PORTLAND – The “oohs” and “aahs” rolled down the aisle as a Jay school department bus rolled over the Forest Avenue overpass on 295 and into view of a fully-illuminated Fitzpatrick Stadium.

The Tigers got there about a half-hour early, and were on the field before the six o’clock rush hour roared over their shoulders.

“Didn’t take us very long to change up, either,” Jay coach Mark Bonnevie said as his team warmed up for its Thursday evening two-hour session at the venerable Portland stadium. “That was one of the quickest change-ups we’ve had. They were all sprinting to get out here.”

In a mere 48 hours, several thousand fans would be surrounding Jay and opponent Bucksport as they mix it up for the gold ball under the same six banks of lights in the 6 p.m. nightcap of a football triple-header.

The lights got the Tigers out onto the field quickly and made themselves abruptly at home. The calm, warm air and the lush FieldTurf surface gave the evening an early autumn feel, a far cry from the frozen, torn up pitch they’d been practicing on behind the high school.

The turf cleats the players wore were even more comfortable than their regular cleats. This wasn’t going to be an easy place to leave.

“Beats the heck out of the mud,” said sophomore fullback/linebacker Trevor McCourt.

Dressed in their white and orange practice jerseys, with only a few in long sleeves, the Tigers looked intense but loose during their two-hour workout.

It didn’t take long for them to get the feel for the surroundings. The Tigers were built for the fast surface on both sides of the ball. When they spread the field, they’ll be tough to defend one-on-one, and their swarming defense will only meet a little quicker at the ball.

“I think we’ll adjust to it,” linebacker Ryan Bourassa said. “The offense is going to be 10 times faster.”

Bucksport, owners of some pretty impressive speed of their own, probably feels the same way after visiting the field at closer Hampden Academy, which has the same type of playing surface.

The Tigers went through the paces on offense, defense and special teams. Every aspect of the game got a look-see in probably the quickest 120 minutes Jay has seen all season.

“We’re doing everything tonight, everything, so that we have done everything of this field (before Saturday),” Bonnevie said. “I just want the kids to see how it feels. They tell you it makes you faster, so I want them to feel like that.”

It’s a feeling they know they’ll get at least one other time in their lives.