The Homecoming football game is often seen as a Friday night tradition, played under stadium lights after the sun has set. However, PHS’s rendition of homecoming this year will look markedly different. Originally scheduled to be played last weekend on September 26, the game was delayed until October 17 due to heavy rain. Both game dates scheduled Homecoming for a Saturday afternoon, deviating from the Friday night tradition.
According to Principal Cecilia Birge, the decision was a result of scheduling conflicts, who attributed the change to a combination of factors beyond the unforseen weather.
“There was a significant referee shortage in the state,” said Birge. “So that’s what drove the decision to make it into Saturday.”
The decision to move kickoff to the daytime was largely the product of budget constraints. Coordinating the necessary support from volunteers, teachers, and custodial staff, paired with the event’s steep financial price tag, made the logistics of a Friday night game unsustainable, according to both PHS Director of Athletics Brian Dzbenski and Birge. Dzbenski estimated the price tag of the single night game to be approximately $26,000.
“There are lots of moving parts when you organize a community-wide event, and we simply just couldn’t pull it off from a logistic perspective,” said Birge. “Lights [have become] a lot more expensive...and we always rent lights.”
Although the daytime setting might alleviate financial pressures, the change in atmosphere has become a concern for the team. According to quarterback Quinton deFaria ’28, the hype around Homecoming is a big moment for the team, especially the seniors.
“I bet the [seniors are] way more frustrated than I am.” said deFaria. “It’s their last chance to really have a Friday night [game] at home, and I bet it’s frustrating for them because they’ve had some good seasons coming into it.”
Indeed, the climate of the game won’t just be noticeable to the players; rather, it will force supporters to adapt. “It’s one of the bigger games of the year for us,” said deFaria. “It’s [this] kind of the atmosphere that [players and fans] feel. Because, you know, under the lights at a home game when you have the whole school in the stands, it’s one of the most surreal feelings, to be honest.”
In the future, there is still a possibility that Homecoming will return to the traditional nighttime kickoff.
“Next year, we’ll have a better chance to get a night event,” said Birge. “But, beyond that, I don’t know because each year the schedule changes...we [also] continue to struggle with budget constraints and transportation costs.”
Similar to the changes surrounding the game, the events proceeding the game have also been significantly modified. In the past, PHS hosted a dance for students to attend after the game, a nearly universal tradition across high schools in the country. However, this year will feature events such as a Spikeball tournament and a movie, both of which will be organized by our Student Council. Shaan Patel ’29, the sophomore class president, explains that the decision, however, isn’t related to costs.
“In recent years, we struggled heavily with getting students from all four grades to come,” said Patel. “It is very heavily freshman populated, and some sophomores will come. But besides that, juniors and seniors don’t really find it compelling.”
Therefore, they decided to redirect their efforts into new events. Specifically, they believe that the movie will be a success amongst the student body.
“We’re putting flyers around that promote both the homecoming football game and the movie itself,” said Patel “I don’t think there’s a solid replacement to the Friday night football game...but I think this is very close second. If we can find a way to get a lot of people there, then it can be just as good for our school spirit and our collaboration across all four grades.”
Ultimately, the long standing Homecoming tradition still attempts to live on at PHS—albeit in a new form. The new date, October 17, will coincide also with the previously planned Senior Day, meaning that seniors will experience a unique combination of events for Homecoming game.While the football team hopes that the game returns under the lights, they will still be depending on the community to turn out and show their support.
“When you see the true school spirit that comes out of it ... it’s a chance for the whole school to come together as one and just support a team that’s been working really hard,” said deFaria.