NEW MARTINSVILLE, W.Va.—As the 2012 high school football season gets closer, many areas in the Ohio Valley are still dealing with issues left behind from the severe thunderstorms on June 29.

In Wetzel County, those two topics are now overlapping at Magnolia High School.

So, the 2010 AA West Virginia state football champions Blue Eagles are preparing for the season, knowing they won't be alone on their home turf this season, and home turf hasn't looked exactly like home since those storms.

That is because a wicked wind storm whipped through parts of New Martinsville, blowing the Blue Eagle press box from it's bearings.

"A bunch of guys came in, donated tons of time, tons of material, come in, took about six months to build it, built it, and 2010  was the first season that we used it, so we were getting ready to use it for our third season,” said head coach Mark Batton.

Today, that area remains pretty bare. Scrap items hardly resembling what used to be a two story press box above the bleachers are all that’s left.

Batton said having a new box in time for the season is a necessity for game operations, the media and his staff.

"That's the biggest teaching point there is because you sit down after the game with that film and break that down and you know those are things you can't do from ground level," said Batton.

As the preparations continued at practice Tuesday, players and coaches knew, there’s yet another factor that will make home slightly unfamiliar. That’s because some invited guests will also call Magnolia's field their home turf this season.

The River Pilots, who are awaiting a construction project at their home, are simply being repayed a favor.

"In September of 2004, where you're standing right now you'd be under water, there was almost 10 feet of water on this field and you know Mr. Tishner and Coach Flannery called us up right away and said, ‘What can we do to help you?’"

And Batton makes little of it when asked about the added abuse on the aging grass field at Magnolia.

"If it does get tore up, I know these guys will really work hard to get it back into the best shape it can be, and like I said, that's based on weather, and you can't control weather," said Batton

With insurance coverage and some local business donations, a new press box is expected to be brought in before the opening game of the season, which at Magnolia's field, will be a River Pilots game.