletter here.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

See the rest here:
Here's how the turf team grows the grass for the 2024 US Women's Open [photos, video] - LNP | LancasterOnline

By NEIL SPERRY

DEAR NEIL: I took this photo last fall at a garden in South Texas. Id like to grow this plant. What can you tell me about it? Will I have any trouble finding it?

Dear Reader: Thats fall aster. Its an heirloom Texas perennial that our grandmamas grew. For many years you only saw it in older neighborhoods, but over the past 30 or 35 years its made its way back into the mainstream retail nursery trade.

It blooms for several weeks, generally in late September and into October. Its often showcased in retail garden centers with their pumpkin displays to take advantage of the contrast of colors. Ask ahead. If they dont plan on having it, they can order it in for you, generally in 1-gallon pots.

The plants grow to be 24 inches tall and wide. Their leaves are tiny and virtually unnoticeable until the plants pop into bloom. Bees and butterflies love it, so it brings excitement to its surroundings.

People are also reading

Once it finishes blooming you can prune the old flowering stems back close to the ground. Its also a good idea to pinch-prune the plants to remove an inch or so of the growing tips in late spring or early summer to keep the plants more compact.

DEAR NEIL: Im starting to worry about my oak trees during this drought. Weve already had to lower the pump in our well, so we are trying to conserve water. What is the best way to keep them alive?

Dear Reader: Unfortunately, when they need water, nothing short of water will do.

Without seeing your trees I cant really advise you, but much will depend on factors like the species of oaks involved, age of the trees, whether theyre established native oaks or newly planted within the past five or ten years, their vigor coming out of the record cold 18 months ago, depth of soil and so on.

Luckily, were toward the end of the hottest part of the year, so the demand for water should begin to lessen. If you could lay a soaker hose around their drip lines and run it slowly for several hours that would really help, but I do understand the angst of concern over running the well dry. I would not recommend fertilizing them this fall.

DEAR NEIL: I had St. Augustine replaced the last week of April. I have watered faithfully almost every day since, but the grass is very patchy. Only three small areas from a separate batch look good.

I may have a struggle getting restitution from my landscaper. How would I find a consultant to advise me?

Dear Reader: You mentioned that this new St. Augustine was being used to replace prior turf. What happened to it? Before I blame the new grass, Id like to examine if there could be a problem with the setting.

This is the most common problem I have encountered in more than 50 years of doing gardening talk shows, writing gardening columns and doing work for the Extension Service.

St. Augustine is our most shade-tolerant lawn grass. But its tough to get new sod established if there is a great deal of shade. Thats not the landscapers fault.

Watering almost daily is, once the new grass is rooted (a couple of weeks) too frequent and not good for the grass.

Id want to look for signs of gray leaf spot. If you have fertilized the new grass during the summer, that fungus would have been promoted and it would have left the turf looking patchy.

So, there are many factors outside the control of the landscaper that might have contributed to the poor outcome of the new grass. As for a turf grass consultant, you might ask at several sod vendors and at companies that sell professional turf grass supplies to golf courses and athletic fields. They usually know people who are well versed in turf.

The Texas AgriLife Extension turf specialists are good, although dont look to them to take one side or the other. They will identify what problems they see and give their best opinions as to how you can move past them.

DEAR NEIL: Is there a way to transplant runners of English ivy from a neighbors bed into a new bed Im trying to start?

Dear Reader: Perhaps so, but Ive always had great results taking the runners and cutting them into pieces with one leaf per cutting, its petiole (the stem of the leaf) and a 1- or 2-inch piece of the true stem of the ivy, then planting three or four of those cuttings per 4-inch plastic pot filled with loose, highly organic potting soil.

I keep them moist and humid (beneath a loosely draped sheet of plastic this time of year) and in the shade until they develop roots and start sending out new stems.

This works much better and faster than the couple of times I tried digging up footlong stems and trying to transplant them.

Have a question youd like Neil to consider? Email him at mailbag@sperrygardens.com. Neil regrets that he cannot reply to questions individually.

Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.

