VIKINGS AWAITING FOOTBALL STADIUM SOME PARENTS, COACHES DOUBT COMPLETION BY FALL.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

VALENCIA - Vikings football fans are crossing their fingers for the on- time delivery of their long-awaited home stadium at Valencia High, in time for pigskin action this fall.

While Hart school district officials insist that the planned artificial turf and track field, along with aluminum bleachers for 4,800 spectators, will be ready for the 2004 football season, doubts still lingered with some parents and coaches.

Vikings coach Brian Stiman said Tuesday that his team is prepared to remain at its current home field at Canyon High School next season until the stadium is ready. On Valencia High's Web site, the home locations for preseason matches were labeled ``TBA'' - to be announced - ``pending completion of Valencia football stadium.''

``Hopefully, they won't run into any snags,'' Stiman said.

The William S. Hart Union High School District approved some $9.5 million in athletic-facilities upgrades at its four high school campuses last year. Besides the Valencia stadium, crews are scheduled to install artificial turf, all-weather tracks and other improvements at Canyon, Hart and Saugus high schools.

District officials are drafting construction plans, and expect to open the project to bids in March. Work could begin as early as April, Hart spokeswoman Pat Willett said.

``We are on schedule to open in time for fall sports,'' she said.

But some Valencia parents are leery of that schedule, citing the time it took for College of the Canyons to install its own turf field, which lasted some four months. Also, there are support facilities such as bathrooms and concession stands to consider.

``If they're working on it in the summertime and the first game is in September, I don't know if they could make it,'' said Rich Quesada, president of the Valencia Endzone booster club. ``But they could surprise me.'' Besides another year at Canyon High for the football squad, any delays could severely disrupt physical education classes and other sports such as soccer or track and field.

``That takes away a large area of space from athletics and physical education,'' Stiman said. ``It becomes a facility issue. If we start getting into (September,) we're going to be limited on space for everybody.''

Still, Stiman is pleased his campus is finally getting a stadium after parents and school officials campaigned for the facility for more than a year. The Valencia stadium comes at a time when the district is poised to open two new high schools over two years.

``This district is in desperate need of another stadium at a high school,'' he said. ``Hopefully, that will happen quickly, with the new high schools coming in.''

Quesada said he remained cautiously optimistic the stadium will be finished on time, but some parents won't be willing to wait.

``I would hate for the other schools to get all their work done and we still don't see a stadium,'' he said.

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com