Poland’s Chase Jones, center, is congratulated by Kelly Memo (3) and Colt Arnold (55) after scoring a touchdown during the first half of their game last Friday night vs. South Range at Poland Seminary High School.

It’s 7 p.m. on a Friday night, and the intensity level at Dave Pavlansky Field in Poland is at a fever pitch. The Poland Bulldogs are set to take on league rival South Range in one of the most anticipated area games of the season.

Kickoff ensues, and as the rest of the stadium erupts in excitement, Poland athletic director Brian Banfield breathes a sigh of relief.

Another strategically planned football Friday night is underway, and while Banfield’s night is far from over, a huge burden is lifted.

“Once that ball is kicked, the game is in the hands of the officials,” Banfield said. “I’m going to still be in constant contact with game workers. I’m still going to be on guard for the unexpected. But in terms of preparation, it’s now over and done with. For me, the game itself is the easy part.”

In the Mahoning Valley, a Friday night at a high school football stadium is more than just a game; it’s a community event. And it takes plenty of precision planning by athletic directors to make the night a success.

Banfield’s preparation for a Friday home game begins five days prior to kickoff. He’ll generally begin his Sunday morning by sending out emails to the opposing school, game officials and gameday workers. Every detail is covered, from where visiting buses will park to a precise minute-by-minute itinerary of pregame activities.

Last week’s game night schedule included: The welcoming of game officials (5:30 p.m.), delivery of game balls to locker rooms for approval from both teams (5:40 p.m.), clock operators meeting (6 p.m.), coin toss (6:35 p.m.), homecoming ceremony (6:40 p.m.), Poland alma mater (6:53 p.m.), entrance of visiting team (6:55 p.m.), Poland player entrance with fight song (6:56 p.m.), moment of silence for former coach (6:57 p.m.), national anthem (6:58 p.m.), sponsorship announcement (6:59 p.m.).

Right on cue, kickoff took place at precisely 7 p.m.

“It takes a lot of planning to get things to actually run smoothly and on schedule,” Banfield said. “Fortunately I get a ton of cooperation from everyone involved, whether it’s the band director or officials or my gameday staff. They all make it come together.

“I’ll actually run through a homecoming script the week leading up to the homecoming game just to make sure the timing is right. In 16 years of doing this, we’ve never been late for a kickoff.”

Banfield noted that roughly 35 to 40 paid gameday workers are utilized on a Friday night. They include the clock operator, the chain gang, video operators, a public address announcer, ticket sellers, ticket takers and security.

There are also a number of booster club volunteers who run the concession stands, sell programs and raffle tickets and help the football or band programs in other various ways.

Weekly duties leading up to the game include the grooming of the turf, the mowing of grass within and near the stadium and power washing the bleachers. Ticket sales are organized with the visiting school. Banfield even plays the part of part-time meteorologist, ensuring that he is prepared for any last-minute weather adjustments.

“Weather is really the one thing you can’t always prepare for,” Banfield said. “We’ve been really blessed this year. We’ve had no issues whatsoever in terms of any weather-related delays or disruptions.”

Banfield, who jokes that he’s “maybe a little OCD when it comes to preparation,” acknowledged that even the most well-prepared plans can sometimes go astray.

In 2008, one year before he assumed the role of AD, Banfield was the assistant principal at Poland when a 6-0 Bulldogs team hosted Chaney. A halftime celebration included the release of mylar helium balloons. The balloons landed in a transformer, causing the stadium to go dark.

With Poland leading 35-0, the game was called at that point.

“That was sort of an eye-opener, a reminder that you always have to expect the unexpected,” Banfield said.

Banfield’s first home game as AD included a ribbon-cutting ceremony recognizing the new set of bleachers on the home side of the stadium. All of Banfield’s planning went as scheduled. However, the opposition (St. Thomas More, Ontario, Canada) made a late arrival after experiencing passport issues at the U.S. border.

“The game eventually kicked off without a hitch, but for a while, we were left wondering if we were going to have an opponent to play that night,” Banfield said.

Niles athletic director Chuck Schiffhauer says that dealing with the unknowns and the unexpected is easier today than it was five years ago, when area ADs were faced with the ultimate challenge.

“COVID was something none of us could ever plan for,” Schiffhauer said. “From a high school football standpoint, it was constant chaos because the guidelines were constantly changing.”

Schiffhauer was the athletic director at Boardman in 2020. He recalls the challenges of implementing ticket restrictions, enforcing mask mandates, tediously marking the bleachers to accommodate the 6-foot social distance regulations and planning for last-minute mandates or cancellations.

“Everything was done on the fly, because no one had experienced this before and we all knew that even the best plans could fall apart because things were changing minute by minute,” Schiffhauer said. “In some ways, I think that year helped prepare us today for pretty much anything that comes our way.”

Like Banfield, Schiffhauer noted that there is “a feeling of relief” once a game starts.

“When that ball is kicked, everything starts to flow into place and now there’s a great feeling of relief, and your biggest concern becomes the safety of the players,” Schiffhauer said. “Ultimately, that’s the most important aspect of the entire night.”

Schiffhauer says that his job is made easier because of “complete cooperation from all our coaches and gameday staff.”

“Every sport works together, everyone is on board, so it makes the planning a lot less stressful,” Schiffhauer said. “We have some very dedicated and experienced (gameday) workers, so that also alleviates a lot of the stress.”

During each game, Schiffhauer is in constant radio contact with his staff, ensuring a smooth operation. His day finally comes to an end at roughly 10:45 p.m., and 48 hours after the stadium lights are shut off, he begins preparation for the next home game.

“We have something different at nearly every home game, whether it’s homecoming, senior night, hall of fame night or alumni band night,” Schiffhauer said. “Every week presents a different schedule and a different challenge.”

First-year Mineral Ridge athletic director Stephen Rohan faced a challenge right out of the gate, as the Rams played five straight home games to open the season. To make matters even more challenging, Rohan faced issues with the new sound system that was installed at the Joe Lane Sports Complex prior to the start of the season.

“We’re ready to play the first game, and we realize the sound was way off – it was echoing throughout the stadium, sounding as though things were being said twice,” Rohan said. “I contacted our sound man, who walked us through the glitch. I trusted his expertise, but at the same time, I was a nervous wreck heading into Week 2. But everything went great.”

Rohan praised the efforts of two assistants, Steve Boyle and Holly Fisher, who he says “have helped guide me through this process immensely.” He also credits athletic directors from opposing schools, who he says work in unison throughout the weeks leading up to game night.

“Steve and Holly are a perfect example of how when you are surrounded by great people, it makes your life so much better,” Rohan said. “The athletic directors in our league are all so very cooperative. (Springfield athletic director) Sean Guerriero has gone out of his way to help me along the process.

“We’re all rivals on the field, but away from the field, we’re all on the same team. We’re all working together for the sake of our student-athletes.”

So, following five straight hectic Friday home games, how did Rohan enjoy last Friday’s road game at Lowellville?

“I loved it, I showed up at 6:45, ate some wedding soup and cavatelli and enjoyed a football game,” Rohan said.