Home cookin’

Mike Sciacca

As dusk swept across a smoky blue sky Friday evening, the northwest

side of the Ocean View High School campus was bathed, for the first

time, in bright light.

It was then that the lights powered on at Seahawk Stadium and a

new era dawned for Ocean View athletes when the Seahawks played their

first varsity home football games under the lights.

Never mind that the Seahawks came out on the short end of the

scoreboard in their nonleague game against upstart Tesoro -- the main

celebration was that the school finally had a stadium to call home.

“We’re absolutely delighted that tonight is here,” said Bill

Walker, the school’s business administrator who has been at Ocean

View the past 2 1/2 years. “My task was to put all of this together

and to see it come to light, so to speak, is wonderful. This is for

our students, staff, the surrounding community and really, the city

of Huntington Beach. If I can look up into the stands and see smiling

faces, then I’ll be happy.”

Painted faces in the student section, where many students were

dressed in long-sleeved, red and white striped shirts, couldn’t

contain their enthusiasm as the 7 p.m. kickoff neared.

Banners and balloons dotted the entry into the stadium, the work

of a student body that had embraced the night.

“We got here and began to decorate around 4:45,” said Sarah

Martin, 15, Ocean View’s Associated Student Body Commissioner of

Activities, who had the initials, “O.V.,” painted on each of her

cheeks.

“We promoted this night around campus all week. I personally went

into each classroom with a sign announcing tonight’s game. We worked

with the football team and the cheerleaders to make this a success.

No matter the outcome of the game, we’re still going to have fun.

This is a bit of history for our school.”

Although located within the Huntington Beach Union High School

District, the new stadium is not considered a district stadium, as

the stadiums at Huntington Beach and Westminster highs are, Walker

said.

In addition to football, Seahawk Stadium will be used for soccer

and track and field athletic events.

Walker said a meeting was held at the school Monday to rehash the

events of Friday’s first home game and to discuss logistics for

future home games.

He said that one future goal is to double the seating capacity,

which now is 1,000.

The grandstands, located on the west side of the stadium, are

built like an erector set and can be rearranged to a new

configuration, he said.

Doubling the stadium seating would cost approximately $180,000,

Walker said.

Long before kickoff Friday, fans poured into the stadium, and by

game time, an estimated 1,500 were on hand to create a

standing-room-only atmosphere.

Ironically, Tesoro, Ocean View’s first-ever home stadium opponent,

had played its first game in its new home stadium the week prior

before an estimated, standing-room-only crowd of 4,000.

“Overall, we were really, really pleased with our first game under

the lights,” Walker added. “It’s for the kids and they really seemed

to have a great time. Seeing the team come out on the field from our

own locker room, for the first time, and to see our fans go nuts in

the stands, made it all worthwhile. This is what we wanted.”

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at [email protected].