The Lakers won games and built memories but something was missing. No lights at the stadium left games lacking a certain magic, the chance for kids to shine on a stage that was lit.

 

With Lakers’ alumni leading the charge, Friday’s game at 7 p.m. will be played with the appropriate backdrop. The Lakers are making history by playing the first game at Southwest Stadium under the lights.

 

Generator-powered rental light units, similar to those used during night time road construction projects, will illuminate the field for a Minneapolis City Conference showdown between the host Lakers and Washburn. The winner will get an inside track to a conference title.

 

“It going to feel like an actual high school game,” senior co-captain Max Roberts said. “It’s a big deal for the whole school and people are really rallying around it.”

 

Activities director Ryan Lamberty said about 3,800 tickets were sold for a Homecoming game against Washburn a few seasons ago, but expects Friday’s turnout to “blow those numbers away.”

 

“The kids will never forget this,” Lamberty said. “In 20 years they can say, ‘We got to be the first Southwest team to play under the lights.’”

 

The person most responsible for making all this happen is Jodi Wishart, a 1990 Southwest graduate in her second year serving as Southwest Alumni Foundation president. She initially paid the $1,000 fee for light rental out of pocket. But as she promoted the event, donations poured in from friends and fellow alums. She’s collected $1,500 and used the extra dollars to purchase stadium flags, purple lights and more.

 

Wishart, who resides in Edina and coaches her son Matthew’s flag football team, plans to climb a 30-foot ladder and help replace scoreboard lights later this week.

 

“We wanted to create something special for our players,” Wishart said. “And from an alumni standpoint, putting together this event has really tripped everyone’s trigger.”

 

Those interested in donating can do so here.

 

Two alumni donated time and materials to repaint the stadium press box purple earlier this week. A new sound system was also installed. The lights will be turned on again Saturday night as the Lakers play host to rival Minneapolis South in a boys’ soccer showdown.

 

“We’ve been to a lot of other places where they have concessions and lights,” senior co-captian Sam Riley said. “To have it here makes the stadium feel more personalized. It makes it mean more.”

 

Beyond creating a more festive atmosphere, playing at night will allow some Southwest parents to attend a game they might have otherwise missed because of job conflicts. Roberts said his mother and step-father have missed some of his early games in the past.

 

“More guys will get to show their parents how hard we’ve been working,” Roberts said.

 

But players are keeping the focus on the game. Washburn, South and Southwest shared the Minneapolis City Conference title last season, Southwest’s first football championship of any kind since 1974. The Lakers would also like to end another futility steak on Friday and beat Washburn for the first time in 26 tries.

 

“We haven’t talked about the lights today in practice,” Roberts said. “We’ve talked about punching them in the mouth, playing hard and winning.”

 

Wishart said she’d like to purchase lights for every Southwest home game next season. Different factors must be considered before that plan moves forward, first and foremost the success of Friday’s game.

 

“If this works out and the neighborhood is supportive and the kids behave, it would be great for future players to take the field with their team on Friday nights like they should,” Wishart said.