Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
12:02 pm Sunday, September 21, 2008

Jumbotron worth excitement

By Staff
Jonathan Willis
Russellville, the number one ranked team in the state, had its biggest game of the year so far on Friday night.
The seventh ranked Hartselle Tigers came into town for what was probably the biggest game in the state this week.
These two teams always battle it out and although Russellville has dominated the series, Hartselle has always been so close to getting over the hump and knocking off Russellville.
But with these two region rivals set to go at it this week, the game seemed to it on the backburner.
The buzz around Russellville this week has been all about the new jumbotron that made its debut.
It is the first of its kind to be used by a high school in Alabama. As a matter of fact, its not even used by some smaller colleges.
But it is an incredible addition to one of, if not the best, high school stadiums in the state.
Shortly after the new track was added at the stadium and the field house was built in the end zone, people around town started joking that Russellville would need to add a jumbotron soon. It seemed like a joke.
But, now it's reality.
There is also much talk about the costs of the board and how the money could have been used on something else. That's not the case.
The board is being bought and paid for by donors and sponsorships.
It is know different than someone buying something for themselves and working extra hard to pay for it.
Supporters of the Russellville program have worked extremely hard to provide a first-class operation for its students and residents.
There is no reason why Russellville, or any other Franklin County school, should not have the best that is available to them.
If it does not cost taxpayer dollars to make it possible, then the students at our schools should be rewarded.
And there should be no apologies made to anyone in other parts of the state for that.
So now that the jumbotron is a reality and there for us all to see, it's time to get working on putting in artificial grass or building an indoor practice facility.

Also on Franklin County Times
Oliver wants 5% pay hike for his staff
Main, News, Russellville
Kevin Taylor For the FCT 
August 12, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE – Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver hasn’t seen much turnover within his department lately and he wants to keep it that way. Oliver ...
Flock council policy faces vote Monday
Main, News, Red Bay, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
August 12, 2026
RED BAY —A second Flock Safety automated license plate reader has been installed as the city prepares for a special meeting Monday on a proposed polic...
Local water systems have security measures in place
Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
August 12, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — As cyberattacks on U.S. water systems climb nationwide, local officials say a combination of rigorous safety protocols and old-fashione...
Alabama must champion spirit of civics education
Columnists, News, Opinion
August 12, 2026
Alabama has earned some well-deserved credit for taking steps to combat civic amnesia. State law mandates that students pass a 100-question citizenshi...
AERA holds annual district meeting
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
August 12, 2026
Retired educators may have left the classroom, but they certainly have not stopped serving their communities. That was evident at the Alabama Educatio...
Forever Wild to acquire 120 acres in Colbert
News
By Addi Broadfoot For the FCT 
August 12, 2026
CHEROKEE — The Forever Wild Land Trust is moving forward with plans to acquire additional property in Colbert County that would expand public hunting ...
30 years of caring for Little Tigers
News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
August 12, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — When Rhonda Miller opened Little Tigers Daycare in 1996, about 15 children attended during the first two weeks. Thirty years later, the...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *