Unbelievable! High School Football In a Dome

One of the benefits of traveling to broadcast CMU football games is getting the chance to see some really cool things. As you are traveling down highway 191 in Eastern Arizona, you might pass through tiny Springerville and neighboring Eager without much thought- two tiny, unassuming  towns lying near the New Mexico  border. You may or may not notice off in the distance a  large, white, unique looking structure , and continue on your way without a second thought.  I’ve done it before. But, this past weekend on the way to Silver City, New Mexico for the  Mavericks’  game with Western New Mexico,  my broadcast partner, Greg Reed, and I  discovered -quite by accident- the only domed high school football stadium in the nation. We were wondering whether or not there was a high school football team in this small community, and upon doing a google search, we got our answer -- and more. That's when we learned about  the Round Valley Ensphere, located in tiny Eager, Arizona, a community of just over 4,000 people. We noticed the structure in the distance and subsequently wandered slightly off our intended route to get an up close look at  the facility. The stadium itself seats 5500 for football and 9,000 for basketball and volleyball and is home to the Round Valley Elks. The wood dome was built in 1991 at a cost of  $12 million dollars, largely funded by Tucson Electric  Power.

I always thought it was pretty neat that the high schools in the Grand Valley get to play their football games  on the artificial turf at Stocker Stadium, which itself  is a terrific venue for sporting events.  But It’s remarkable that  Round Valley High School, boasting all of   445 students enjoys the luxury of playing in such an incredible facility as the Round Valley Ensphere.