Ripon Christian hopes to debut football stadium Friday vs. Mountain House

Eddie Erdelatz climbed to the highest perch on the home stands and cast his gaze over the Ripon Christian Athletic Complex.

“There’s not a bad seat in the house,” the assistant football coach said.

Erdelatz and his company, Cor5 Construction, are responsible for the design and building of the $1.25 million facility along Highway 99.

For years, he and members of the school’s stadium committee have had to imagine this very view – the expanse of green grass, bleachers sparkling in the sun, and a massive cross opposite the scoreboard – hoping the blueprints and conceptual artwork would hold true.

They have.

After a summer of feverish construction, Erdelatz said the Ripon Christian Athletic Complex will be ready for Friday’s season opener against Mountain House. The frosh-soph game will kick off at 5:30 p.m., with the varsity game to follow.

“It won’t be spit-shined,” Erdelatz said, “but it will be playable and safe for occupants.”

There’s one hurdle left to clear, and it’s a doozy: The school needs the city of Ripon’s approval before it can open the gates Friday. The deciding inspection is Thursday and will focus on signage, the bleachers and the staircase leading up to the press box

City offices are closed Friday.

On Wednesday, crews, comprised mostly of volunteers, worked to install the final rows of bleachers, finalize the restrooms and sink a 50-foot cross into the ground beyond the south end zone.

“We’re working on mostly small projects – getting the bathrooms ready, getting toilet paper holders and soap dispensers mounted,” Erdelatz said. “We are finishing the bleachers. That’s probably one of the larger projects that we’re finishing up.

“We hope to get an inspection from the city (Thursday). For the most part, the large projects have been completed and signed off. We’re working on signage and fencing, small things that need to be prepared before the city will give us occupancy.”

If the city deems Ripon Christian’s facility isn’t ready to open, Friday’s game will be played across the street at Ripon High’s Stouffer Field, the longtime “home” site for the Knights. Either way, the official ribbon-cutting ceremony has been scheduled for Sept. 11, when Ripon Christian hosts Linden.

By then, Erdelatz said all the amenities will be finished, including the football program’s state-of-the-art team room.

When completed, the Ripon Christian Athletic Complex will be the jewel of Stanislaus County, rivaling The Corral in Oakdale, Dunlavy Field in Sonora and Don Lanphear Stadium at Gregori High.

“This is a huge step forward for our football program, and I think it will trickle down to the school as well,” Erdelatz said. “Obviously, the players are excited about it. We’ve been playing now for 10 years, home games both at Modesto Christian and across the street at Ripon High School. To have our own home here is a huge step for the (Ripon Christian) football family.”

The venue will seat 1,500 with room for expansion, has two mezzanines, a courtyard with a fountain, a private 47-space parking lot for the athletic teams, and a concession stand that services all of the athletic fields.

The team room, which sits on a hill behind the north end zone, will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology that will allow coach Trey Ozenbaugh to dissect first-half video footage at halftime.

The field is 7 feet wider than the playing surface at Lincoln High’s Spanos Stadium, long one of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s preferred playoff venues.

And then there’s the 50-foot-tall cross, which will be lit up at night. Like the rest of the million-dollar facility, the cross was donated. John Sikma oversaw its installation Wednesday.

“The cross is an element that we put into the design early on, and it really is the heart and soul,” Erdelatz said. “It’s what this school is all about and we have a special opportunity to put that on the forefront of the community, being that we’re here on (Highway) 99 and Frontage. It’s 50-foot tall, 36-by-36 (inches) diameter – it will make a statement for the next 100 years to come.”

Mountain House coach Jason McCloskey was impressed. The former Central Valley coach still resides in the Stanislaus District and his commute takes him past the complex.

“Driving by RIPON Christian tonight ... Lights were on, field looked good ... Hope we can play there this Friday!” McCloskey tweeted Tuesday night.

This story was originally published August 26, 2015 at 10:41 PM with the headline "Ripon Christian hopes to debut football stadium Friday vs. Mountain House."