New SRHS field dedication during season opener

West Long Branch — Feeney Field at Blue Devil’s Alumni Stadium will be dedicated Friday, Sept. 11 when the Shore Regional High School football team hosts Keyport in the regular-season opener for both clubs. The game will be played on the newly installed FieldTurf, the new artificial surface, on Feeney Field.

The game will begin at 7 p.m. and the field will be dedicated at halftime. The field will be dedicated by Ronald O’Neill, president of the Shore Regional Board of Education.

Many current Shore head coaches and senior student-athletes will participate in the field dedication. There will be dining choices, as a Tom Piccolo’s Italian Food Truck and a Cold Stone Ice Cream Truck, along with the school’s Snack Shack.

The multi-purpose field will also be utilized by the Blue Devils’ field hockey, boys soccer, girls soccer, boys lacrosse and girls lacrosse teams.

“The new turf field has been in the works for years and it is a tribute to our Board of Education for making this happen,” said Thomas G. Farrell, superintendent of the Shore Regional High School District. “Mr. O’Neill and the Board of Education always put students first and channel resources to that end. Shore Regional competes on and off the field and in a first class manner.”

Shore head boys soccer coach Christian Pontier said he and his team are excited about the field. “It’s awesome,” he said. “The speed of play is faster. There are no bad bounces of the ball. The field is conducive to our game as we like to pass the ball on the ground and move the ball quickly. It is a bigger field than the grass fields. There is a lot of room out there for passing the ball. Our team likes the field a lot.”

Harry Chebookjian, the school’s Athletic Director summed up the new facility by stating, “the new turf gives all our student-athletes the ability to play under the bright lights and showcase their talents on the biggest of stages.”