Go here to read the rest:
Neil Sperry: Fall aster can be great addition to garden - Waco Tribune-Herald

With the ongoing heat waves were experiencing, its all too easy for your lawn to dry up and suffer. This can sometimes be the case even if you water it frequently, so whats the problem here? The fact is, theres a right and wrong time to water your lawn. Do it at the wrong time, and youre just wasting water and encouraging disease, but do it at the right time, and your grass will thank you for it.

Here, we take you through the dos and don'ts of watering your lawn, with a little help from the experts. We will explore when to do it, how often you should do it, and how much water you should use for the best effect. So you can get your grass thick and thriving again in no time.

If you think your lawn is past the point of saving, be sure to check out how to revive dead grass.

You can tell your lawn needs water when the grass loses its vibrancy in color. Tom Hilton, gardening specialist at National Greenhouse (opens in new tab) explains: Theres two key indicators that your grass needs a little love, the first being the colour. If you notice an increase in brownish tones or a less glossy look to it, get the hosepipe out! Another little trick is to take note of how springy the grass is after being stepped on if it stays down and doesnt bounce back, this is another great indicator that it needs watering.

The blades may also appear to curl over at the ends when the grass is overly dry. You might also spot uneven brown or yellow patches of grass cropping up around your lawn these areas could be getting less water than other sections.

If you want to be sure of the moisture level of your lawn, you can try driving a screwdriver with a 6-inch shaft into the ground. If you struggle to push it in, then that means your lawn is dehydrated.

The best time to water a lawn is actually in the early morning, ideally before 10am. This is because the temperature outside is still cool and the wind and sun are less intense, which gives the water a better chance to reach and penetrate your soil. This climate ultimately makes it less likely for the water to evaporate as soon as you apply it.

Watering any later than this can be counterproductive. According to the landscaping experts at Toolstation (opens in new tab): The main reason we wouldnt advise watering in the middle of the day is because its less effective. During the hottest part of the day, lots of water will be lost to evaporation a waste of both water and effort!

Theres also the option of watering in the evening, which isnt as wasteful, but its still not the best time. The experts at Toolstation continue: Although its cooler at this time of day, if your grass is left covered in water droplets overnight, this can cause diseases like red thread and Fusarium.

Diseases such as these are encouraged by excess moisture on your lawn during the cooler temperatures of the night. Its a prime reason for watering your lawn in the morning versus the late evening. If you have no choice but to water your lawn later in the day, stick to between 4-6pm this gives it a chance to dry out and recover before the sun sets.

Today's best Scotts Green Max Fertilizer deals

The answer to this question depends on a few factors. First, theres the type of grass to consider and then theres the age of the grass as well. On top of that, the type of soil you use contributes.

There are two main types of grass: warm-season and cool-season. Warm-season can typically be found in the southern states, while cool-season tends to grow in the northern territory. If youre unsure of which you have, you can always ask at your local home department store.

With deeper roots, warm-season grass is more drought-resistant and so wont need watering so often. With this type of grass, you could water it in two sessions over the week or do it in one day. Cool-season grasses will need a little more attention. More water is required and it's better to break up the application into 2-3 sessions.

In terms of the soil youre using, keep in mind that clay soil retains water better than sandy soil, which drains more quickly. You may need to water less or more frequently depending on this.

As a general rule, aim to apply 1-1.5-inches of water to your lawn a week, taking into account rainfall and humidity. Its also better to break this down into sessions every 3-4 days, rather than daily or once a week if you can. That way, your lawn wont be too dry or too wet on a regular basis. Bear in mind that your lawn will go dormant when the soil temperature drops through the colder months though. During this time, the grass can survive for weeks without water. Its color will return in the spring time.

However, if youve just planted grass seeds and your lawn is still young, you will need to be more resilient with watering it. At first, you will need to keep the bed moist (the top 1.5 inches of soil), but not saturated. That means you need to water it little and often 1-2 times a day to start with for 5-10 minutes at a time, reducing this schedule once it reaches 1-2 inches in height. Growing grass takes a lot of maintenance, but once its matured it will require less effort.

