After a year of daytime games, stadium lights are returning to Lompoc High School, bringing back the tradition of Friday night football and evening soccer matches.
The school’s aging light system was condemned two years ago after bulbs began failing, leaving large portions of the field in darkness. Last season, teams played under mobile portable lights, but they were dim and uneven. This school year, the situation worsened, prompting schedules to shift.
“It’s been a rough year not having those lights. You can see right now, we’ve got a soccer match at 1:00 in the afternoon because we don’t have lights,” Principal Celeste Pico pointed out.
Instead of 7 p.m. Friday kickoffs, home football games started at 4 p.m., and the rivalry matchup with Cabrillo High School was moved to a Saturday afternoon.
“It definitely wasn’t as hyped. We were excited for the dark, that’s how it’s always been, but it just felt different,” junior Brady Barbosa said.
Relief is on the way thanks to Measure M, a bond approved by Lompoc Unified School District voters in 2024. It allocated $2 million for new stadium lighting.
The first of six new light poles went up over winter break, with the remainder to be installed in the coming weeks.
“For a lot of high school athletes, this is the biggest stage they’ll ever play on,” Boys Soccer Head Coach James Baca said. “The lights make you feel like a professional. They draw a bigger crowd.”
Pico said losing the lights created challenges for field scheduling and hurt attendance. She believes the upgrades will revive school spirit and community involvement.
“This isn’t just great for the schools, it’s huge for the entire community.”
The new system is expected to be operational by late January or early February, depending on when cranes can maneuver into the stadium.
Players and coaches say they can’t wait to return to Friday nights under the glow of new lights.
“I’m just excited to get back to the normal routine and hopefully, we win,” Barbosa said with a grin.
Barbosa and the rest of the football team will get the chance to host former Lompoc standout Napoleon Kaufman, who now serves as the head coach for Dublin High School in Oakland. The two teams will face off under the lights in the fall of 2026.
