Tonight at 7 p.m. for the 2014 season opener, fans may watch the 800th all-time football game being played by the Bishop Ward Cyclones.
The Cyclones will be playing on the historic Dorney Field, sharing the same field where the first game was played in 1925.
Football has a long tradition at Bishop Ward High School, with only Wyandotte High School having a longer local history in the sport. The “Fighting Irish” of Catholic High of Kansas City, Kan., as the school was first known, had its first season in 1925 and went 0-2-1. The team first lost to Leavenworth Catholic High (Immaculata) and then tied but finally lost to Central High (Wyandotte High School).
The Cyclones have come a long way since that first season with 432 wins, 336 losses and 31 ties since 1925. The Cyclones have an overall school winning percentage of .541 percent.
The 2014 Cyclone team will play nine games this season and open against Sumner Academy tonight at 7 p.m. The Cyclones’ next home game will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26.
– Story from Joshua Sukraw, Bishop Ward High School