By Norah Jewett ‘25
As of the beginning of October, the long-awaited installment of bleachers and lights have been installed at Frank Forti Field on the Beverly High School campus. These new amendments were added with the intention of opening up the possibility of hosting night games at Beverly High, a feat that has been rare in the past due to light and noise restrictions at other locations such as Hurd Stadium.
So far, several Beverly High sports teams have made frequent use of the lights, either practicing or being able to hold games after dark. One such team has been the Beverly High Football team.
Many BHS students have remarked on their disappointment in the lack of night games in Beverly history. Overwhelmingly, Beverly High students are more likely to turn out for a night game than one on a Saturday.
“I’m much more likely to attend a night game than a traditional Saturday morning game at Hurd,” one student shares. “I enjoy the atmosphere that comes with night games. There’s more students involved and the energy levels are a lot higher.”
Not everyone shares the same sentiment however. Some touch on how Hurd Stadium has been the site of Beverly High Football since the 1930s, and it feels “almost wrong” to break such a longstanding tradition.
“Contrary to popular belief, I actually really like games at Hurd. There’s something so relaxing about watching football on a Saturday morning in autumn,” comments another student.
Beverly High’s football team had its first official night game under the lights back on October 18th to mark Homecoming. The bleachers were loaded with students and other Beverly community members, and despite the loss for Beverly, people seemed to have enjoyed the opportunity to witness an under the lights game at their own high school.
The following football game was played at Hurd Stadium on November 2nd, however, which brings in the question of if night games will end up being a permanent fixture of BHS football, or if it would be a once-a-season occurrence. The answer still remains unclear as there is still a lot of work to be done to get Frank Forti Field up to the same standard as Hurd. This may include a concessions stand, a ticket gate, a more accessible entrance to the field, and potentially more seating. Many express their hopes in having all football games moved to the high school indefinitely, yet others believe that Hurd has been a sight of so much history and tradition that shouldn’t be concluded. It is still up in the air about what these new lights will really mean for future football games, but the undisputed Hurd Stadium era might have just been wrapped up.
Image credit: @miapantherflicks
