For one night, two high school football teams and their communities could pretend to be college football programs.
When Evanston Township High School (IL) hosted rival New Trier (Winnetka, IL) on Friday, Oct. 16, in a Week 9 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) matchup, it became the hottest ticket in high school football.
That's because a high school football game became just the third-ever game played at Northwestern's brand-new $862 million stadium — the most expensive college football stadium. That brought together two neighboring communities to total 27,000 fans for a high school football game.
"It was really exciting on the sidelines," New Trier cheerleader Vicky Zalewska said of the atmosphere. "I am really glad our fans stayed the whole game. It was really loud."
The rivalry and the prospect of playing at the brand-new college football stadium certainly lived up to the hype, as fans packed the lower bowls and the student sections were nearly full.
The game itself was a back-and-forth affair, with the Trevians winning 42-28 after pulling away late in the fourth quarter behind a five-touchdown performance from running back Throy Nightingale Jr.