CR South football to play first-ever home game at school campus in Northampton

Council Rock South is preparing for the first varsity football game on its own AstroTurf Friday night when the Golden Hawks take on Frankford at their home field on Rock Way in Northampton.

While there's no plan for a full buildout of a stadium yet, the school is testing the waters of playing more games on campus. For Friday night, officials are bringing in bleachers from around the district to accommodate the crowd, said South's head coach C.J. Szydlik.

"The hope is that it’s the beginning of being able to play more games at home at South," he said Tuesday. Grounds and maintenance teams have also set up student and band sections.

Bucks County football is back:Don't miss these Bucks County high school football games this season: Week-by-week guide

Council Rock South is the only public high school in Bucks County that doesn't play home games at its school campus. When South was built and opened in 2002 to accommodate growing enrollment in Council Rock, it did not include a stadium of its own. Neighboring Central Bucks School District, by comparison, has separate stadiums for each of its three high schools.

The Golden Hawks normally play home games at Council Rock North's venue, bussing players three miles from their high school to Walt Snyder Stadium in Newtown.

For over a decade, North, which was built in the 1960s, has had an artifical turf field in its full stadium with seating for thousands.

South's artificial turf field was completed in 2021, with room to build a stadium around it in the future. The district has yet to decide to build out a full stadium, but it is in a master plan for consideration in the future.

The team held scrimmages on the new field in 2022 and 2023, Szydlik said. The field is still not ready to be the permanent host for South's home games, though due to seating capacity and other factors. The Golden Hawks' second home game, against North Penn, is scheduled to be held at CR North's Newtown stadium on Thursday, Aug. 29.

As for a full stadium, "maybe this game brings it one step closer to happening," Szydlik said. "But for now, our players are just excited to play on our campus."

Bucks County football guide:Bucks County high school football is back! Here's your guide to the 2024 season

Reporter Jess Rohan can be reached at jrohan@gannett.com