Panthers to Break Ground on Practice Field
St. Frances Academy will hold a groundbreaking for a new athletic practice field on East Chase Street on November 10.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Football
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St. Frances Academy will hold a groundbreaking event for a new athletic practice field on November 10, 2026. The program has no on-campus practice field and currently travels about 15 minutes to Patterson Park for team practices.
Why it matters
The program has had to bounce around multiple facilities without its own home field, and players currently travel in two 15-passenger vans to practice. The new field will be much closer to campus than current practice sites.
The worksheet compares the current 15-minute trip to Patterson Park with a site directly across from campus at 501 East Chase Street. The extraction does not provide the field's completion date, construction schedule, or cost.
The players
Messay Hailemariam
Head coach of the St. Frances Academy Panthers football program who confirmed the groundbreaking to Rivals.
St. Frances Academy
A Baltimore private Catholic school whose football program won the Overtime Nationals championship and currently lacks an on-campus practice field.
The details
Head coach Messay Hailemariam confirmed the November 10 groundbreaking to Rivals, and plans for the athletic field were first announced in the summer. The vacant land on East Chase Street sits in the Johnston Square neighborhood, directly across from the school's campus.
Timeline
Summer 2026: Plans for the new athletic field were announced.
November 5, 2026: The Panthers play St. Thomas More (Conn.).
November 10, 2026: Groundbreaking event for the new practice field.
November 14, 2026: The Panthers face IMG Academy at Bowie State University.
Season Trajectory
The Panthers are ranked No. 24 in the latest Rivals National High School Football Composite Rankings after a 14-3 loss to Hun School, their second straight defeat. The facilities news arrives as the program prepares for a November 14 game against IMG Academy at Bowie State University.
The new field would replace a 15-minute trip to Patterson Park with a site directly across from campus, reducing travel for players who currently ride in two 15-passenger vans. Fans tracking the program can note the November 14 IMG Academy game as the next scheduled matchup after the groundbreaking.
The takeaway
A dedicated practice field close to campus would give the program a stable home base for daily training after years of relocating between facilities. Watching whether construction begins on schedule after the November 10 groundbreaking will show how quickly that plan moves forward.
What happens next
The groundbreaking for the new practice field is scheduled for November 10, 2026, and the Panthers face IMG Academy at Bowie State University on November 14, 2026.
Further reading
For more on the local high school game, see Baltimore Football coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by On3.
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