Bergen County Sheriff's Office Brings Unity Seats to 9/11 Friday Night Lights

Dwight Morrow and Pascack Hills will meet under the lights for a special high school football matchup Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at 7 p.m. in Englewood, New Jersey. Known as 9/11 Friday Night Lights, the event will honor veterans, first responders, students and law enforcement while creating a fun and safe setting for two outstanding teams and their supporters.

The Bergen County Sheriff's Office will help bring an added spirit of connection to the game through the US United Unity Seats program. Unity Seats pairs sheriffs or other law enforcement leaders with community members who hold opposing viewpoints, purchases their tickets and seats them together. Instead of meeting as adversaries, participants can share the excitement of the game, talk with one another and spend the evening as neighbors.

This experience will bring together law enforcement representatives from different counties alongside members of local schools and businesses. Their presence will demonstrate that people can gather around a shared experience regardless of their beliefs or backgrounds. Football provides the backdrop, but the greater purpose is to build trust, encourage respectful dialogue and strengthen relationships across the community.

The timing carries particular significance because the event comes 25 years after the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. That anniversary offers a powerful reminder of the courage shown by first responders and the strength communities display when they stand together after tragedy. The Bergen County Sheriff's Office views that commitment to unity as an essential part of what makes the community strong.

Attendees can expect an exciting matchup between Dwight Morrow and Pascack Hills, along with an atmosphere centered on recognition, respect and community pride. As the teams compete on the field, Unity Seats participants will model a different kind of teamwork in the stands, proving that disagreement does not have to prevent conversation, connection or a shared night under the Friday lights.