Bears take over Prospect High stadium, and local fans love it
The second annual Bears Varsity High School Takeover lived up to its billing Thursday as thousands of fans started pouring into Prospect High School's football stadium a full two hours before the Chicago Bears arrived.
When the players emerged from their buses and started walking onto the field, the fans erupted.
“This is so cool,” said Prospect senior Jack Heiss of Arlington Heights, a tackle with the Prospect football team. “You don't get to see the Bears play in your high school stadium every day.”
Heiss and the varsity team from Prospect shared front row seats in a special set of bleachers with junior varsity players from Buffalo Grove and Rolling Meadows high schools. The Special Olympics team from Hersey High School also attended.
“I want them to see how fast the game is played, and see some of their heroes up close and personal,” said Buffalo Grove coach Bill Montemayer.
Younger teams came to watch as well, including squads from the Arlington Cowboys and Mount Prospect prep football leagues.
Ryan Brannigan, 10, of Mount Prospect and his friends hung over the fence screaming to the players for autographs as they walked in. The only one to stop was Head Coach John Fox, who chatted briefly and gave all of them his autograph.
“That was awesome, amazing,” Ryan said.
Fox described the atmosphere as “awesome” as well and said he enjoyed seeing the turnout and excitement from the 6,000 fans on hand.
“It just shows the great fans we have,” Fox said.
Fans of every age level turned out, with most decked out in orange Bears T-shirts and many saying they were eager to see the Bears' top draft pick, quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
“He throws really well and he did so well in their first game,” said 13-year old Ethan Groark, of Arlington Heights, who hoped to get his autograph. “I think it was kind of unexpected.”
The wait for the players passed quickly, with fans taking advantage of the many entertainment options created by the Bears in a “Friday Night Lights” atmosphere. They lined up for punt, pass and kick stations, as well as face painting, inflatables and a mini-monster football zone.
Members of the Prospect Knight Marching Band performed the first portion of their halftime show for this season, before ending their set with the Bears' fight song, “Bear Down, Chicago Bears.”
“This is really exciting for us to be able to perform for so many people, so early in the season,” said senior percussionist, Anthony Morath of Mount Prospect.
Mount Prospect Mayor Arlene Juracek watched the practice from the end zone with Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes. Both villages partnered to stage the event, with Arlington Heights police handling traffic and Mount Prospect police handling crowd control.
Hayes, a Prospect graduate who played football as a freshman, said he was excited to be back on “home turf,” while Juracek credited the working relationships between the two villages with pulling off the event.
“This is a true testament to the kind of facilities, programs and enthusiasm we have here,” Juracek said. “It's a great night for the village.”