Historic moment at Waller stadium

It was Waller High School’s grand homecoming – the first-ever game in their new stadium.
Somebody forgot to tell the LaMarque Cougars that, however, as the visitors made themselves at home, shutting out the Bulldogs 19-0 in the inaugural game at the brand spanking new, $18 million, 10,000-seat stadium.
Still, the game was almost a side show compared to all the festivities surrounding the opening of the stadium. I felt honored to be there and to experience this little slice of local history.
When I was in Colorado, I was privileged to be part of the teams that toured and wrote preview stories for both the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field at Mile High. I’ve been in parts of the stadium and arena that the general public will never see. I guess you could say the same for the new Waller stadium.
I got to take part in a media tour, given by assistant superintendent Danny Twardowski and public relations specialist Marianne Kosik. While facilities such as the locker rooms and press box aren’t exactly closed to the public, they are limited in access.
As one who has spent more than his share of time in hot, muggy open-air press boxes, I have a deep appreciation for the climate-controlled, glassed-in press box that towers over the stadium. Amenities like that are not common in the places I’ve been.
Friday evening was memorable with all that was going on. I got to the stadium a little after 5 p.m. and found a circus-like atmosphere with all the tailgating in the parking lot. There were plenty of booths, games, inflatable bouncers, and lots of food to be had, in addition to police and fire vehicles on display.
Inside the stadium, I was impressed with the dedication of the veteran’s memorial, complete with the fly-over in the missing man formation. There was a lot going on with the dedication and a who’s who of local dignitaries was on hand for the grand opening.
The cross country team ran the game ball from the old stadium to the new one. The band, cheerleaders, flag team and other groups gave spectacular performances. The whole thing was very well orchestrated.
At halftime, a giant ribbon was strung across the field, supported by students and representatives from just about every imaginable group, class and organization in the district, accompanied by the throng of dignitaries.
It was really nice to see the use of pyrotechnics at the game. A small barrage of fireworks was shot off at the dedication of the veteran’s memorial and again when the ribbon was cut a halftime. The evening concluded with a fireworks show, but I did not stay long enough to see it. Between being dead on my feet and having lousy luck getting action photos in the darkness, I left (with a whole bunch of others) with about 10 minutes left to play. Still, I’m told the display was great.
There were a lot of things that happened Friday night at the game. I know I am missing some and there were others I didn’t even know about. It’s a safe bet that most of Waller and the surrounding area was at the stadium that night. We had just the one opportunity to be there for the first-ever game. There are only about 8,000 people who can honestly say they were there when it opened. No doubt that number will grow as the years advance.
On the other hand, there is still an opportunity to be present when the Bulldogs score their first points on their new home field.
In all honesty, I do feel bad for the Bulldogs. They had only one shot to win their first game, and the breaks didn’t go their way. While they may have lost the first one, they can still set a winning tradition at the stadium. I remain confident that the team can and will do that.
In the meantime, there are still a lot of firsts that fans can witness the next time their beloved football team takes to the artificial turf. If you were not able to make the first home game, I highly recommend you try to make the next. This, after all, is what Friday nights in Texas is all about.