The Telescope

Issue Date: 12/4/06

Comet football team deserves a place to call home

By John Scafetta

Media Credit: Jared Lansford The Palomar football practice field, located at the school's entrance, would be a pratical sight for Comet home games, following major renovatoins.

The electrifying atmosphere that surrounds a college football game at a school's campus is truly irreplaceable. Every Saturday, fans, students and players are given the opportunity to come together and represent their school as a collective group.

Even if that school happens to be a community college, this luxury should not be taken away. Yet, Palomar College has failed to take the necessary steps in creating a football field, and now must find common ground between raising money and finding a place for the Comets to call home.

Through its history, the Palomar football team has been a squad built on a prominence, which has produced three National Championships, countless Division-I standouts and current and past NFL players. Despite the storied tradition, the team ended its 2006 campaign, once again as the only team on campus forced to play home games somewhere other than the Palomar.

The Comets now dwell at Escondido High School, after previously calling both San Marcos and Mission Hills high school's their home. The dilemma is that they currently play outside of San Marcos, which weakens the prospect of Palomar students and fans attending home games.

In covering the Comet football team throughout the season, I have witnessed the Comets average a meager 200 fans per home game at Escondido's Wilson Stadium. Though that number might appear high for a community college sporting event, in reality, Comet away games see a fan base that triples and sometimes quadruples that. Aside from the fact that most students don't even live in San Marcos, what student wants to go completely out of his way to catch a game? Sadly, not many.

For an athletic department that has done so much good for its student athletes, they have failed with fans. With the college finishing construction in late October on Minkoff Field, (the new soccer field that many students still don't know exists) Palomar has now created an open door to additional revenue with many North County amateur and club teams using the facilities. Palomar has also launched the production of a new baseball field that will be located behind Lot. 9.

Continued...

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