Marmion players savor their Saturday night sneak preview

Let there be light -- at least for one night.

On Saturday night, this year's Marmion football team became a part of history when temporary lights were installed for the first night game the team has held since the Cadets have been on the Butterfield Road campus. This night was 40 years in the making, as the last time the Cadets saw the light was during the 1966-67 school year on the old athletic field on the West side of Aurora.

From 6 p.m. until around 10:30 p.m., I stuck around the Cadets' game against Marian Central to see how much of a difference the lights made to everyone involved.

It turned out to be a big deal, as this drew Marmion's biggest crowd of the season. The only thing that wasn't bright for the Cadets was losing to the Hurricanes 35-0.

As Manny Juarez and Juan Avila stepped onto Fichtel Field on Saturday night before their Suburban Catholic Conference game against Marian Central, the two Marmion football players both knew they were a part of something special.

With three minutes left in the sophomore game and a little after 7:30 p.m., the Cadets, led by the marching band, entered the stadium and witnessed something they've never seen before -- lights.

"This is once in a lifetime," Avila said. "It's great. I'm very grateful to be a part of this."

"(The lights) made a nice battlefield for us to play on," added Juarez. "We are used to night games, just not (at home), so it's like a different environment, different place, different view. It was nice.

"I'm glad I can come back in 50 years and say I was a part of this."

Even before the first set of temporary lights were turned on, there was a certain buzz around the field. Royal blue T-Shirts that said, "Battle Under the Lights" were for sale as fans entered the stadium.

The stands were packed with fans, as this game turned out to be the Cadets' largest crowd of the season at home. Even players from other football teams around the area were spotted in the stands.

It was definitely a special night, even for young fans. A boy in a green vest pointed to the field as he walked in with his parents and said, "Oh my gosh! Look!"

The lights were something Marmion fans haven't seen in over 40 years. But why this game? Why this season? Cadets athletic director Joe Chivari said there was no particular reason. It was just time to get a sneak preview of something that will be permanent one day.

"It satisfied the urge to have one night game," Chivari said.

Marmion gets four home games a season, which are all played on Saturday afternoons. The first home game of the season in Week 2 was against Kaneland, but the Knights did not want to play under the lights.

Homecoming in Week 6's matchup against St. Francis was ruled out because a bonfire takes place the Friday night before the game and Saturday night dance. The only other option was Week 8 opponent and rival Aurora Central, but Chivari thought that was too late in the year, and cold weather might be a factor.

So Week 4's Marian Central was it. Too bad the Hurricanes are one of the toughest teams in the conference and kept the Cadets scoreless for the entire game. Fans, however, were still celebrating the rare event, and Marmion coach Dan Thorpe couldn't have been more thankful for their presence.

"(The lights) definitely brought a nice crowd, and that's what we were hoping for," said the third-year coach. "It was a really fun night -- I mean, disappointing fun night."

Twelve temporary light fixtures, six on each side, were placed on the field. They were brought in earlier in the week, and the fathers from the booster club help set them up Friday night.

The lights, which were powered by a diesel generator, were rented by RentalMax with the funds provided by the booster club. They provided a nice amount of light, but, according to Chivari, "It (wasn't) what you'd get from permanent lights."

Right after 7 p.m. and in the third quarter of the sophomore game, the lights went on. There was no big ceremony or moment to observe the lights. When it was dark, they went on.

Fichtel Field, which received a field facelift two years ago, has the wiring for the lights, but the No. 1 problem for making this temporary thing permanent is money.

Still, one night of light was better than none. It's something that was talked about but never pressed when Tony Tinerella coached the Cadets before Thorpe between 2002-04. He's now an assistant coach and has been a part of the football program for 17 years.

"The foresight and getting the plan together was always there, but it takes time," Tinerella said.

With all the changes taking place on campus, including the construction of a new field house, Tinerella thinks lights at Marmion as a permanent thing will be possible someday.

"Absolutely," Tinerella said. "It's a time issue right now with all the new facilities going up. Things like a new field house is making Marmion almost like a college campus. It's really exciting for all."

Sure, lights aren't as glamorous as a new field house, but Saturday's event was one step in the right direction. Besides, the players loved it.

"If the kids were saying no to it, we wouldn't have done it," Chivari said. "The kids really wanted it, and it's all about the kids anyway. Let them have their fun."