Student section wearing pink to support Breast Cancer Awareness at the Friday Night Lights field hockey game. 

Photo credit: Ms. Wood

Typically, a Friday Night Lights game is intended to hype up the crowd and draw in a greater fan base for the following day’s events, which are the annual Walkathon and the Homecoming Dance. Two years ago, Friday Night Lights was a football game. So why the change this year? In late September, GCDS announced that the annual Friday Night Lights game would be a field hockey game instead of a football game. The students had many opinions about whether or not this was a good idea.

Mr. Helstein, the athletics director, stated, “We do not have a permit on the back field for lights, therefore making football automatically eliminated as an option for the Friday Night Lights. And with the placement of the lights on the front field are really close to the sidelines, making it unsafe for soccer because of how much of the field soccer takes up and how fast-paced of a game it is. Therefore, field hockey is the safest option for an event like this because it is played on a narrower field and is not as fast-paced as the other sports.” 

GCDS Varsity Field Hockey 

Photo Credits: Katie Christy 

Though football is the sport that you think of when you hear about a Friday Night Lights game, Mr. Helstein said, “We also want to showcase all of our teams, and everyone deserves a chance to play under the lights.” Kylie, a junior, explained her opinion on the choice by saying, “Football has a greater fan base, but field hockey is doing better score wise.” Maggie, a freshman, said, “Field hockey games get people hyped because they don’t expect it to be as exciting and intense as it is.” Kelly, a junior, stated, “it’s a great way for people to see a new and exciting sport that people don’t get to see.” 

Despite the difference in record, people disagree on who should play. “I would rather go to a football game for Homecoming,” says senior Shannon. Shannon is not the only student who feels this way. Mackenzie, a senior and member of the girls varsity field hockey team, feels that it is tradition to have Friday Night Lights be a football game. Mackenzie believes “Friday Night Lights should be reserved for football.” Conversations among friends have continued while they debate whether or not they like the choice of the Friday Night Lights game. The boys on the football team have expressed their opinions as well. Leo, a junior on the football team said, “I’m looking forward to supporting the field hockey team, but football is usually the main event.” 

Freshman Olivia weighed in, saying, “I think that it should be football because every other school has a football game for Friday Night Lights.”

Sawyer, also a freshman, stated, “I’m on the football team so I would have loved to play under the lights, it is a great and fun thing to do. However, it has always been football and I think that field hockey is also a wonderful sport and we should appreciate it as much as we do football. I think it is good that GCDS is switching the sport and being more inclusive with other teams. Either way, I think that the night will be just as fun no matter the sport.”

GCDS football team ready to play.

Photo credit: GCDS Athletics Instagram