Friday night lights will shine even brighter when football kicks off at the Socorro Independent School District’s new Student Activities Complex II, or SAC II, this fall.
SISD unveiled the highly anticipated SAC II to great fanfare at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 2.
The El Dorado High School drum line and Socorro and Eastlake high school cheerleaders joined SISD Interim Superintendent James P. Vasquez, Board President Michael A. Najera, SISD Bond Accountability Committee members, board trustees, district administrators and local supporters for the celebration. The event included tours of the state-of-the-art complex, which was built as part of the voter-approved SISD Bond 2017 program.
Vasquez said SAC II exemplified Team SISD’s commitment to being ALL In for student success and opportunities for everyone in our community.
“I'm excited to see our students play in such an amazing facility,” Vasquez said. “I just want to see the looks on their faces once they step foot on the field and in the stadium.”
The complex will allow the district to host more games to better serve SISD students and the community. By adding a second field next to the original SAC, two games can be played simultaneously, making it safer for students to avoid the summer heat, and providing a better experience for everyone involved, including parents. Previously, games would take place at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. during the week. The new stadium allows students more class time since they will not have to leave class early to prepare for the 4:30 p.m. game.
Socorro High School senior Aaron Sanchez, a striker on the boys’ soccer team, is excited to play his first game at SAC II when soccer season begins.
“I think the atmosphere is going to be better and the fans overall,” Sanchez said. “We could have two games at one time because when we played at the SAC, we had to wait when someone else beat us to the field; we couldn't play there. I feel like the atmosphere is going to be way better overall because you're not only home, but it’s also a neutral ground.”
The new venue can accommodate 6,500 people and features an athletic field, concession areas, locker rooms, fine arts offices, instrument repair shop, music storage, and conference rooms. HKS Architects designed the new SAC and Banes General Contractor built the facility.
Aside from athletics, the complex will serve students and the community in various ways. Career and Technical Education (CTE) students in law enforcement, audio/visual, culinary arts, and journalism will have the opportunity to engage in real-life, hands-on experiences at the new facility.
Vasquez said the complex will host special events for students, employees, parents, and stakeholders, in addition to athletic events.
Laysha Reza, a senior and All-Star cheerleader at Socorro High School, is eager to cheer for the Bulldogs at the first football game at the SAC II on August 30. The high school will be celebrating homecoming.
She said the new turf will allow the cheerleaders to do more stunts and tumbling.
“It feels great!,” Reza said about the turf. “It's a beautiful facility. I'm thankful for everyone that made this possible. It took a while, but I'm glad that we're here now, and I'm super excited to cheer here the rest of my senior year.”
James Nunn, the director of SISD athletics, felt like he had come full circle with the opening of SAC II. Nunn was a football player at Montwood High School when the Rams played in the first football game when the original SAC opened in 1992. He said students will never forget how they will feel when they play for the first time in SAC II.
“This group of kids (who) get to play here for the first time, they're never going to forget this feeling of just being a part of this,” Nunn said. “The energy, the excitement. They'll have stories that they'll be able to tell their kids. And, hopefully, 32 years from now, one of them will open up the next facility.”