ALAMEDA, Calif. (KRON) -- The varsity football teams from Alameda High School and Encinal High School met Friday night for the 71st edition of the annual “Island Bowl” game before a sold-out crowd. The game was held on Encinal High School's newly refurbished $22 million football field located o n the bay. High community interest led to a rapid sellout, with tickets for the matchup selling out just 16 hours after their release. District administrators praised the community investment required to build the stadium. Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi highlighted the effort put into the facility while emphasizing sportsmanship across both schools. “$22 million, right on the bay,” Scuderi said. “I mean we're incredibly proud of this, our construction team, the community who put up the money for this.” Scuderi noted that district leaders focused on maintaining a positive environment during the annual crosstown game. “We set that expectation with kids,” Scuderi said. “We want people to go hard, we like to see good, fun football but at the end of the day we're all in the same district, everybody is here to have a good time, so it's easily managed.” School leadership noted that the upgraded venue has made a noticeable difference for student-athletes. Kirstin Snyder, principal of Encinal Junior Senior High School, spoke about how the atmosphere influences students on and off the field. “When you have a place that you can feel really proud to come to each day and facilities that match your desire to be engaged and be a student, it has really helped the football players this year,” Snyder said. For long-time residents, the rivalry represents deep family and community connections. Melissa Eihl, a fan, parent and 1997 Alameda High School graduate, previously cheered for the football team when games were held at the older Thompson Field. Eihl has a senior at Encinal High, a freshman at Alameda High and a sixth grader who will eventually attend Alameda High. “It's a lovely rivalry it's nice, it's very community grown,” Eihl said. “There's a lot of support on both ends.” All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published. ...read more read less