This is the story of a Friday night football game, and how it all came together.

But there is so, so much more to it than that. This is the story of how it came to be.

Something like this has never happened on our school campus before, and we really wanted to make it a reality, said Beverly High athletic director Dan Keefe. Everything had to go exactly right for us to pull this off ... and despite a few obstacles, weve been able to do so.

The genesis of the idea came about towards the end of the summer, when Keefe and Beverly High principal Betty Taylor were kicking around some ideas. Why not, they agreed, try to do something special this fall after what had been an unbelievably trying 2020-21 school year because of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Initially, the thought was to do something at Hurd Stadium and make an event out of one of the football games. A day or two later, the two administrators took it a step further: what could they do that would involve more teams at the high school, not just football?

Jordan Irvine (23) and the Beverly Panthers got the better of Danvers Colin Kelter (12) Aris Xerras (81) and the Falcons at home this past spring; now they want to do so again, this time playing under temporary lights at Forti Field Friday night.

Thus the plan was conceived: a two-day event at the high school campus itself which the boys and girls soccer varsity soccer teams, the varsity field hockey team and the football team would all be part of. All four teams would play on the newly-installed turf at Forti Field with temporary lights in place. Boys soccer (4:30 p.m.) and girls soccer (7 p.m.) would play on Thursday, Oct. 7; field hockey (4:30 p.m.) and football (7:15 p.m.) would do so the following night.

Beverly has played a handful of night football games in the past at Hurd Stadium, their traditional home field. But the chain link fence that surrounds the venerable and beloved field wouldnt work for soccer or field hockey games, not to mention the fact that the field is wider in both of those sports than it is for football. So the decision was made to hold all four games right on the high school turf.

Having two soccer games on Thursday, then a field hockey game leading into a Friday night football game, all right on campus ... we felt like we really had something, said Keefe.

The AD got to work contacting the athletic directors of the schools that the Panthers would be playing on those two proposed dates. Swampscott AD Kelly Farley agreed her varsity soccer teams play at Beverly on the same day. The Panther girls are using this opportunity to hold their Senior Night, making a special occasion that much more memorable. (The two schools will play each other again on Monday in Swampscott, with the boys playing under the lights in that one).

Mike Bierwirth, the Lynnfield AD, gave the thumbs up for his Pioneers field hockey team to play the Panthers Friday in their own Senior Night game at 4:30 p.m. Danvers High athletic director Andy St. Pierre did the same for Fridays football game.

No AD likes to lose a home game; thats a big ask, admitted Keefe. The fact that everyone was willing to accommodate us for this event was very gracious.

Owen Gasinowksi is a dual threat for Danvers, leading the Blue-and-White in receptions and receiving yards while also ranking second on the club in rushing.

JAIME CAMPOS/Staff file photo

Keefe reached out to food trucks who could sell their goods on the two nights, and two Beverly companies stepped up: Joes On A Roll (owned and operated Nicki Birarelli) and Butter UR Biscuit. Beverly Bootstraps said theyd do a food drive both evenings, asking for non-perishable items such as peanut butter, box pasta, macaroni and cheese, canned vegetables, diapers/Pull-Ups (sizes 2-6), tuna fish, cooking oils and sprays, canned tuna and soup that can help fill pantry shelves.

The BHS Band will also be selling food items. Another group at the high school, the Birthday Wishes Club, will sell glow sticks and glow necklaces in order to create Birthday Boxes for homeless children.

A Toys For Tots fundraiser raffle was set up through Beverlys Henry Witham. Keefe got Todd Angilly, who sings the National Anthem at Boston Bruins home games, to come in to sing it before the football game Friday, and the BHS band will play their traditional halftime show. Keefe even set up a vaccine clinic for Friday night.

It was setting up to be a complete community event for and put on by the people of The Garden City.

The biggest challenge was finding someone who could rent them lights. Keefe spent a few days burning up the phones before getting confirmation from a company on the South Shore. The school signed an agreement with the company, and everything was hunky dory.

Until it wasnt.

Early last week, Keefe got a call from the company saying there had been a mistake, and they wouldnt be able to honor their commitment.

Panic set in.

At that point, we realistically didnt know if wed be able to pull it off, admitted Keefe. We gave ourselves until Wednesday at noon and if we didnt have a solution then, wed have to cancel the whole thing.

Fortunately, help came to the rescue. Scott Connolly, Salem Highs athletic director, told Keefe he had three light towers that he could borrow. St. Pierre said they had two that could also be used. Taylor then reached out to Mike Collins, the Commissioner of Public Services and Engineering in Beverly, and he was able to obtain an additional eight light towers from a contractor he knew at 10 a.m. that Wednesday.

Ten light towers will be lined up around the field while the other three will be placed around the campus to light the way to and from the field. Theres ample space for parking and for fans to watch the games, too, either on the sloping grass that overlooks the complex (similar to the hill many fans sit at when theyre at Hurd); outside the fence surrounding Forti Field, or even up along Herrick Street, where fans will get a complete view of the entire field.

Keefe acknowledged that one of the biggest supporters of this event was Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Charochak, who told him she couldve foot the bill for the lights from the South Shore company had they not backed out.

All the feedback weve received from the kids, the coaches, people in the city ... its been pretty good, said Keefe, who thanked the Beverly High custodial staff for being a big part of making this dream a reality. It was touch and go for a while ... but now were finally making it happen, and thats a good thing for all the kids involved.

Continued here:
Football Focus: Anatomy of hosting a night game with portable lights - The Salem News