First home game twice as fun for Roberts family

Doug Roberts was a proud man Friday night.

Not only were both of his sons, Jordan, a senior, and Grayson, a freshman, on the football field for the same game at quarterback, but he was proud of the community and all the work that was done in putting the Aurora Christian football team's brand-new field together.

Friday night marked a historical moment for Aurora Christian. The community celebrated its new $1.5 million dollar state-of-the-art football field with a large crowd, despite the rain. It was the first time the Eagles have ever had their own field and track.

It was a historical night for the Roberts' as well, as both Doug's boys were part of the special night, which included the Eagles beating Rockford Christian Life, 62-0.

"The goose bumps and waiting four years for this to take place, and all the people who have come together to put God's field together is exciting," Doug said. "That's what this is all about. There were a lot of people who believed this would happen, and it's an honor for the boys."

The elder Roberts, who has been on varsity since his freshman year, tied a state record by throwing for over 100 yards in a game for the 33rd time in his career. He did that on just 7 attempts in the game. He finished with 4 touchdown passes and 110 yards. This night, however, was not about personal stats for Jordan.

"It's amazing," Jordan said. "A lot of prayer went into this, and finally, we got it. We finally have a home field. Thank God."

Throughout Jordan's career at Aurora Christian, the Eagles had no choice but to play their "home" games on other fields, like East Aurora and Mooseheart. For the next generation of football players, including Grayson, they will never have to experience getting on a bus for a home game on the road.

"It's great for all the guys coming up," Jordan said. "This is the seniors' last year, and we got it. Coach (Don) Beebe said we were going to get a field by the time we were seniors... it's going to be a lot of fun."

What was fun for everyone was seeing Grayson playing. Beebe handed the rookie a jersey on Thursday with hopes he would clock in some time. He did, as he played the entire fourth quarter.

"If we got up really big, I wanted Grayson to get some reps at the end, just to get his feet wet, and wow, what an atmosphere to come into," Beebe said of Grayson, the Eagles' JV quarterback. "He handled himself well. He didn't fumble the snap, so I was proud of him."

"I can't even imagine," Doug said of Grayson's first varsity game. "It's neat, it's exciting, and Jordan is really good with him. He still has stuff to learn, and Jordan helps him. Grayson is really someone who has looked up to Jordan as an older brother."

What did Grayson think of the night?

"I was really excited, I couldn't believe it," Grayson said. "It's crazy."

Get used to it, kid.