A San Jose high school football program is reeling from a theft less than three weeks before its first game.
Santa Teresa High football coach Steve Papin told the Bay Area News Group that someone broke into the school’s stadium over the weekend and stole thousands of dollars worth of equipment.
A spokesperson for the San Jose Police Department said an investigation is ongoing.
The items taken included football helmets, a boom box, team apparel and footballs, among other merchandise, according to Papin. The boom box was donated to the program after the Saints won a Central Coast Section championship in 2022.
Perhaps most impactfully, the copper wiring to the stadium lights was cut, rendering them ineffective for the time being.
While Santa Teresa officials initially feared that the wires had been completely removed, much of the wiring remains in the stadium, Papin noted.
This greatly improves the chances that Santa Teresa will be able to repair its lights to play at least some night games in 2024, maybe even as early as the season opener in late August.
“The district says depending on how much the damage is, there’s a possibility of the lights,” Papin said. “But there’s nothing on (right now). There’s no power. So I don’t know how long they’re going to (not) work.”
If Santa Teresa’s lights aren’t working before its Week 1 game against Fremont-Sunnyvale, it is unclear where they will play.
As it stands, Santa Teresa must wait and see what can be done, hoping that its seniors can play under the home lights at some point this fall.
Papin said Santa Teresa began rescheduling its games for Saturday, anticipating that the lights could be out all season.
”The district came out to assess the situation, and the initial report was not as bad as we thought,” he said.
“They’ve been out there all morning looking at it. And if everything goes to plan, it looks like the lights should be working by Week 1. But they don’t want to commit to it, because if the company or the contractor needs to order a part or things of that nature, it could postpone it or set it back.”
Papin noticed some lagging motivation from his players in practice after news of the theft broke. He’s trying to keep his team motivated in spite of potentially losing at least some opportunities to perform under the lights in front of friends, family and members of the Santa Teresa community.
“Me, I’m an old-school guy,” Papin said. “I played at 3:30 after school when I was at Piedmont Hills. So I’m used to it. The kids, this generation, they don’t really understand day games. So yesterday’s practice was awful. The three years I’ve been here, we’ve had packed houses for our home games.
“They’re thinking you’re playing on a Saturday, no fans. You didn’t go to school. So they were kind of bummed about that.”
The helmet theft affects some junior varsity players, who may not get acclimated in time for their first game. The theft of footballs has limited the Saints’ supply, but they have “just enough” to get by, Papin said.
The challenge now for Santa Teresa will be preparing to play. But where and when remain open questions from week to week.
“Once we get an estimate from the district, once they say, ‘Hey, it will be eight days, 10 days,’ it puts it into more perspective,” Papin said. “Because as of yesterday, we were thinking the season was lost as far as Friday night lights.”