Vote now: Which stadium has the best Friday night high school football vibe in the state heading into 2023?

We’re back for Round 2 of Best Friday Night Vibes as we approach the 2023 high school football season. 

We all know there’s those high school football stadiums, all those places that all we can say is, it’s just different here when it comes to Friday night vibes. When you walk in through the gates, you know there’s a big game feel about it. 

The crowd gets into it, they have unforgettable food and swim thing makes the place standout from the rest. We have so many different stadiums we’re going to list from schools and cities all around the Sunshine State so here’s our list. Comment if you feel like we left out your stadium/city/school. 

Poll closes September 15th, 2023 

Eagle Stadium in Niceville

A Friday night at Eagle Stadium might rival a Saturday night at crazed college stadiums. 

The town of Niceville loves its football team and they let them know it every Friday night when the stadium is picked by the thousands. 

Niceville’s student section really makes the experience at this stadium worth the visit like none other. 

From the coordinates crowd chants to the college-like gameday atmosphere of it all, there may not be a stadium that quote matches up to what goes on at Eagle Stadium on Friday nights. 

Mustang Stadium in Trinity

Pasco County is home to a couple unique home field environments for high school football and Mitchell High School has surely created a great atmosphere on Friday nights. 

The ‘Stang Gang’ is the name of Mitchell’s student section at every home game, that takes up a good chunk of the home seating. 

From featuring one of the best marching bands in the state to the student section to the endzone lawn chair seating for longtime fans, Mustang Stadium has quickly turned into a place to checkout for high school football on a Friday night. 

Traz Powell Stadium in Miami

You never know who you might run into when you’re at Traz Powell Stadium. May run into NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (former Miami Northwestern quarterback) on any given Friday night. 

Theres no other stadium that can boast being home to more future NFL’ers than Traz. ‘The Mecca’ as they call it sits minutes away from I-95 and seemingly has a big game played there weekly. 

Heck, any game you see this season could be featuring someone you might be watching on Sunday’s in the future.

Bulldog Stadium in Zephyrhills

If you drive a pickup truck, you could end up with one of the best seats in the house at Bulldog Stadium. 

You can literally pull your car up against the fence line after you pay for parking/admission and watch the game from there without having to walk away from your vehicle. 

From boiled peanuts to the small town feel of closing the local shops down, Bulldog Stadium is a treat for any high school football fan looking for a new experience. 

Boot Hill Stadium in Madison

Want to really talk about an high school football experience? A game at Boot Hill Stadium to see the Madison County Cowboys is one that’s a must-see. 

In a small rural town that’s about 40 minutes east of Tallahassee and two hours from Gainesville, Boot Hill Stadium brings every bit of the energy of high school football you want at a field. Might not be much around the town, but on Friday nights, it’s easily the place to be at. 

Bryant Stadium in Lakeland

The dreadnaught-designed golf cart leading the team onto the field is one of the experiences you get when visiting Bryant Stadium. 

Anytime you head to downtown Lakeland for a football game, you immediately think of the 8-time state champion Lakeland Dreadnaughts, with the field itself being named after former head coach Bill Castle. 

Seeing a game at Bryant Stadium brings a big game feel to things. From the Jumbotron, hometown song remixes mentioning the Dreadnaughts and the big crowds drawn, it’s the place to be in Polk County on Friday nights.

Powell-Davis Stadium in Venice

On a big billboard towards the north end of the stadium it reads ‘#ITSJUSTDIFFERENTHERE’ and for all intents and purposes, it is for those in the community. 

It helps that the team has been very successful over the last couple of decades as well. 

At what locals call ‘The Island’ over at Venice, the stadium sits with a waterway behind it making for an island feel. With the town being more suburban and fans pouring in on Friday nights, creates a cool small town vibe.

Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand

First thing you may think of when it comes to this historic stadium is a certain movie. 

Yeah, that one with Adam Sandler in it called ‘The Waterboy’. If you’ve seen the movie, then you know Spec Martin is where they filmed most of the hit flick. 

It’s much more than that, though, as it serves as the home field for Stetson University and DeLand High School. This place in any given big rivalry game can size up with just about any other stadium on this list when it comes to Friday night vibes. 

Trust us when we say Spec Martin Stadium is an experience for any high school football fan. 

Fireman’s Field in Sebring

We now take you all the way over to Highlands County at Fireman’s Field and it might be as big as some of the others on this list, but it’s a unique place on Friday nights. 

The stadium is just a few minutes from the Sebring International Raceway and the Blue Streaks always draw strong crowds. With everything being so far away from Sebring, seeing a good ole high school game is the draw on Friday nights in the fall.

Staver Field in Naples

When you think of Naples, you think of its first class downtown area and luxury around the city. 

Friday night high school football takes over the scene in Naples, giving the Golden Eagles a strong home field advantage any time they step foot on Staver Field. 

An artificial turf field, the stadium sits minutes away from the local mall for anyone looking to shop or eat beforehand. When it comes to the football vibe end of things, it’s a special place to see a game at in Southwest Florida. 

George Mira Field in Key West

Now while Tommy Roberts Stadium, the usual home of Key West High School, remains under construction, George Mira Field is the place for high school football on Friday nights. 

When it comes to anywhere on Key West, you think of the party town, roosters walking around and iguanas on any given street. Football is something the locals come out for on Friday nights and George Mira Field fills up pretty quick. 

Though not as big as Tommy Roberts Stadium, George Mira has a good combination of feeling like you’re on vacation and high school football all in one. Not to mention the place is not fun for visiting opponents. 

Booster Stadium in Williston

Might not be a 1-stoplight kinda town, but more like a two or three type of place. Regardless of that, people of Williston love their high school football and Booster Stadium is the place to be on a Friday night in town. 

Booster Stadium is right off of W Noble Avenue near downtown Williston and it gives off an old town vibe, but provides for a great place to catch some high school football action. 

From plenty of parking around the stadium to great food at the concession stand to the small town feel, this stadium surely gives some great vibes on Friday nights. 

Anquan Boldin Stadium in Pahokee

Any stadium named after a former Super Bowl champion wide receiver has to be pretty cool, right? 

Tucked away in the Glades is Anquan Bolden Stadium, where many former Blue Devils made a name for themselves before heading to college and even making it to the NFL. 

The facility was revamped back in 2009 and named after the former Pahokee star. In a community that’s less than 6,000 people total, heading out to see the Blue Devils is the Friday night thing to do. 

In a rural area known as ‘Muck City’, Pahokee contends for Class 1R state championships and brings a totally different feel to high school football. Especially if they’re playing their rival, Glades Central. 

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.