Its all too easy to overcompensate for the heat and overwater your lawn. The trouble is, this is a wasteful habit which will cost you money, and it wont be doing your lawn much good either.

A tell-tale sign that youve overwatered is when you see water runoff the lawn, down the pavement and into the drain. At this point, the soil is no longer absorbing the water and its literally a waste of money.

If the ground feels overly muddy or spongy, then thats another sign that youve applied too much water. An increase of weeds or thatch can indicate overwatering as well, as can fungal-growth, such as mushrooms.

If you want to check that youre using the right amount of water, theres a couple of options. Tom Hilton recommends one such method: Sprinklers can make this a much easier job, allowing you to get an accurate measurement of how much water youre using by simply marking a container with an inch mark and seeing how long it takes to fill up. This will give you a great idea of how long to leave them on for, but obviously the traditional hose or even watering can methods are still effective.

You can also check the soil regularly as its being watered using a screwdriver shaft. All you need to do is time how long it takes for the water to reach 6-inches deep. Once you have this time, you know how long to leave your irrigation system running in the future.

You could also invest in a flow timer and calculate how much water you lawn requires. With this method you just multiply the square footage of your lawn by 0.62 gallons. The answer gives you the number of gallons you need to cover the entire lawn with 1-inch of water per square foot. We recommend the Orbit 21004 B-hyve Smart Hose Faucet Timer ($61.86, Amazon (opens in new tab)).

Even if you follow the above guidance, you will need to keep a constant eye on your lawns condition. Regardless of whether you do everything right, the changing climate can still result in you over- or under-watering the lawn by accident. Always check its moisture level before you begin watering, and watch out for sudden heat waves drying it up faster than expected.

Next: See how to aerate your lawn and when to do it.

Today's best Garden Sprinklers deals

For more lawn tips, tricks, and how-tos, check out our guides on how to plant grass seed, how to make your grass greener, how to stripe your lawn, how to lay sod, 7 common lawn care mistakes you're probably making right now and 7 ways to revive dead grass.

Go here to read the rest:
Here's the best time to water your lawn according to the experts - Tom's Guide

Q: Im starting to worry about my oak trees during this drought. Weve already had to lower the pump in our well, so we are trying to conserve water. What is the best way to keep them alive?

A: Unfortunately, when they need water, nothing short of water will do. Without seeing your trees, I cant really advise you, but much will depend on factors such as the species of oaks, the age of the trees, whether theyre established native oaks or newly planted within the past five or 10 years, their vigor coming out of the record cold 18 months ago, depth of soil and so on.

Luckily, were toward the end of the hottest part of the year, so the demand for water should begin to lessen. If you could lay a soaker hose around their drip lines and run it slowly for several hours, that would really help, but I do understand the concern over running the well dry. I would not recommend fertilizing them this fall.

Q: I took this photo last fall at a garden in South Texas. Id like to grow this plant. What can you tell me about it? Will I have any trouble finding it?

A: Thats fall aster. Its an heirloom Texas perennial that our grandmamas grew. For many years you only saw it in older neighborhoods, but over the past 30 or 35 years its made its way back into the mainstream retail nursery trade.

More Neil Sperry: Lantanas may fall prey to lace bugs

Fall aster blooms for several weeks, generally in late September and into October. Its often showcased in retail garden centers with pumpkin displays to take advantage of the contrast of colors. Ask ahead. If they dont plan on having it, they can order it in for you, generally in 1-gallon pots.

The plants grow to 24 inches tall and wide. Their leaves are tiny and virtually unnoticeable until the plants pop into bloom. Bees and butterflies love it, so it brings excitement to its surroundings. Once it finishes blooming, you can prune the old flowering stems close to the ground. Its also a good idea to pinch-prune the plants to remove an inch or so of the growing tips in late spring or early summer to keep the plants more compact.

Q: I had St. Augustine replaced the last week of April. I have watered faithfully almost every day since, but the grass is very patchy. Only three small areas from a separate batch look good. I may have a struggle getting restitution from my landscaper. How would I find a consultant to advise me?

