'Part of the fabric': Friday night game under the lights unites a community

HALEDON — The foothills of the Watchung Mountains were jet-black against the sunset, and the field lime green under the high-powered lights.

An announcer in the press box directed the crowd to the concession stand, where mozzarella sticks were drowning in the deep fryer and a girl slipped on a Ring Pop. Members of the drum line pounded their instruments, cheerleaders nailed another routine, and a coach yelled for his man to cover the other team’s guy.

Someone right then made a big play, scampered into the end zone for a touchdown.

And you completely missed it.

Amid the new buzz at Manchester Regional High School, which introduced Friday night football games this season, things are happening everywhere you look – and everywhere you don’t.

School Superintendent Gary Lubisco Jr., in his second full year, said the games are now social gatherings for the entire student body and the community at large. “They want to be part of something,” he said prior to the Falcons’ most recent contest. “It brings the school together because Friday night is something that the kids talk about all week, and they want to go.”

Last week’s game, versus the Gaels of St. Mary High School in Rutherford, was a losing effort for the Falcons, whose only points came about midway through the third quarter. The final score was 40-6.

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But even on a night when there was little pressure and no playoff implications, the home team’s bleachers were packed.

Jeffrey Fischer, of Haledon, a longtime trustee on the regional Board of Education, takes that as a good omen. “It’s a positive thing because it tells you that the kids care about their school,” he said. “They care about their team.”

Manchester Regional, still searching for its first victory, will travel on Saturday to Bergen County to face another winless team, Saddle Brook High School, for the last game of the season. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

It is a well-known fact that in many states, and especially in Florida, Louisiana and Texas, high school football on Friday nights is as important as worship services on Sunday mornings.

The January 1991 nonfiction work, titled “Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team and a Dream”, which spawned a feature-length film and two TV series, may have amplified the popularity of the sport at that level.

The team on which the book is based, the Panthers of Permian High School in Odessa, Texas, play at a venue that seats more than 19,300 fans, and it is not even the largest high school stadium in the Lone Star State.

Rande Roca, the Manchester Regional athletic director and its former head football coach, said after the match against St. Mary that it was “great getting more kids involved.”

“We’re a little late to join the party,” he said in a bantering tone, “but we’re now getting a lot more students because they’re looking to do something on Friday nights.”

Eileen Jaquez, a senior cheerleader, said the match against St. Mary was the most well-attended game that she witnessed in her time on the squad. “I think that a lot of teenagers like to be out at night,” she said.

It was also the first time in the high school’s history of 62 years that a homecoming game was played under the lights.

Homecoming festivities, including the crowning of a king and queen at halftime, clearly added to the excitement. Fans wore pink clothing for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and pink balloons were tethered to the rails of the bleachers.

The revelry continued with a bonfire, a tradition that restarted in October 2018 after being suspended for many years.

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A pit was dug out in the center of the softball diamond behind the high school, where firefighters ignited the flame and heaved wood pallets on top of the embers. There was also a DJ, and in the rear parking lot, vendors of food trucks sold churros and chicken and waffles.

“It’s only going to grow each and every year,” Lubisco said. “Making these events part of the fabric of what we do is only going to enhance the experiences and opportunities for students.”

In November, the high school broke ground on the $1.85 million project to install synthetic turf and stadium-style lights at Giacin Field. A ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the improved facility was held seven months later. Prior to its completion, the venue could not accommodate activities after dark.

“When the lights are on, it changes the atmosphere,” said Joseph Vasquez, a senior football player. “It brings a whole new spirit.”

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Nighttime football a success for NJ high school, despite losing record