Texas high school football stadiums tour includes $60 million albatross

Thanks to a new list compiled by the Dallas Observer, we have more proof that things are just different in Texas when it comes to high school football. The weekly newspaper released its five best high school stadiums in the Dallas-Fort Worth area Tuesday — and the venues are even more over-the-top than you might expect from the state that inspired "Friday Night Lights."

Topping the list is Allen's Eagle Stadium. Constructed over a two-year period at a cost of $60 million, the 18,000-seat gridiron palace opened in 2012. It features a 38-foot-high, high-definition scoreboard and a two-story press box. But due to cracked concrete (which lawyers for the school district claim were exacerbated by an "already deficient design"), the stadium is closed indefinitely.

No. 2 on the Observer list is Southlake Carroll's Dragon Stadium. Built in 2001 for a relatively sensible $15 million, Dragon has hosted winners year after year. The home team competed for a state championship its first six seasons playing at the venue, winning five titles.

Mesquite's Memorial Stadium is No. 3 on the list. The 20,000-seat stadium cost "only" $2.5 million when it was built in 1977 (which would be slightly under $10 million in 2014 dollars). Renovations that will run $11 million are currently underway include a new facade, larger restrooms, a new press box and three new elevators.

Rounding out the top five are Farrington Field in Fort Worth and Plano's John Clark Stadium. Clearly, the Lone Star State is the envy of hundreds of colleges in the country when it comes to athletic facilities.