A Brand New Home: Yellow Jackets’ new facilities rival over-the-mountain schools

New Corner assistant football and baseball coach Greg Gault led a visitor through the school’s new field house, and could barely contain his pride.

“This is as good as anything over the mountain,” Gault said.

He should know. Gault, a Mortimer Jordan alumnus of 1995, came to Corner from Pelham, which just won a Class 6A state championship.

School officials officially took possession of the new facility this week. Besides the school building itself, there’s also a new football stadium that’s at least half again larger than the old one. There’s a separate practice field with permanent goalposts, and a new field house with greatly expanded locker rooms, training facilities and offices.

And for the first time in many years, Yellow Jacket baseball and softball teams will have fields to call their very own. They’ve used the community park for decades.

The baseball field features much more seating capacity, a full press box and concession stand, large dugouts, baseball offices, and plenty of room in foul territory for fielders to turn foul balls into outs.

On the softball side, coach Aaron James is already thinking about spring, and having a field to call his team’s own.

“This is going to look like carpet come spring,” James said, looking over the outfield grass. “I’m going to baby this thing.”

The Yellow Jacket marching band gets a practice field of its own, too, and was already making use of it for band camp this week. And there’s a pair of soccer goals off to the side — just in case Corner decides to field a team someday.

The new stadium debuts on Thursday, August 26, as the Jackets host arch-rival Hayden.