Royall opens new field with win - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

ELROY, Wisconsin (WXOW) - For a handful of prep football teams, Thursday marked the first step onto a path they hope leads to a state tournament. For one, that step came on a brand new field.

Thanks to a donation of more than $360,000, The Royall Panthers played their first game under the lights at Gerard Field.

The donor is Ron Brunner--a successful businessman and Royall grad who named the field in honor of his late brother and said the facility is a long time coming.

With his wife Barb at his side, Brunner said, "When we graduated, one of the reasons they built here was because they said we're going to have a football field right here. Forty-eight years later, we were still playing football in the park and that was getting kind of run-down. I was lucky enough that I could be successful enough that I could afford to do it."

For the players, the new field sounded like a dream come true.

"I can't explain the thrill that it is right now," said senior OL/DL Dustin Groom. "I have goose bumps; that's ridiculous! It's amazing."

Royall defeated Riverdale 20-6 in the first game on Gerard Field.