Mira Costa’s field of dreams

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Mira Costa’s Lloyd Waller Stadium got a facelift over the summer.

I haven’t seen it, but I’m told it’s something, and that everybody should go have a look, say, at 7 p.m. Friday, when the Mustangs face Esperanza in their home opener.

‘We got rid of the mudbath,’ Athletic Director Bob Fish said. ‘The field was an embarrassment. It was so dirty and muddy that, by the second game, it looked like we never reseeded it.’

They did, Fish promises. You just couldn’t tell, and so, finally, the Manhattan Beach Athletic Foundation and other school and community boosters did something about it.

Ground was broken the day after graduation last June and the formerly grass playing field was resurfaced with artificial turf, thanks to a $1.2 million fund-raising effort that was kick-started by an anonymous donation of $450,000.

The project was completed Aug. 20, in time for the first day of football practice, and now, the Mustangs’ stadium is lined and ready not only for football, but also soccer and lacrosse.

The track surrounding the playing surface also has been re-surfaced and the shotput, long-jump and high-jump pits refurbished.

‘We needed it, and the community wanted it,’ Fish said. ‘We’re totally pleased with it. The kids love it, it’s fast, and it looks good.’

- Lauren Peterson