KINNELON-When the car drove past the Kinnelon High School football field on Friday night, things looked unusual. It's not just the Colts who restarted the action, playing against Shabaz at home.

The venue is a bit flexible and the lights are brighter. This is almost brand new.

Thanks to the anonymous donation from alumni, Kinneron finally made his debut in the highly anticipated "Dream Field" in the 20-0 loss to Shabaz on Friday night. 

This is the culmination of decades of hard work and the beginning of many mistakes. 

"It changed everything," Kinnelon's long-term coach Kevin White said. "The kids have to use their imagination on the yard markings.... Now, you have numbers on the court. You have lines. You have hash marks. You have goal posts to work. This really is A huge, huge, huge difference."

According to outgoing Kinnelon Sports Director Scott Rosenberg, the project cost "slightly more than $2 million." Construction will begin in spring, and the foundation and drainage will be done before laying the artificial surface. Rosenberg said that Kinnelon received a "platinum grade product," with tan organic filler made from olive pits instead of black reclaimed rubber.

On Friday night, the light poles flashed rhythmically during the intermission, and the light poles glowed green-the color of Kinneron's school. The Colts can now use a variety of colors and patterns, and have pre-programmed touchdown celebrations. 

Kinnelon also added a new entrance and ticket booth.

Rosenberg, who plays football in Mount Morris, said: "We went from the worst stadium in the county to the best stadium."

Butler is the only high school in Morris County without artificial turf. He plays football, football and hockey at the Memorial Field in the fall.

Kinnelon's football team practiced and played on the grass of Pearl Miller Middle School. But there are plans to share new surfaces, including with the rec team. The high school track will be open to the community until 9:30 every night.

"When it's grass, the grass is much longer," said 10-year-old Ethan Herzberg, whose Kinneron Junior Colts played a preseason game on the turf on Thursday. "When it is shorter, running will be better. It feels like you are floating in the air because it is new."

Check out the photos of the new facility, then scroll down to view the rest of the story.

Diane DiGiuseppe, head of Kinnelon, predicts that this area will save school districts in the long run. Even after bad weather, such as Tropical Storm Ida earlier this week, the Colts will no longer need to rent turf at other facilities and take a bus to train. Compared with re-paving the natural turf surface every other year, the maintenance cost is also lower.

The project has not yet been completed. Kinnelon plans to replace the stands and news boxes after the fall season and install a golf training area.

"You always think in your heart,'Oh, grass is good for us,' but you will soon adjust and change," said Rob Gogerty, who now coaches at his alma mater. Kinnelon in the late 1990s.

"This is really good for schools and towns. It can help your sports to cope with the weather. When you see facility upgrades and changes, this is a selling point for children to participate in sports since they were young."

Kinnelon was one of the first Morris County high schools to compete under the famous "Friday Night Light". As early as 1974, during the renovation of Yankee Stadium, the school demolished wooden utility poles decorated with lights.

But the artificial field is still elusive.

In the mid-1990s, when he was the sports director, sports director John ByDook raised more than $100,000 in donations, but the project stagnated. Multiple referendums from the municipalities and the Board of Education failed in the ballot box. The appeal to the New York Giants, which had funded similar facilities in other schools, is impossible because Kinnelon does not have a 501c3 foundation.

DiGiuseppe, who has been working in the area since November 2008, said: “I don’t believe in my life in Kinneron, I will see a lawn.”

"It's a very long time and a lot of roadblocks.... When you drive past high school, we have a beautiful track for many years, and the condition of this site is very poor. Kinnelon does not have a city center, so the school And the library is the focal point, it looks very good."

Jane Havsy is a sports reporter for DailyRecord.com. For full access to real-time scores, breaking news and analysis, please subscribe now.

Email: JHavsy@gannettnj.com Twitter: @dailyrecordspts