2010 Riverside graduate Chauncy Burgess escapes a tackle during a game against Northern. Photo courtesy of The Helm.
By Violet Davis and Julian Reynolds
The football team will play its season finale against Northern High School a day earlier than usual.
The Pirates (1-8) will play the Knights (3-6) at Northern on Thursday at 7p.m. The rivalry game was originally scheduled for Friday, which is also Halloween night.
Riverside athletic director Robert Duncan said the decision was made by both schools’ athletic directors and administrators. The game was moved forward due to security precautions.
“With Riverside versus Northern being on our end of Durham and a high-profile game, there’s always an increased need for more additional security,” Duncan said.
In the past, Riverside vs Northern football games have dealt with security issues, including gunshots fired in the parking lot of Durham County Stadium after the 2021 game. Halloween falling on a Friday night brought additional concerns.
“The biggest reason for not having enough officers on the 31st is that the Durham PD and Chapel Hill PD will all be collaborating on Franklin street for Halloween,” said Duncan. “In general, Franklin Street has an increased police force or increased police presence to help monitor that street when it gets busy.”
Police security are guaranteed more hours at an event like Franklin street on Halloween than football games and therefore get higher pay. Moving the game creates a higher likelihood they can attend both events.
“Getting enough officers here in Durham is already difficult enough,” Duncan said. “If you add Halloween in conjunction with that, you put yourself at an extreme disadvantage in not having the game be secure.”
When putting in requests for SROs for Riverside’s football games, Duncan said it can be hard to get them all filled since they’re not guaranteed in advance.
“It’s really all about safety and security and making sure we can ensure that both schools and families will be safe,” he said.
As the battle of the North continues this year, Riverside has yet to lose to its rival in any sport.
“I hope every single team wins, not just football,” Duncan said. “I’m always going to choose us, I always want us to win. We should win the battle of the North this year. Like we did similarly last year.”
