Friday Night Lights

Cliffside Park football has a detailed history of over 50 years of wins and loses, and for the first time ever on September 20th 2019, lights gleamed down on the high school’s turf for some Friday night football.

The raiders entered friday night 2-0 for the first time since the early 2000s. The air was electrifying and the bleachers were packed. Some spectators had to watch from the track due to lack of space. School spirit was high and so was the energy from the football team. As described by one of the players on the team, “Chills were going down my back and the hairs of my arms were standing, I’ll never forget the moment of walking down the driveway onto the field and hearing the cheers from the crowd. It felt like a movie.”

The final outcome of the game was Cliffside Park - 19 and Dwight Morrow - 20. Although the team lost, it was still a win for Cliffside Park. One student said, “The players fought hard throughout the entire game. Nobody said it was easy. They proved to the town they have what it takes to change the culture and become a winning team. One loss doesn't define anybody, it’s how you come back from it.”

This game paved the road for many opportunities to come for Cliffside Park football. This year’s team is led by head coach Tom Mandile. Mandile has been coaching at Cliffside Park for 15 years and has been a head coach the last 3 years.