Spirits High, Despite Dayton's Season-Opening Defeat

Even a shutout on opening day couldn't dampen the spirits of Bulldogs fans as they watched Jonathan Dayton High School's football team battle the Bernards Mountaineers on the school's new synthetic turf field.

Bernards scored early on and never let up. At the half, the Mountaineers led 27-0. The Bulldogs were able to hold their opponents to a final score of 33–0.

Despite the loss, spectators were all smiles when it came to talking about the school's new home turf.

Students agreed that the new Dawg house has ignited a sense of community and school spirit that didn't exist previously.

While the crowd was slightly smaller than the one that came out last night for the ribbon cutting ceremony, which was canceled due to a storm, the bleachers were filled with a sea of orange-clad fans of all ages.

Dayton will play next at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20. Many have speculated that the ribbon cutting ceremony will precede that game, but the township could not confirm that Friday night. 

Check back with Patch for updates.