Friday night lights live on during pandemic

Checking in on one school’s 2020 home opener

Editor’s note: With no 11-on-11 high school football in Connecticut in the fall, Hearst Connecticut Media sent 1983 Alvirne High School graduate Jim Fuller to take in the home opener for the Hudson, N.H., school. New Hampshire is the only New England state with full-contact, 11-on-11 high school football in the fall.

HUDSON, N.H. — Spectators proudly wearing Alvirne High School’s maroon and gold colors began arriving in the parking lot shortly after 6 p.m., then headed to Stadium Field for the 2020 home football opener. Alvirne graduate Jillian Houle was on hand to sing the national anthem; senior football players and cheerleaders were honored before the game. Even in these chaotic times, New Hampshire has found a way to continue its own version of Friday night lights.

The crowd was smaller than normal due to COVID-19 restrictions, the visiting sideline was engulfed in constantly thickening fog as the night wore on and Goffstown ripped off the first 35 points en route to a 35-6 win, but at least in a year of uncertainty, there was a sense of normalcy in the southern New Hampshire town with a Friday night high school football game being played.

New Hampshire is the lone state in New England to be playing full-contact, 11-vs.-11 football this fall.

There were some subtle differences at the game:

▶ Each Alvirne player was given vouchers for a maximum of four people who could attend the game. Each of them needed to

Jim Fuller / Hearst Connecticut Media Seniors are honored before Alvirne High School’s first home game of 2020 in Hudson, N.H.