New Trier will play the first high school game ever held at Northwestern's new $875 million Ryan Field on Friday, Oct. 16. The 7 p.m. kickoff against Evanston Township brings the 113-year-old rivalry to a venue that students and families from Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe and Northfield have never experienced.

The game comes just two weeks after Northwestern opens the 35,000-seat stadium against Penn State on Friday, Oct. 2, in a game airing on Fox. That means North Shore families attending the rivalry will walk into a venue no high school crowd has tested before.

What Northwestern is saying

At Big Ten Media Days in Chicago on Thursday, Aug. 6, Northwestern head coach David Braun described the atmosphere he expects inside the bowl, the Daily Northwestern reported.

"When you step into the new Ryan Field, if you're ever fortunate to stand at field level, you truly feel like you're in a new-age Roman Coliseum," Braun said. "You feel the intimacy."

The numbers back him up. The stadium's back row sits just 136 feet from the north end zone, 46 feet closer than the best seats at the old Ryan Field were to the sideline, according to Extra Points. Every seat has armrests and a cupholder. A weather canopy encircles the field, shielding fans from rain and amplifying crowd noise downward.

What families will find on Oct. 16

The playing field sits 21 feet below ground level, pulling spectators closer to the action. The stadium has nearly twice the ADA-accessible seating required by law. A pop-up food program called "Evanston and North Shore Favorites" will bring local restaurants into the concourse on game days, according to the Evanston Roundtable.

The "Wildcat Wall," a 2,000-person standing-room student section modeled on European soccer supporter sections, rises at a 33-degree angle above the south end zone. Senior wide receiver Griffin Wilde said at Big Ten Media Days that fans in the section will be banging on bleachers and screaming directly above the end zone, creating what he called an extremely loud environment that benefits the home team.

Whether high school students will have access to the Wildcat Wall for the Oct. 16 game has not been announced. Ticket pricing and parking details for the rivalry game also remain unavailable.

The rivalry's stakes

New Trier beat Evanston 35-6 last season. The Trevians compete in the Central Suburban League South alongside Maine South, Evanston and Glenbrook South. As we reported Aug. 5, New Trier opens its 2026 season against Naperville North on Aug. 21 with an expanded playoff path ahead.

The Oct. 16 game is Week 9 on New Trier's schedule, according to The Record North Shore.

What's next

Northwestern's Penn State opener on Friday, Oct. 2, will serve as the real-world preview of what North Shore families can expect two weeks later. North Shore Weekly will follow up after the opener with a guide to attending the Oct. 16 rivalry game.