By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The last time Covington Catholic’s football team played a Friday night home game it was a rousing success at the gate and on the field. During the 2007 season, a huge crowd turned out to watch the Colonels defeat the visiting Beechwood Tigers, 14-7, in a game played beneath the glow of temporary lights placed around the field.
CovCath brought the lights back for three home football games this year to give their fans a glimpse into the future. The school plans to have permanent lights installed by next season and make Friday night home games an ongoing tradition like the vast majority of high school football programs across the country.
The Colonels’ first home game using the 30-foot high temporary lights kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday when they take on Sycamore of Ohio. CovCath will also play Friday night home games against Lexington Catholic and Beechwood the next two weeks.
“It worked out schedule-wise that we had three (home games) in a row,” said CovCath athletic director Tony Bacigalupo. “From a logistics standpoint and how to handle that large of a (Friday night) crowd, it’ll be a good practice run for us.”
In previous years, CovCath had to schedule most of its home games on Saturday afternoon because it doesn’t have lights on the field. That put the Colonels out of sync with other high school football programs and their Saturday games started having a negative effect on attendance.
“Our crowds were decreasing,” said CovCath principal Bob Rowe. “We saw that the last two or three years. We had one 5:30 game (on Friday) last year versus Ryle and the (higher) net income was so drastic it was like, this is a no-brainer.”
That’s why permanent lighting was included in a $2.2 million project to upgrade CovCath’s athletic stadium. The project also includes installing new synthetic turf, which has already been completed, along with replacing the bleachers and press box, creating a plaza at the main entrance and adding more parking spaces.
Rowe said the Diocese of Covington has granted permission to take bids for the stadium project. They plan to break ground in December after the football and soccer seasons end. They hope to have it ready for use by the end of the school year in May.
After the stadium is completed, Rowe said they’ll continue with phase one of school improvements. An academic wing will be added to the north end of the building that will include science and technology classrooms, an auditorium and a chapel tower. They have raised an additional $2.8 million for that part of the project.
The next three weeks of Friday night football games using temporary lights will give people involved with the capital campaign to fund the stadium and school improvements an idea of what lies ahead. It will also be a new experience for the CovCath football players, students and fans.
“Part of this is we wanted to do something this year to make it special for them, too,” Bacigalupo said.
The 12 temporary lights were placed around the field earlier this week by Art’s Rent-A-Tool, a company owned and operated by CovCath alumni. The CovCath boys’ soccer team got to play a home game under the lights on Thursday night, but the football game against Sycamore will be the main attraction.
“It’s definitely a big morale booster for your school,” Rowe said of the return to Friday night football.
CovCath (1-1) and Sycamore (0-1) both played games in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown last week. CovCath defeated Oak Hills, 56-48, while Sycamore lost to LaSalle, 38-35, in overtime.
There were two outstanding individual efforts in those games. CovCath sophomore Casey McGinness scored three touchdowns and had 319 all-purpose yards in rushing, receiving and returns. Sycamore senior quarterback Jake Borman finished with 319 yards passing and 84 yards rushing in his team’s game against the defending Ohio Division I state champions.
FRIDAY FOOTBALL GAMES
Campbell County at Newport Central Catholic, 7 p.m.
Conner at Simon Kenton, 7 p.m.
Newport at Scott, 7 p.m.
Paris at Ludlow, 7 p.m.
Grant County at Lloyd, 7 p.m.
Sycamore (Ohio) at Covington Catholic, 7 p.m.
Milford (Ohio) at Dixie Heights, 7 p.m.
Scott County at Highlands, 7 p.m.
Lexington Bryan Station at Cooper, 7:30 p.m.
Holmes at Walton-Verona, 7:30 p.m.
Dayton at Pendleton County, 7:30 p.m.
Somerset at Beechwood, 7:30 p.m.
Bellevue at Brossart, 7:30 p.m.