AUBURN #- The Auburn High School seniors wanted to ‘make you see stars.' At least that was written on the back of their homecoming T-shirts.
Jason Rearick / The Citizen
Auburn fans cheer as the football team takes the field after an early half-time because of a bank of faulty end zone stadium lights. Later, the game was called because officials could not get the lights back on. The game will resume at 4 p.m. today.
Auburn fans cheer as the football team takes the field after an early half-time because of a bank of faulty end zone stadium lights. Later, the game was called because officials could not get the lights back on. The game will resume at 4 p.m. today.
But just before 8 p.m. Friday, fans at the Auburn-Cicero-North Syracuse game just wanted to see a football game.
With just less than nine minutes to go in the second quarter, a pack of lights illuminating the north end zone blew. Around 8:15, another pack lost power at mid-field.
By this time, the referees and coaches had decided to take an early, 15-minute “halftime” to see if the problem could be resolved. But at 8:30, it was clear there would be no finish to the football game.
With Auburn leading 21-14 and driving at the C-NS 39-yard line, the game was called by the officials due to safety reasons. It will be restarted today at 4 p.m. at Holland Stadium.
“I've never been involved with anything like this before,” said Maroons coach Dave Moskov. “It's a first, that's for sure.”
Cicero-North Syracuse coach Steve Ellis was also in new territory, but the five-year coach noted this wasn't the first lighting malfunction in Section III this season. Last week the Christian Brothers Academy-West Genesee tilt was delayed by the same problem. Play ultimately resumed.
“It's tough, it stinks,” Ellis said. “Whether it's us or someone else you never want to not finish a game.”
Auburn was in control before the lights went out, though both teams' offenses were looking unstoppable. John Ravenell, Quendel Ellison and Matt Hoey scored on 11-, 67- and 16-yard runs, respectively. C-NS found the end zone twice through the air, once on a 15-yard pass from Greg Larioni to Anthony Dolson, the second a 97-yard bomb from Larioni to Stephen Ianzito.
Ellison had just run for a 7-yard gain for a first down when play was suspended.
For Moskov, Friday's incident is a reminder of how much work needs to be done on Holland Stadium, which is around 70 years old.
Repairs to the facility will be on the ballot next month. In a nutshell, Proposition 2 calls for a field turf at Auburn High School and repairs to Holland Stadium, plus a perennial turf at the latter site. At both sites the poles would be “re-lamped” for lighting. The vote is on Oct. 17.
It can only be passed if Proposition 1, which calls for a replacement of the roofs at Auburn High School and East Middle School, as well as upgrades and repairs at the high school, is passed.
“It's a very affordable proposition, and I think it's very clear now how desperately we need those renovations,” Moskov said. “Proposition 2 [costs] just $2 per family, and we can start fixing some of the stuff around here that needs to be done.”
The seniors and players just wanted a homecoming football game.
“It was pretty crazy,” said Darnell Murphy, the Maroons' quarterback. “We wanted to play without the lights. It didn't really matter to us, but we couldn't.”
Murphy, who is also a senior, had an inkling that the game was going to be called when “halftime” seemed to stretch longer than it should.
“When it was taking more than 15 minutes, we pretty much knew the game was over,” Murphy said.
Auburn senior Liz Vozga was also disappointed.
“I was very, very mad because it's our homecoming and it's our senior year and we don't have a football game,” she said.
Vozga had been looking forward to homecoming weekend.
“I was really excited,” she said. “I actually bought a shirt this year. I bought my ticket the first day.”
With just less than nine minutes to go in the second quarter, a pack of lights illuminating the north end zone blew. Around 8:15, another pack lost power at mid-field.
By this time, the referees and coaches had decided to take an early, 15-minute “halftime” to see if the problem could be resolved. But at 8:30, it was clear there would be no finish to the football game.
With Auburn leading 21-14 and driving at the C-NS 39-yard line, the game was called by the officials due to safety reasons. It will be restarted today at 4 p.m. at Holland Stadium.
“I've never been involved with anything like this before,” said Maroons coach Dave Moskov. “It's a first, that's for sure.”
Cicero-North Syracuse coach Steve Ellis was also in new territory, but the five-year coach noted this wasn't the first lighting malfunction in Section III this season. Last week the Christian Brothers Academy-West Genesee tilt was delayed by the same problem. Play ultimately resumed.
“It's tough, it stinks,” Ellis said. “Whether it's us or someone else you never want to not finish a game.”
Auburn was in control before the lights went out, though both teams' offenses were looking unstoppable. John Ravenell, Quendel Ellison and Matt Hoey scored on 11-, 67- and 16-yard runs, respectively. C-NS found the end zone twice through the air, once on a 15-yard pass from Greg Larioni to Anthony Dolson, the second a 97-yard bomb from Larioni to Stephen Ianzito.
Ellison had just run for a 7-yard gain for a first down when play was suspended.
For Moskov, Friday's incident is a reminder of how much work needs to be done on Holland Stadium, which is around 70 years old.
Repairs to the facility will be on the ballot next month. In a nutshell, Proposition 2 calls for a field turf at Auburn High School and repairs to Holland Stadium, plus a perennial turf at the latter site. At both sites the poles would be “re-lamped” for lighting. The vote is on Oct. 17.
It can only be passed if Proposition 1, which calls for a replacement of the roofs at Auburn High School and East Middle School, as well as upgrades and repairs at the high school, is passed.
“It's a very affordable proposition, and I think it's very clear now how desperately we need those renovations,” Moskov said. “Proposition 2 [costs] just $2 per family, and we can start fixing some of the stuff around here that needs to be done.”
The seniors and players just wanted a homecoming football game.
“It was pretty crazy,” said Darnell Murphy, the Maroons' quarterback. “We wanted to play without the lights. It didn't really matter to us, but we couldn't.”
Murphy, who is also a senior, had an inkling that the game was going to be called when “halftime” seemed to stretch longer than it should.
“When it was taking more than 15 minutes, we pretty much knew the game was over,” Murphy said.
Auburn senior Liz Vozga was also disappointed.
“I was very, very mad because it's our homecoming and it's our senior year and we don't have a football game,” she said.
Vozga had been looking forward to homecoming weekend.
“I was really excited,” she said. “I actually bought a shirt this year. I bought my ticket the first day.”
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Doyle wrote on Sep 24, 2006 12:07 AM:
come'on commen sense says.... wrote on Sep 23, 2006 11:09 PM:
Jerry Morgan wrote on Sep 23, 2006 7:49 PM:
Conspiracy Theorist wrote on Sep 23, 2006 7:05 PM:
Jerry Morgan wrote on Sep 23, 2006 3:29 PM:
Joe Mayo wrote on Sep 23, 2006 12:48 PM:
lets hear it...... wrote on Sep 23, 2006 11:00 AM:
taxpayers wrote on Sep 23, 2006 1:12 AM: