A Pop Warner party

COSTA MESA — The Jim Scott Stadium at Estancia High School was rife with celebration Saturday morning.

As red, black and white balloons waved over the chain-link fence, players lined the field in uniform and city leaders took the microphone to speak.

But one of the biggest rounds of applause went to a man on the far end of the stadium, barely visible in his wheelchair under the shade of trees.

Jim Scott, who co-founded Costa Mesa United in the 1990s to bolster youth athletic facilities around town, saw one of his dreams come to fruition last year when work began on a stadium at Estancia.

The stadium, since named after Scott, was the first project under the Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s Measure F bond — and Saturday, as Scott watched momentarily from the sidelines, it became the new home field for the Costa Mesa Pop Warner Football and Cheer league.

“Jim, thank you for all your vision, and thank you for all you’ve done,” said Steve Mensinger, the president of Costa Mesa Pop Warner, as the crowd of hundreds gave Scott a standing ovation.

Scott, who was debilitated by a stroke two years ago, left shortly after, but others praised him in their remarks throughout the ceremony, calling the opening day festivities a tribute to the work he and others put into bringing a stadium to town.

The Costa Mesa Pop Warner league, which previously played its home games at Costa Mesa High School, held its first preseason scrimmages on the field Saturday, with the regular season set to start Labor Day Weekend.

Although the games began earlier in the day, the ceremony took place shortly before noon, as Mensinger, Costa Mesa Mayor Eric Bever and a number of city and school district officials welcomed the Costa Mesa Eagles to their new home.

“Pop Warner is not just about football,” said Elizabeth Novack, the school district’s assistant superintendent of human resources. “It’s about creating lifelong positive characteristics in our youth, both on and off the field.”

The national Pop Warner league, founded in 1929, operates football and cheerleading teams in 41 states and several other countries.

The organization sponsors teams for children aged 5 to 16 and requires participants to post average or exceptional grades to stay in the program.

Costa Mesa’s team plays regular season games against others throughout Southern California.

As players and cheerleaders of all ages packed the field Saturday, some stopped to marvel at what a change it was from their old grounds.

“It’s, like, way nice,” said Justin Young, 12, of Santa Ana, who plays in the Pee Wee division for the Eagles.

His friend, 11-year-old Steven Kipp of Costa Mesa, said one benefit of the stadium is that it has artificial turf, which enables some players to run faster.

“It burns your feet more,” he added. “But in football, you’ve got to deal with that.”

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MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at [email protected].