San Saba football team plays on former graveyard

SAN SABA, Texas – A lot of teams have interesting names for their home fields: Death Valley, The Swamp. 

At San Saba High School, they call their field The Graveyard, and it’s not because they want to bury their competition.

Local perspective:

A pep rally on Friday afternoon had a lot of school spirit as students and fans of the San Saba Armadillos spent the day getting ready for their game against Holland High School.

Members of the JV squad made sure the stadium was ready.

“I’m pretty sure it’s electric out, and energy is really high,” said sophomore Michael Monreao.

It’s been 11 years since Halloween fell on a Friday football night. The San Saba coaching staff knows an October 31st kickoff will add some “fright under the lights.”

“We’re treating it, all the games as a big game, but you know, this one takes extra a little, a little more specialty in here,” said head coach Andreas Aguirre.

San Saba’s haunted homefield advantage dates back to 1858, when the property was originally owned by the Rogan family and donated for a cemetery. In 1935, the headline in the San Saba News announced the land had been turned over to the school for an athletic field to be named for the Rogan family.

It wasn’t long before rumors started with claims some bodies had not been removed and still remain under the gridiron.

“It’s getting bigger and bigger each and every year, but the story is still the same. I mean, you hear about hundreds of bodies being, I mean that’s not the case, but it used to be a cemetery and it was moved. You know some things people say that they couldn’t find them, they couldn’t afford people to move their bodies. So there’s tales of people having bodies still there, but, um, you know. It is what it is, but we enjoy it. We enjoy it,” said Aguirre.

The Graveyard legend

The cemetery legend now comes with a sign that reads “The Graveyard” hung at the main entrance, an eerie welcome for visiting teams and their fans. Tombstones have also been added to the entrance for Friday’s Halloween game, as well as carved pumpkins on hay bales. 

It’s part of a haunted homefield advantage, a little football magic that works, according to assistant coach and former player Brian Rogers.

“I’ve had teams. I’m usually the one who lets everyone in, and you’ll hear some kids, is it really on a graveyard? Getting in that mindset, it’s kind of creepy,” said Rogers. 

Around town, team flags proudly fly outside of storefronts for every home game. No bones about it, fans like the staff at the Alamo Coffee and Pecan Shop are ready to cheer. Some are former Dillo-ettes and also graveyard believers.

“They’re there. My husband was maintenance there for years. He did the lines for 21 years .. and he would tell me every now and then he’d trip and he’d say, get back down there,” said Dora Miller.

In almost every home game, some kind of hard to explain play will happen, and we’re not talking about coffin corner punts.

“It’s just a weird feeling. But there have been times where people will be running down the field and then the turf monster will get them,” said Coach Aguirre.

A recent ghostly goalline play happened in a game with Thorndale, when an open field tackle was made by one of those spectral special team turf monsters.

“So, we’ll ask for a few favors every now and then?” said Aguirre. 

What’s next:

The plan for the pre-game warm-ups includes some scary music, and maybe just a little magic.

The Halloween game is sure to conjure up some great memories and it will be a spell before it happens again. 

The next Oct. 31st kickoff at the Graveyard for an Armadillo Friday Night Fright won’t happen until 2031.