FOOTBALL: Brookwood savors return to all-new Adam Luing Field

Just under a year ago, the Brookwood Falcons bid farewell to the field they called home from the inception of the high school's football program.

A new era for Falcons football (and the high school's athletic program in general) is officially underway after the completion of a project that saw a major revamp to Adam Luing Field. Brookwood hosted Cochrane-Fountain City on Friday, August 23 in its first home football game since the project was finished.

The new facility features a natural grass field with bleachers that have an enclosed press box at the top. Underneath the bleachers is room for storage, including doors that are accessible from just off the field itself.

Most notably, the football field is surrounded by a dedicated asphalt track with areas for field events, allowing Brookwood to host track and field meets for the first time in school history.

"We literally could not be happier with the result that we've gotten. I think it's just an absolutely beautiful complex," said Brookwood head coach Jeremy Mack. "We were pretty fortunate with a lot of things going right to get it to a point where the grass was able to go in on time and develop. I think it's in as good of shape as any field that was raw dirt two months ago could possibly be."

The construction of the new football field and track and field complex was just one part of a $24.9 million referendum for the Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton School District that was passed by voters in April 2023. The ribbon cutting for the new Adam Luing Field — named in honor of a Brookwood High School student who tragically collapsed and died on the field during track practice in 2007 due to a heart condition — took place earlier this month on the Saturday before the start of the high school football season.

"There's been a lot of excitement," Mack said. "We're really happy for the community support both in passing the referendum and the commitment to the district for generations to come."

Due to the groundbreaking on the project taking place early in September 2023, last year's Brookwood football team only got to play one home game before spending the rest of the season on the road. It was a tough situation for them to have to deal with, but Mack expressed gratitude for that group and their willingness to accept the challenge and understand the situation.

"We were grateful for last year's group of seniors," Mack said. "They were road warriors, and they battled. They were just awesome. They never felt sorry for themselves that they were in kind of the transition or the crossover, so we're grateful for them."

For the players who went through that experience last fall, getting back into playing in a home atmosphere was a cathartic experience.

"It was amazing," said Brookwood junior Owen Wang. "It was super fun just playing football here, and I'm excited for the future."

The 34-6 loss to Cochrane-Fountain City on the opening night of the new Adam Luing Field is obviously not the result the Falcons would have liked, but a project like this is about a whole lot more than the result of one game. The new complex will be the setting for Brookwood football for years to come, featuring thrilling wins, heartbreaking losses and everything else in between.

"Just the backdrop and the setting. I think it's incredibly unique with the retaining wall and it's almost like it's tucked right into the woods," Mack said. "It's just a really neat backdrop that is very nice, and I think it's just going to be something that this district is going to cherish for a very long time."