LEWISTOWN, Pa. — Kickoff is getting closer for the Mifflin County Huskies.
Younger students look to show they have what it takes to play under the Friday night lights, while the seniors know they have months to cement their legacy in Lewistown.
But the 2024 season will also be the swan song for another program staple.
"I'm very proud to be probably the last team to ever play on that field," said Mifflin County senior quarterback Fletcher Wilson. "And it means it means a lot. I played there since my ninth-grade year. I mean, even when I was playing in the, in the pee-wees and midget leagues, we had our championship games there, so I really had a lot of memories."
A look back at the history of Lewistown Athletic Field / Mitchell Field before final season
Huskies Head Coach Shane Breon called Mitchell Field home when he played, and so did his dad and his grandfather when they strapped on the pads.
"There are houses overlooking the field on the visitor side and people would party and hang out on the balconies there and watch the game," recalled Breon. "I can remember being two and three deep around the fences. It was easy to get to for people in town. They could walk to the games. It was really cool riding the buses in there and seeing supporters on the streets."
The stadium has seen a lot of history, but it also looks like it's seen a lot of history.
"That's where I've been playing my whole life," said Mifflin County senior tight end and linebacker Avery Aurand. "It's not great. It's not ideal conditions. The locker room, it's worn down. It's worn out. It's time for a new stadium in Mifflin County."
So while the football team builds themselves up for the new season, just outside of the high school, a state-of-the-art, turfed-field stadium is being built.
"It's going to level the playing field for not only football but other sports," claimed Breon. "So it's going to be great for Mifflin County in general. Maybe we can host some playoff games and things like that, so it's going to be good for our local businesses."
"I got a brother on the team and he's gonna get the play on it," added Aurand. "So I'm excited for him and I'm excited for a lot of these guys."
The campaign began with local businesses donating money, and then others in the community pitched in to help the effort.
"I think that's what makes it so special is that everyone in the community wanted this and everyone pitched," said Aurand. "It helps get safer playing conditions for athletes because a lot of them have kids who play and they just want to be safer. It was it was time for an upgrade."
While every team in the state will take the season, day-by-day, each day the stadium gets closer to becoming the new home of the Huskies. While the construction serves as a transition period, it's made a special bond with this year's team.
"We don't really have a practice field to go to, so we've had a lot of discussion where we're going to practice, where we're going to do this and it's really kind of brought the team together," stated Fletcher. "It doesn't matter where we practice. We're going to persevere."
Mifflin County starts its season on the road at Central Mountain on August 23rd at 7 PM. The Huskies' final home opener at Mitchell Field will be September 6th against Mechanicsburg at 7 PM.