By Macy Goetz

Pregame of the very first home game in the brand-new Griffin Stadium on Sept. 9, fans filled the stands as Superintendent Dr. Daniel Clemens, Principal Dr. Edward Tate and school board members, surrounded by cheerleaders, choir, band, and dance team, share some thoughts to the crowd before cutting the red ribbon and declaring the stadium open.

“I think it’s awesome for our school and our community,” Tate said. “I’m just excited that they have their own stadium to call home on our campus.”

Fans, dressed head-to-toe in black to fit the blackout theme filled the brand-new bleachers, cheered as seniors Gianna Rizzo, Titus Holmes, Tucker Shay, Arlette Lara and Savannah Lane ran newly gifted “T O N K A” flags across the sidelines as the football team broke through their banner onto the field.

“I held the ‘T’ [flag], so I was at the front of the line,” senior Marrisa Colvin said. “I was confused on where I was going. You couldn’t really see the path, so I just put pedal to the metal and went for it.”

The Griffin’s went head-to-head with the Truman Patriots for their first home game of the season. This was the first time a team would play an official game in the new Griffin Stadium (pictured top right).

“When you walk out onto the field, and you see your home crowd standing in the new bleachers cheering ‘Tonka’ it’s just a different vibe,” senior Julian Eslinger said. “Looking up after a touchdown or a tackle and seeing Griffin stadium is an adrenaline rush that we haven’t gotten before. It definitely brings out a different energy in us.”

Towards the end of the first quarter, lightning struck. As a safety precaution, fans were removed from the bleachers and the game was taken to a halt.

“I felt calm and was glad we weren’t risking our lives,” junior Lan-Linh Tran said, “but it did kill some of the student sections’ energy to chant and many left early even though the game wasn’t over yet.”

Fans returned to the bleachers and the game continued after almost an hour of waiting for the storm clouds to pass.

The Griffin football team led Tonka to a 45-7 win against the Patriots, their first win in the Griffin Stadium.

“Being able to win our home opener was a once in a lifetime thing,” senior football player Xavier Cadue said, “This is something that will go down in history forever for Winnetonka.”

“It was huge. It was outstanding to see the stadium packed with Tonka Nation and members of our community,” Principal Dr. Edward Tate said.