The 60-minute documentary “Boys of Fall” which premiered on ESPN Aug. 29, features a number of high school football programs, including Central’s.
About a year ago, Chesney decided to film part of the video from his album “Hemingway’s Whiskey” at Central.
Mike Stine, physical education teacher and head coach of Central’s football team, said that Chesney chose Central as a filming location because his friend, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, is an alumnus.
“Sean called me up and told me about this opportunity and how it would be a good experience for the team, so I agreed,” Stine said.
Stine said that filming the video was busy, hectic and caused distractions, but overall was an interesting experience.
Russell Tanzillo, varsity offensive player and senior admitted to being a little nervous.
“I was both excited and nervous at the same time. I was excited because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to be in a music video,” said Tanzillo. “But I was also nervous because I didn’t want to mess up while they were filming the game.”
Alumna Emily Jasinski said that the video got her excited for football season, even though she’s not a big football fan.
“I was jumping with the Redhawk Rowdies,” Jasinski said. “It was so exciting. I felt like a star for .03 of a second.”
Chesney talks about the experiences of filming the documentary in a video available at abc.com.
“It’s no different if you’re playing football, if you’re on the road like I am, if you’re running a company,” Chesney said. “Everybody’s got to work together if they want to achieve something that’s special.”
Stine said that the staff working on the video really helped to make it amazing, and all the work that was put into it paid off.
“I’m still in touch with the video crew, they were great guys,” Stine said. “They stayed out of the way and caused minimal distractions.”
According to Chesney’s Twitter feed, the documentary re-aired Thursday, Sept. 16 at 1 a.m. ET on ESPN2, and again on Monday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
“The documentary captured the essence of high school football,” Stine said. “Growing up, football was always a part of my life, and I feel like this documentary was a great representation of that.”