Football | 8/4/2015 6:33:00 PM

MOORHEAD, Minn. — Minnesota State University Moorhead junior linebacker Aaron Bohl couldn't hide his anticipation.

"I've been waiting so long to get on this field," Bohl said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Bohl and several of his Dragon football teammates got their wish — stepping onto the new completed Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium turf for the first time.  Former Dragon football players Tony Duerr and Brad Duerr — both employees of Scheels — and Matt Baasch (a current assistant coach for the Dragons) were on hand to throw the ceremonial "first pass" on the field to highlight the project's completion. Each threw a pass to their child.

"It's pretty nice," Tony Duerr said of his impressions of the new field. "It's pretty tough to put into words."

The project, which includes new lighting for the field, cost more than $1 million. Scheels donated $1 million to MSUM as part of president Anne Blackhurst's Laps for the Long Run fundraiser in Sept. 2014.

"It's a pretty prideful day, from both aspects," said Tony Duerr, who played quarterback for the Dragons from 1996-99 and now is an assistant manager at Scheels. "To see the program come to this point, also knowing the Scheels and being part of their business…from the first time when they walked down to my office and told me they were going to make the announcement, to seeing this, the end product, it's a pretty special experience."

"It's a real nice step forward," said Brad Duerr, who also played quarterback for the Dragons from 1999-2002 and is now a software developer lead at Scheels.

Several current Dragon players got the chances to make their first steps on the new turf field on Tuesday and got to see first hand the completed project.  MSUM reports for preseason camp on Aug. 13.

"It's nice that it's done and we get to practice on it," MSUM senior running back Zayne Medhaug said.

The Dragons open the 2015 season at home on Sept. 3 against Winona State. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. at Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium, meaning that MSUM will play its first night game in decades.

"It's going to be exciting," Bohl said. "I just can't wait. Words can't describe how excited I am."

"It's going to be a great feeling, under the lights," Medhaug said. "It's first one in many years. A bunch of people will be here to see the new field. It's going to be exciting."

"It'll be a great atmosphere," Brad Duerr said. "It just adds to it. A lot of football players start under the lights in high school and that is where they really get going with football. To bring that full circle and have a college game under the lights will be awesome."