A: You mentioned that this new St. Augustine was being used to replace prior turf. What happened to it? Before I blame the new grass, Id like to examine if there could be a problem with the setting. This is the most common problem I have encountered in more than 50 years of doing gardening talk shows, writing gardening columns and doing work for the extension service.

St. Augustine is our most shade-tolerant lawngrass. But its tough to get new sod established if there is a great deal of shade. Thats not the landscapers fault. Watering almost daily is, once the new grass is rooted (a couple of weeks), too frequent and not good for the grass. Id want to look for signs of gray leaf spot. If you have fertilized the new grass during the summer, that fungus would have been promoted and it would have left the turf looking patchy.

More Neil Sperry: How to choose a tree for a sacred spot

So there are many factors outside the control of the landscaper that might have contributed to the poor outcome of the new grass. As for a turfgrass consultant, you might ask at several sod vendors and at companies that sell professional turfgrass supplies to golf courses and athletic fields. They usually know people who are well versed in turf. The Texas AgriLife Extension turf specialists are good, although dont look to them to take one side or the other. They will identify what problems they see and give their best opinions as to how you can move past them.

Q: Is there a way to transplant runners of English ivy from a neighbors bed into a new bed Im trying to start?

A: Perhaps so, but Ive always had great results taking the runners and cutting them into pieces with one leaf per cutting, its petiole (the stem of the leaf) and a 1- or 2-inch piece of the true stem of the ivy, then planting three or four of those cuttings per 4-inch plastic pot filled with loose, highly organic potting soil. I keep them moist and humid (beneath a loosely draped sheet of plastic this time of year) and in the shade until they develop roots and start sending out new stems. This works much better and faster than the couple of times I tried digging up footlong stems and trying to transplant them.

Email questions for Neil Sperry to SAENgardenQA@sperrygardens.com.

See more here:
When oak trees need water only water will do - San Antonio Express-News

Trodding across pockets of brown, stringy grass, the Hamilton High Yankees went to work on their schools patchy baseball field.

They were all dressed in uniform. Not the traditional Yankee green. Their work clothes under the July sun were a mandated plain-white T-shirt and black shorts. Theyd only receive their Hamilton uniforms after they made it past the final cut day on the 25th.

Let them earn the Hammy colors, head coach Norris Milton said. I try to show pride in the school.

Over the last couple of years, that pride has been tested for many football programs in the Los Angeles City Section. COVID-19 dealt a near-crippling blow to schools already struggling with overall enrollment and student participation in sports. Teams such as Manual Arts and Crenshaw that once fielded more than 50 players on varsity can now barely muster 25.

In the next five years, if nothing changes, said Jefferson coach Jason Grant, I dont see City football being in existence.

Jefferson High football coach Jason Grant.

(Luca Evans / Los Angeles Times)

But itsnot dead yet.

A fresh wave of coaches has entered the Los Angeles Unified School District in recent years coaches whove been molded in the City, who are invested in not just football but the larger community, who are trying to bring pride back to their programs.

Theyve now come through that cycle of seven-on-seven, travel teams and all that, former Dorsey coach Paul Knox said. They kind of know the ins and outs now. And I think theyll be able to get kids in there. I think youll see a little resurgence in the City in the next three to four years.

Each has their own philosophy to keeping City football alive.

For Milton, the key is finding diamonds in the rough.

Perhaps sitting in a humid athletics office, with its sticky tiled floor and stray wires poking out of the walls, wasnt exactly what he pictured when he shipped out to California from Georgia in 2015. He certainly didnt anticipate being named an athletic director during COVID-19 just a year after he started as head football coach at Hamilton. Yet hes fully invested.

Were getting more kids interested on campus, Milton said. That was my main focus to really get kids on campus to want to play football.

After he came to the Yankees in 2019, he met the kids for the first time Aug. 1, giving them two weeks to prepare before their first game. He had 22 players. They went 2-9.

It was a struggle, Milton said.

