Middleton: Don't be confused, that is the Middleton Cardinals logo on the field in Friday mornings game between Madison East and Madison Memorial.

The two schools moved their season opener here because Madison fields are waterlogged. "Madison fields were unplayable and they just didn't feel they could allow teams-for safety reasons and the purpose of the fields to play a game in the Madison area," says Memorial Principal Bruce Dahmen.

Middleton got just as much rain as Madison in the last week, but this is brand new field turf. Not only will the field take the pounding from several games this weekend, it sheds the rain.

Nearby Mansfield Stadium has a crown, making the water drain to the sides. It's also a sloppy mess.

"This is a surface that is designed to take the water straight through and then out. That's what helps us take all this water on is it doesn't have to shed to the sides," says Middleton Athletic Director Luke Francois. He says he's had to say no to requests from nearby high schools and even UW Whitewater's football team. "I've gotten a lot of calls, and unfortunately more calls than we could accomodate. It would be nice to say yes to every school that asks but there's only so many hours in a day."

"This was my first phone call." Dahmen says if teams had played on grass they would have ripped it up. "What you create right now you have to play on the rest of the year. What will the field look like six weeks from now."

Schools do have to pay a user fee to Middleton High School when they use the stadium. It's between $5-600.