The first three banks of lights, temporary structures mounted on pieces of plywood on the running track behind the south sideline at Parker-Gray Stadium in Alexandria, switched on at around 5:40 p.m. Friday evening. The other two, located on the opposite sideline, followed around 15 minutes later. Just like that, T.C. Williams High School, one of the most famous high school programs in America and the subject of the film "Remember the Titans," had carved out another small piece of history for itself: 45 years after its founding and the establishment of its football program, the school would finally host a Friday night football game.

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T.C. junior Jacque Labatte was stationed at one of the tables behind the west end zone, selling special "Friday Night Lights in Alexandria" merchandise. T-shirts and hats cost $10, long-sleeved T-shirts cost $15, sweatshirts cost $25. "A lot of kids have been talking about it," she said. "There's definitely a lot of hype for tonight."

A few feet away, petitions were being circulated in an effort to make lights a permanent fixture at Parker-Gray Stadium. Among them was 50-year-old Jeff Murphy, a T.C. Williams parent. "I played at Gar-Field [High School, in Woodbridge]," Murphy said. "I know what it's like to play on Friday nights. We looked forward to that every Friday night."

If permanent lights were put in at T.C. Williams, Murphy said, "the kids wouldn't have to give up their Saturday. Also, you have many kids who aren't being scouted [recruited by colleges]. Recruiters can't come down here to watch these kids on Saturday afternoons, because they're back with their schools."

According to the high school, just seven alumni are currently playing college football, but perhaps that stat shouldn't be surprising, considering the program's glory has faded somewhat.  After all, T.C. Williams has not had a winning season since 1995, when it went 6-4, and has not won a title of any kind since winning the old Northern District back in 1990. After last night's 28-7 win over South County, the Titans record since that 1995 season improved to 46-102.

30-year-old Clark Mercer, a T.C. alum and another petitioner, had a slightly different justification for the installation of permanent lights. "Having lights would be a huge asset," he said. "We built a world-class high school [the new T.C. Williams school, including a renovated Parker-Gray Stadium, was completed in 2007] and we didn't make sure our athletic community was taken care of. You could spend up to three or four hours longer playing  on this field if lights were here. It's about getting a return on your investment.

"People think some type of behavioral issue among the students is why you can't have Friday night games here," Mercer continued. "That's not the case at all. It's a zoning and planning issue."