By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

To help commemorate the occasion, Hodorff put together a Google document for former players and coaches to submit their favorite Watertown Stadium memories. 

The entries include one from former coach Doug Schooley, who spent 18 years at Watertown and coached the Arrows to state championships in 1996 and 2001.

“So many games over the years but the ones I remember would be all the KiYi games because of the crowds, the three semifinal games because of the chance for the kids to play in the Dome, and the Spearfish playoff game. We had 10 inches of snow the night before, so people in the community and players from all levels and coaches from all levels helped clear the snow off the field so we could play. There were piles of snow around the field for the game. Unfortunately, we lost the game in overtime.”

Former head coach Steve Svendsen, who guided the Arrows to the 2013 state championship appearance, also submitted an entry. 

“My memories in the old stadium are good ones! I hated playing at the stadium as a visiting coach, but I grew to like the place as the Watertown Arrows Head Coach. The old locker room was a place I liked going to….the names of the past written on the walls tells you everything about the nostalgia and tradition of the Watertown Arrow football program and its history! I finally beat Yankton in the Semi-Finals to go to the State Championship game in that stadium! That place will always be part of my past and have a place in my heart, as well as the people and the city of Watertown!”

More than 90 former players submitted memories, including 2009 Watertown High School graduate Grant Raml. 

“There have been generations of successful players and students that have went through the Watertown Stadium and have their names written on the walls over the years. No matter if you’ve been to every game since you graduated or haven’t made it back since there is a feeling of deep Arrow Pride that was instilled in each player and has never been forgotten. Looking back on long days at the stadium for practice after school or the Ki-Yi wins, the memories will last a lifetime. Go Arrows!”

Nathan Lamb, a 1998 Watertown High School graduate, also submitted an entry about his favorite memories at the stadium.

“So many great memories in that stadium. The one that sticks out is the one that was there for every game. Standing in the pitch-black tunnel waiting to run out before the game. Running my hands along the wall of names of all the previous Arrow all-state players, trying to pull strength from all those studs. Being packed into an area with 65 of my brothers, yelling and screaming with "Enter Sandman" in our heads, getting our minds right for what was about to happen. Waiting for (Marv) Sherrill to clear the path to the field and all of a sudden the door flying open, light coming in, walking up the stairs and getting hit on the pads by what seemed to be a few hundred people all jammed into that little walkway out to the field. Jogging on the field and hearing the band stop whatever song was being played to strike up the "Purple and Gold". If you weren't ready to play after that, there was something wrong with you. I've got goosebumps just writing this. Go Arrows!!!”

For Hodorff, who at 45-years old, has coached almost half his life at Watertown said there’s a ton of memories that come to mind when reminiscing about the field. 

“Probably some of things that have stood out the most to me have been the 2007 season, which was my first season in Watertown,” Hodorff said. “We were 10-2, with two losses to Sioux Falls Washington — one the first game of the season, and one in the semifinals. Getting to coach players like Josh Hanson, Eric Jung, Keith Newman and multiple other guys on that team. That was a pretty special year for us and then the year we played Yankton in the semifinals to go to the Dome. That was a pretty special year, too.”

A unique feature is inside the 10-yard line on the west end of the field, the grass turns into the baseball infield. It would create some interesting conditions once rain and snow hit the field. 

“We had to shovel the entire field off all the lines off before we played O’Gorman,” Hodorff said. “They were wearing white on white that day. You couldn’t even see those guys out in the snow. It was a pretty cool atmosphere that night, too.” 

Watertown is ensured at least one home playoff football game before saying goodbye to the stadium. Next season, the Arrows will play their home games at their new stadium, which is being built north of the Watertown High School. 

But memories of the old stadium won’t fade away. 

“It will be fun to go from a building that was built in the 40s, to a building that is built now and know that the community of Watertown is putting us in the best facilities possible,” Hodorff said. “It’s really cool to see that we are going from a place that was top-notch in its day, to a place that’s going to be top-notch again.”