MARIETTA - The brand-new video scoreboard at Raider Valley will allow Walton football fans to see much more than the score, the running clock and what quarter the game is in.

Manufactured by Fair-Play, the videoboard, which is 16 feet wide and 9 feet tall, will allow fans to see slow-motion replays and highlight reels. Walton athletic director Christian Suttle said it's the highest-resolution screen at a high school stadium in metro Atlanta. There are also six side panels that will be used for community advertising.

"The fans will be more involved with what's going on on the field," Suttle said. "It gets the community more involved and gives us the opportunity to showcase many of our businesses in the area."

Walton is just the second high school in Cobb County to install a video scoreboard. Lassiter christened its board at Frank Fillmann Stadium before the 2007 season.

The $145,000 video scoreboard is a part of several current and future upgrades planned for Raider Valley. The school just installed a new artificial-turf field, through the county's allocation of SPLOST funds, and is now raising money to install a new running track and renovate the concessions and bathrooms, with the idea of making it a two-story building.

Walton football coach Rocky Hidalgo said the football, soccer and lacrosse programs have made contributions to the school and have been committed to renovating the facility.

Duluxe Athletics just finished laying the artificial turf, giving the Raiders plenty of time to prepare for their season-opening game with Brookwood on Aug. 21 at the Georgia Dome, another artificial field. Walton's home opener is Sept. 3 against Milton.

Walton was the second county school to unveil its new turf field, following South Cobb last week. Kennesaw Mountain is next, followed by the second of four installation phases.

"Everybody is excited," Hidalgo said. "Any time you get something new, everybody likes new toys. From our coaches and players, everyone is excited, and they come by and check it out on a regular basis. I get e-mails every day on how great the stadium looks.

"From the top down, everyone is extremely excited and fired up about the place. Our touchdown club and soccer and lacrosse (teams) got together and made a commitment in making those contributions that we wanted to go up and finish the stadium and fix everything else here."

Walton's "W" shield logo was laid in the middle of the field - roughly from one 42-yard line to the other - with "Walton" written in one end zone and "Raiders" in the other.

Not to be outdone by the scoreboard, the new artificial field was also a welcome change. Between football and a slew of spring sports, the grass field would quickly show its wear and tear by the end of the school year.

"This field probably hasn't been used for P.E. class in four to five years because we can't stretch it out in football season or even spring season," Hidalgo said. "It actually gets more wear and tear during the spring."