By Shane Frederick
Free Press Staff Writer
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When it comes to high school football in south-central Minnesota, few locales can compare to the atmosphere at Cleveland High School.
The field sits in a natural amphitheater, with trees lining one sideline and a hill rising out of the chalk on the other side, with the hill providing an ideal vantage point for fans to watch a game under the Friday-night lights.
When the Clippers take the field, they exit the school at the top of the hill and sprint down the slope to the gridiron below.
“It’s a great atmosphere,” Cleveland athletic director Glen O’Connor said. “And there’s the DJ at halftime, blasting music and getting the kids dancing.”
On Thursday, though, Cleveland is moving its season-opener out of that beautiful bowl and into another gem of a football field — Gustavus Adolphus College’s Hollingsworth Field.
The Clippers will take on 9-man rival Nicollet at 5:20 p.m. in St. Peter, a game that has been a few years in the making, O’Connor said.
With Cleveland sitting six miles from St. Peter and Nicollet located seven miles away, the location just made sense.
“It’s kind of nice to play at the halfway point,” O’Connor said. “It’s the perfect meeting place, actually.”
While it’s hard to top the Cleveland experience, there aren’t many small-college stadiums in Minnesota that are as nice as Gustavus’ three-year-old field, a $4.6 million facility complete with artificial turf. The stands and connected presidential suite and state-of-the-art press box provide a gorgeous view of St. Peter and Minnesota River valley beyond the town.
“It will be a new experience for the kids,” O’Connor said. “Athletics are supposed to be about experiences and memories, and I hope this will be a good experience for the players. ... Twenty years from now, no one will remember the score of the game, but they’ll remember the experience of playing it.”
Said Nicollet coach Tom Murphy: “It should be a lot of fun; It’s a different setting and with it comes some excitement. We always have a fun game with (Cleveland). It’s a game that forces you to get ready to go right away.”
Hollingsworth Field seats 2,750 people, but about more than 1,000 more can be squeezed into the stadium, as there is room to watch on the grassy areas surrounding the gridiron, which sits six feet below.
Given the digs they’re normally used to, the Cleveland fans would have no problem watching a game from the grass. And, yes, O’Connor said, the DJ will be there to get “the place rocking.”
The only thing Hollingsworth Field is lacking is lights, which is why kickoff is set for such an early time.
“If the sun is shining, we’re going to have a good time,” O’Connor said. “We have to make sure we get the game in before it gets too dark, otherwise we’ll have to head back over to Cleveland and finish the game under the lights.”
Oh, but that wouldn’t be so bad.
Shane Frederick is a Free Press staff writer. Read his blog at mankatofreepresshockey.blogspot.com.
