Storm Pushes Dayton Football Game to Friday, Ribbon Cutting Postponed

Hundreds of disappointed Bulldogs fans will have to wait another day to see their home team tackle the Bernards Mountaineers on the new artificial turf field at Jonathan Dayton High School. 

After lightning delayed the much-anticipated ribbon cutting ceremony, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., the home opener was canceled and rescheduled for 4 p.m. Friday. 

"Mother Nature must not be from Springfield," said Maria Maneiro, who was looking forward to watching her son David (#23) take the field Thursday night. "I think it (the field) looks fabulous. It's great to see the whole town turn out."

Dayton seniors agreed and said the new field has brought about a sense of unity and school spirit that didn't exist previously . 

"This is the first thing that our town's done that's really brought us all together," said an upper-classman. 

When it was announced that the game would be moved to Friday, many were incredulous in light of Yom Kippur beginning at sundown but athletic director Lance Jacobs said it would be unlikely that the game would last beyond 5:30 p.m., leaving players and their families ample time to get home. 

At press time, a new date for the ribbon cutting ceremony had not been announced. 

Check back with Patch for updates.