HANOVER TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— A water main break in Luzerne County is causing trouble for a local school district in more ways than one, including some disruptions to the start of its football season.
28/22 News reporter Avery Nape spoke with students and school officials to find out how they're navigating the troubled waters.
That 24-inch pipe burst around 3:30 a.m. Thursday morning on West Saint Mary's Road right in front of Hanover Area Elementary.
While summer break is still in session, the school's football season starts tomorrow, and now coaches and players are hoping for the best.
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"We're not gonna let it affect us. It's not what we can control. We control what we do on the field," stated Alamin Keshinro, Senior, Hanover Area High School.
Hanover Area Senior Alamin Keshinro is talking about the school's community pep rally that was supposed to be held Thursday night, but cancelled after a water main broke near the field.
Keshinro, his teammates, and their coaches all echoed the excitement they felt ahead of the rally, and the disappointment when it was cancelled.
Despite that disappointing news, they're ready for Friday's big game against Marian Catholic.
"I'm feeling really ready, I want to go out there, just show my coach what I can do, show my team what I can do, and we're gonna perform as a team and get this win," expressed Keshinro.
"High hopes, you know? Going out there, playing violent, playing with your team, your brothers. Just going out and win," added Dwayne Downey, junior, Hanover Area High School.
The team's head coach and Hanover Township's police chief, Eric Richardson, says the team has been through a lot.
Their newly renovated field has been under construction since last summer, meaning this is the first time since 2023 they'll be playing on their home field.
He says the water main break is just another speed bump. A minor setback for a potentially major comeback.
"We're gonna be powerful, we're gonna get through this. They're resilient, they've gone without a locker room now for two years, we're drawing plays up in the dirt. They've faced adversity, so, they handled it really well and we're gonna be ready for tomorrow," said Eric Richardson, head coach.
Around 50 people were initially affected, but a cause of the break has yet to be determined.
For now, Richardson and his team are focused on Friday's game and their first season on the new field.
"When we got to open up the gates to these kids and see how excited they are about football, and about being home, and that student body coming back, and the community coming back, and making a Friday night here at Hanover Township again, and Hanover Area again. It's exciting, it's exciting. Everyone's excited," expressed Richardson.
Those crews are still working to fix the pipe and expect service to be restored by midnight while another crew works through the night to flush the system.
A spokesperson from PennDOT says the road has sustained some damage, and that they will be meeting with the water company Friday to determine the extent of that damage.
It is unclear whether this will affect Friday's game or the district's first day of school on Monday.
