Let's light up every football field
JASON NADOLINSKI Sports Reporter
There's just something special about Friday night football under the lights. The crowd seems to be

more pumped up, if that's even possible. You can feel the electricity in the air, and not just when the big towers click on. And the players seem to have even more energy pumping through their veins.

Not possible, you say? Try telling that to the players, coaches and workers at this past Friday's regular season opener at Iroquois High School, or to the fans who were still filing into the stadium more than a half hour after the opening kickoff.

The Chiefs joined the area's list of enlightened football squads during their 23-14 victory over Williamsville East among much fanfare - rightfully so, I might add - from the school's administration, the team's coaching staff and the football boosters club. The second those lights clicked on for the first time, the entire stadium erupted in a roar of approval. You could see the sense of accomplishment on the faces of those intimately involved in the project, people like Booster Club President John Jimenez and Vice President Tim Shevlin.

And the best part of what happened Friday was the fact that the lighting of Latimer Field was made possible because it was a project the community cared about and rallied behind. Citizens knew this would be something the community could be proud of, knew it would be something well worth the time, money and effort, so they did whatever they could do to help make this happen.

The project, and its grand unveiling, meant so much to everyone that there were aerial photos taken of the field during the second half of the game, and if that wasn't enough, everyone was treated to a post-game fireworks display that would've put some communities' Fourth of July celebration to shame.

Currently, there are 12 schools in the Bee Group Newspapers' coverage area that don't have lights at their football fields. Only one school from Cheektowaga (Cheektowaga Central) can play home games at night, while Amherst's addition of lights last season pushes that area's number of lit fields up to two (Williamsville South is the other. To be fair, all three Williamsville schools shared South's field for home contests up until last season). Clarence is currently without lights, as are all four schools in the Ken-Ton district (including private schools Cardinal O'Hara and St. Joe's).

I know these things cost money, but most things in life that are worth having usually do. Monetary hurdles aren't exactly insurmountable if you have the right people, the right community, and the motivation to be proactive. I understand that these lights will only be

turned on a maximum of five times during a typical high school football season, but so what. It's worth it. Besides, if properly maintained, those lighted fields can be used for other sports during the fall and spring seasons. West Seneca East and West are known to have soccer or lacrosse games on the football field, and I'd be willing to bet others do too.

Fans and parents from Clarence, from Kenmore West, from JFK, from St. Mary's of Lancaster, ask yourself this: how much more of an enjoyable experience did the home fans seem to be having when your team played at a school with a lighted field? Which road games did your kids look forward to playing, the boring ones on Saturday afternoons or those under the lights on Fridays?

Iroquois stands as proof of what the right people, with a little motivation and community involvement, can accomplish. What's stopping you from doing the same?