The Byrne football team and fans welcome the rebuilt Nion Field

In August, the Rebels will come back home to an upgraded synthetic turf field with more seating, parking, and amenities for fans and players.

The field that has long been the home of Rebel pride and tradition is the same one from which Byrnes football had to turn its silver-rimmed helmets in 2024.

Last summer, a $30 million project to rebuild Nixon Field began, and Byrnes football had to play all of its games elsewhere during the 2024 season.

And they're looking forward to it.

"I have the opportunity to make history with these guys," coach Reggie Shaw said. "We're in a new stadium where we'll have new opportunities and build new traditions. There's a lot of excitement within the players, coaches, and community. I mean this is going to be one of the best high school stadiums in the country."

Players believe having games at home is crucial for team development, and not having it was evident in how the team performed, finishing 5-6 in 2024. They're expecting a different result in 2025.

"Having home-field advantage is a major difference," said senior defensive end Justice Hopkins. "Last year, we played selfishly and for ourselves, which has hurt us a lot. ... We'll have more home games than away games, which will 100% help our brotherhood. We'll make sure to hold each other accountable. We want to please our fans coming into the new stadium."

All things considered, Byrnes may have played better than what the 2024 record reflected. The Rebels went 4-5 in the regular season, but four of those losses were by eight or fewer points. Also, they reached the second round of the Class AAAAA Division 1 playoffs. This was despite being without star running back Tre Segarra for more than half the season.

And though it'll still be a jump, playing in December − the state championships are played on the first weekend − is always the end goal for Shaw and the Rebels, and it doesn't matter the stadium.

"Regardless of where we play, you never graduate from certain traditions," Shaw said. "We try to go 1-0 each week, and if we do that, then hopefully we'll be playing in December. But also, what we become in the process is important. We don't just build men for football, we build men for life."

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