Hamilton High football coach Norris Milton.

(Luca Evans / Los Angeles Times)

He boosted the number of players to 75 in January 2020 before COVID-19 hit. Finally, after two years, Miltons managed to get 75 students signed up again, following a surprise 9-4 record last season.

Over half of those students, Milton said, had never played football. Also serving as a PE teacher, he had to walk Hamiltons halls to find talent. During lunch periods, hed head out to the field with rising junior Jason Benson and toss a football around, eventually convincing him to come out for the team.

Kids come to Hamilton for the schools strong arts and theater programs, Milton said, not football. But Hamiltons enrollment, at about 2,500, is bustling in contrast to other LAUSD schools. Somewhere, theres an All-City player hidden away in those Yankee classrooms.

Theyre here its just getting them to buy into what it takes to be an athlete, Milton said. I aint going to say thats the struggle, but thats what I really want to try to find at the school.

For Hawkins coach Ronald Coltress, its about building tradition.

In 2016, Hawkins, one of the most dominant programs in the City Section, had to forfeit all 13 wins because of eligibility violations. Coltress, who had no idea about the scandal, was hired as an assistant in 2017. They went 0-11. Then he inherited the reins.

It was kind of overwhelming, because I didnt think I was ready to take over the program, Coltress said.

Hes been reaching into a bare cupboard ever since.

Its just like, Were Hawkins. What are we known for? Coltress said. Well, theyre known for that thing [in 2016] since then, nothing.

Hawkins High football coach Ronald Coltress.

(Luca Evans / Los Angeles Times)

He had the minimum number of 18 players on the roster in 2020 to be eligible to play. Last seasons 7-5 record, however, sowed seeds of promise.

When he first arrived at Hawkins, Coltress never saw alumni return to games. Thats starting to change. Former receiver Steven Romero, who graduated in 2020, is a frequent visitor now. His brothers, Nicholas and Dominick, are now on the team.

Once they have a program to believe in, a school, tradition, I think thats how you keep ahold of kids, Coltress said.

Its tough to watch inner-city schools struggle with engagement particularly storied programs like Crenshaw and Dorsey, Coltress said. Yet coaches across the City are committed to rebuilding.

You can make it at those schools, Coltress said. You can make it at Hawkins.

For Grant, the key is preserving talent at the youth level.

On July 16, he lounged on a bench on the sidelines at a seven-on-seven tournament at El Camino Real High. Jefferson had come to play. Only nine players showed up.

Typical L.A. City Section, he muttered.

To even be able to participate, he had to pull an incoming freshman, whod be starting the year on junior varsity, to play quarterback. As he spoke, his 11-year-old son sat on the other end of the bench. Grant pointed at him.

He was gonna play quarterback today if I didnt go play my ninth-grade quarterback, he said. For real.

Last summer, Grant said, he walked into seven-on-seven games with 11 players and still had opposing programs trying to recruit his players, he said.

If youve got any kind of talent, somebodys going to be in your ear, Grant said.

Newsletter

Get our high school sports newsletter

Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.

Enter email address

Sign Me Up

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

When former alumnus Grant was recruited to Jefferson, right before the COVID-19 pandemic, he issued an ultimatum to the administration: The L.A. Demos youth program had to be rebooted. Out of commission for three years because of low turnout, it kicked off again last season. Grants coaching staff is now filled top to bottom with coaches involved with the Demos. Its his blueprint for encouraging the youth in the area to stay.

A couple weeks after that futile El Camino Real tournament, Grant had about two dozen players signed up. Above the roster minimum of 18, and a whole lot more than the 11 at the same time last season.

At Jeffersons first practice in helmets July 28, Grant knelt on the sideline, ripping up a few blades of grass. This sod, he explained, was the same turf standouts like Romeo Doubs, now a rookie receiver with the Green Bay Packers, had starred on.

His players walk the same halls Doubs did. Walk the same streets around Jefferson. Grant wants them to realize whats the difference?

View post:
City Section football programs on the rise with rebuilds - Los Angeles Times