SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria last year gave Lincoln High School's football team the ceremonial key to the city following its stunning state championship victory.
This season, their stadium is dark on Friday nights.
The Hornets, one of the top-ranked teams in California, can't play at their stadium because of extensive water damage to the turf, making the facility unsafe.
“It sucks to have 32 seniors, guys who have been here four years, and for their senior year, they don’t get to use their field," said Head Coach David Dunn, one of four former NFL coaches for the Hornets.
One of those seniors is Akili Smith Jr., one of the top prep quarterbacks in the country and whose dad is a former NFL quarterback.
Storied History
Lincoln is also home to Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen and Terrell Davis, who, along with Allen, are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, Dunn is a Morse High School graduate who played for seven years in the NFL.
He began coaching at Lincoln in 2007, and the Hornets won the Division 1-AA CIF State Football Championship two seasons ago in a stunning 33-28 upset over Concord De La Salle.
De La Salle had won seven state championships.
Last year, Gloria gave Lincoln, then one of the poorest schools in San Diego, the ceremonial key to the city.
“I want to make a simple message for the Lincoln High School varsity football team -- You have made your city so proud," Gloria said at the time.
Losing practice time
But Dunn said there is nothing to be proud of when it comes to Lincoln's football stadium.
“With our field, there has been some water damage underneath. We were scheduled to get a new field," he said. "As you walk the field, you know there are grooves in the field, and it’s not serviceable."
Dunn said the team played on the turf last year following some repairs.
"But, they didn't know underneath how bad things were," he said.
Lincoln has been forced to practice at Logan Memorial Educational Campus and Crawford High School.
“We go on a bus after school…We are dressed and loaded up by 4:15, 4:30 (p.m.) and we travel over every day to practice. It becomes a bit tiresome.”
Dunn said his team loses about an hour of practice time each day from going back and forth.
As for home games, they are at Southwestern College in Chula Vista.
Problems beyond football
But, Dunn said the problem goes beyond football.
"This is something that has to be addressed. It’s not just a football issue. It’s a community issue. This involves our men’s and women’s sports here. It needs to be upgraded," he said.
He added that Lincoln's soccer, lacrosse and girls' flag football teams also can't play home games because of the dangerous turf.
Further, he said the track that surrounds the field has been inoperable for six years.
'Other side of the 8'
“I believe us schools on the other side of the 8, sometimes we do not get the full attention that’s needed," he said.
There are 16 high schools in the San Diego Unified School District that play football.
All — except Lincoln — have a home football field.
Six, including Lincoln, are south of Interstate 8.
U.S. News and World Report, which ranks high schools across the country, found Lincoln and three others in that group have a minority enrollment of at least 97 percent.
Five of the six, including Lincoln, are among the most economically disadvantaged high schools in San Diego, according to U.S. News and World Report.
The publication found 76% of Lincoln's students fall into that category, which means its students either have parents who have never graduated or live well below the poverty line.
A school district facilities supervisor declined to respond to Dunn's comment.
Rains exacerbated problem
However, the district issues a statement that said heavy rains the past two years have exacerbated the poor field conditions at Lincoln.
The statement also said construction will begin in October to replace the field and resurface the track.
Completion is set for May — before graduation.
Meanwhile, Dunn said the Hornets have a plan.
“Our motto here is nothing comes easy. Every year we have different obstacles that we have to fight through," Dunn said. "So, trying our hardest to stay positive and not use any excuses, and say ‘hey, this is another way we will persevere.’”
