Home field advantage has a new look for San Diego Mesa College, with the official opening of Merrill Douglas Stadium on Sept. 26.
During two years of construction on campus, the stadium was paved over and converted into a parking lot in 2008, leaving the Olympians without a home field. The team practiced on the baseball field and played “home games” at Cathedral Catholic High School. When construction ceased, the Olympians had a new and improved field to come home to.
“It was a welcome homecoming. It was our first home game since November 2007. We played at Cathedral Catholic for the whole 2008 season. We went 22 months without a home field,” said Head Coach Henry Browne.
With the opening of the new parking structure in March 2009, construction for Merrill Douglas Stadium began in April.
The field is 90 percent completed according to the Mesa Web site, with installation of the track still underway and railing for the wheelchair accessible ramps and stairs. The school has installed artificial turf for the field, new goal posts, stairs and wheelchair accessible ramps leading down to the field. The bleachers remained the same because the former parking lot was a stadium to begin with.
Still, the opening for the stadium went off without a hitch. With the seats on the home side completely filled, it started with the cutting of the ribbon and a few words from the administrators.
“I had the honor along with many of our colleagues to cut the proverbial ribbon and to take control of the coin toss to start the game between our Mesa Olympians and the Mt. San Jacinto Eagles,” said President Rita M. Cepeda in the President’s Message posted on the Mesa Web site.
Then the team paid homage to Coach Matt Kofler who died Dec. 19, 2008. Kofler played football for two seasons at Mesa College and San Diego State University before becoming a NFL quarterback for the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts. Kofler, then returned to his hometown becoming an offensive coordinator for the Olympians as well as taking over as head coach for three years.
On top of an impressive opening ceremony, the Olympians christened the new stadium with a 38-27 victory over the Eagles.
“It feels good to come home to our new stadium and win, especially because it’s the first win of the season,” said Larry Gist Sr., father of running back Larry Gist Jr.
As the crowd roared, the game started with an Olympian kick off to the Eagles that resulted in a re-kick because of an illegal block in the backfield. The Olympians forced a fumble on the re-kick, recovering the ball deep in Eagles territory. A five-yard run by running back Braxton Welford brought Mesa to a quick 7-0 lead.
In the beginning of the second quarter, the Olympians led with a score of 21-6. The Eagles found time to throw a pass completion for a touchdown then attempted a two-point conversion, denied by the Olympians defense. During the first half of the game, Mesa quarterback Tynan Murray was sacked for a loss of 10 yards, and also threw an interception during the last seconds of the half. At halftime, Mesa was on top 21-13.
In the third quarter, a pass from Murray to wide receiver Greg Cochrane gave Mesa another touchdown. With the Olympians leading by 28-13, the defense kept annihilating the Eagles and the offense continued scoring. By the end of the third quarter the score was 35-21.
During the final quarter of the game, quarterback Murray gave a shovel pass to running back Welford for a nine yard run, which gave Mesa an opportunity for a 33-yard field goal attempt. The kick was good resulting in a 17-point lead for the Olympians. The Eagles did not give up though; with 4:15 left in the fourth quarter, the Eagles scored a touchdown and failed at another two-point conversion.
After the play, a fight broke out on the field that caused yellow flags to fly onto the field. Two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were called on the Eagles, giving Mesa good field position. The final score was 38-27 with an Olympians victory, ushering in a new era of home field advantage.
“We look forward to playing Golden West at home because they were the only team to beat us in conference. We’re really excited about that game,” said Browne.
The next chance to see the Olympians play in the new and improved Merrill Douglas Stadium is Oct. 17 at 6 pm hosting Golden West College.