The ongoing construction of the upper field and track, which began on June 7, has led to a change in the timing of home football games. The team will have a long stretch of away games until the Homecoming game on Oct. 10, after which four of the five scheduled games will be at home.
Football was not the only sport affected. Athletics director Nick Bonacorsi explained that Flag Football faced the biggest disruption, since uncertainty surrounding whether there would be both JV and Varsity teams this year impacted the scheduling of home games. Because MVHS plays each team twice, these conflicts were combated by flipping the locations of games so that no team would be forced to cut a home game, and instead only play them later in the season. Bonacorsi said Field Hockey is unlikely to be affected by the change.
“We were proactive and had our first half of the football season scheduled away, so we had the later half at home,” Bonacorsi said. “That worked out perfectly. We’re being told construction will be done in time for Homecoming, and Flag Football can also move up there that week and play their games, so Field Hockey stays where they are.”
While Bonacorsi acknowledges that a long stretch of away games may impact the morale and performance of the football team, he believes the effect is minimal as the number of home games remains the same. Sophomore and Varsity football player Andrew Wang has also downplayed the impact, stating his enjoyment of playing football doesn’t rely on home court advantage.
“I enjoy being out there, being with my friends and being able to tackle,” Wang said. “We treat every game like it’s the same — it doesn’t really matter to us. We’re always locked in.”
ASB adviser Mike White says the later home games may benefit both players and crowd, noting how, with earlier sunsets, the weather will be cooler during the game.
“It’s nicer to not play in our stadium in September,” White said. “It’s hot in our stadium, so I’m ok having home games later in the season. In October, we have to turn the lights on when it’s 5 or 6 p.m., so it feels like traditional football because it’s dark and it’s cooler.”
White added that construction should not interfere with Homecoming festivities as the field is already complete and the track is ahead of schedule, with surfacing expected to be completed by the game. The biggest uncertainty is the lining of the track, which still would not affect festivities. Even if the surfacing is unfinished, White says that only the Walk of Classes would be cut, while the Dance, Cheer and Homecoming Court ceremonies could still take place on the field.
However, White mentions that attendance may face headwinds due to the PSAT and SAT, which are held on Homecoming weekend. Still, he expects strong support from freshmen and seniors, who have been consistent at rallies thus far. Looking beyond Homecoming, both Bonacorsi and White anticipate a strong turnout throughout the season due to festivities like the Breast Cancer Awareness and Helmet Game. Furthermore, with three of the four home games scheduled for Friday nights rather than Thursday, they believe that students will find games more convenient to attend.
“Because it’s our first game in the new stadium during Homecoming — and it’ll be the first time we’re all out there together — I’m hoping we get a surge in fan support,” Bonacorsi said. “We have more Friday home games this year, and the Helmet Game is at home. With the athletic senate and ASB trying to hype it up, everyone working to get more kids at events would be great.”
Even if attendance dips, both White and Bonacorsi said that football games make up only a small portion of ASB revenue. The budget forecast for the 2024-2025 school year expects booth sales from all sports combined to contribute less than 10% of total ASB revenue. White says that the real financial concern is ASB card sales, with less than half the student body purchasing them so far. This could result in budget cuts for athletics and school events if sales don’t improve.
“We’re hoping that more kids continue to buy cards,” Bonacorsi said. “We’ll hopefully see a big surge in gate revenue once we get to Homecoming and have our home games. That’s my challenge to the school: to come out and support because it helps all sports and activities on campus.”
