Lincoln High School’s football practices begin not with calisthenics or a message from head coach David Dunn. The Hornets begin with an 11-minute bus ride to the Logan Memorial Educational Campus, site of the team’s practices.
The bus ride is necessary because last spring the San Diego Unified School District inspected Lincoln’s on-campus turf field and found it unsafe. Water had built up beneath the turf; at some exposed areas, seams had ripped apart and concrete was visible.
Without adequate field space on campus to practice, 80 Lincoln football players lug shoulder pads and helmets onto yellow school buses four days a week. The seats are small, more fitting for elementary school students than hulking football players.
On Wednesday, 6-foot-5, 280-pound Jesus Garcia II, a starting offensive tackle on the San Diego Section’s No. 1-ranked team, squeezed himself into one of the seats, placed his helmet and shoulder pads on the floor, then turned sideways to stretch out.
“It’s kind of uncomfortable,” said Garcia. “It’s really uncomfortable, with a capital really.”
In essence, Lincoln — the program Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen helped make famous — is a team without a home.
“It’s wearing on us. It’s tiring,” said Dunn, whose 3-2 team, ranked No. 16 in California by MaxPreps, hosts 18th-ranked Los Alamitos (4-2) at 1 .m. Saturday at Southwestern College. “You’re consistently on the road. Every day’s a road trip.”
Practicing three days a week at Logan Memorial Education Campus and once a week at Crawford creates some football-specific challenges.
The Logan Memorial Educational Campus turf field is pristine, but it’s marked for soccer, not football. There are no yard lines, hash marks or goalposts.
Behind Oregon-bound quarterback Akili Smith Jr., Lincoln’s offense is heavily reliant on the ing game. ing teams rely on yard lines and hash marks to measure routes and dial in timing, particularly with wide receivers.
“It definitely messes with our timing a little bit,” said Smith, who is completing 56.6 percent of his es this season compared to 63.8 percent last year.
A year ago, Smith threw 25 touchdown es and was intercepted just five times. Those stats this year: seven TDs, five interceptions.
Regarding how practicing on a field with no yard lines or hash marks impacts a ing game, offensive coordinator Jason Carter said: “It’s a huge factor. We’re all timing, all rhythm.”
Lincoln kicking coach Brian Crusoe doesn’t have kicker/punter Felix Radilla-Benavidez practice placements at the field, even though there are soccer goals to simulate goalposts.
“That’s not realistic,” said Crusoe.
When Carter began coaching at Lincoln, one of the first things he noticed was how tight-knit the community is.
“A lot of these kids have been playing together for a long time, since Pop Warner,” he said. “The community gets behind these guys. Friday nights for some fans is the highlight of their week.
“There’s a disconnect there. There’s no Friday night lights at Lincoln.”
It hasn’t been cheap for the Hornets to play and practice away from home. The cost for renting Southwestern College for five home games is $83,000 per year. The cost to bus players to practice this season: nearly $35,000.
The San Diego Unified School District is covering those expenses.
Beginning next week, Lincoln will have to practice elsewhere.
Logan Memorial Education Campus will begin using the field for soccer. The Hornets are considering moving practices to Southwestern College or San Diego State.
Having to practice at another school makes for long days. School at Lincoln begins at 8:35 a.m. and ends at 3:35 p.m. Buses usually leave for practice at 4:30.
The players lift weights, study film, get taped or do homework during the 55-minute break.
After a two-hour practice, the team often doesn’t get back to Lincoln until after 7, making for an 11-hour school day.
“I’m always tired,” said junior cornerback Tyree Shine.
For some of the players, particularly the seniors, there’s a sadness about not playing on campus at Vic Player Stadium.
“We want to play on our home field,” said senior wide receiver Isaiah Grant. “That’s our comfort zone. To not play there hurts a little bit.”
The Lincoln players have accepted their fate. If anything, it provides added motivation.
“Basically,” said Garcia, “it’s us against the world.”
Added Smith, “We have each other’s backs.”
After stepping off the bus, walking to a bench at Logan Memorial Education Center, cornerback Cameron Purnell put on his shoulder pads and helmet, tied his cleats and looked up at an airplane as it descended to Lindbergh Field.
He spoke to no one in particular.
“Just another day of getting better,” he said.
Box: Other San Diego schools hit the road
Lincoln High School isn’t the only school playing all its football games on the road this season. Because of stadium construction on campus, Castle Park and Mar Vista don’t have home games this year.
Both teams do practice on campus, however.
Chula Vista is expected to break ground on a new stadium in December. They’ll practice on campus next year during construction. Similarly, construction on a new stadium at Southwest-San Diego is expected to start next year. The Raiders will not play home games next season but have the field space to practice on campus.
Vista was expected to start construction on a new playing surface this season, but delays have pushed that back to 2025.
DON NORCROSS
