Groundbreaking ceremonies are usually a little dusty—but at St. Pius High School on Thursday, the air was filled with black and gold confetti and the roar of a community ready for a new chapter.

It was hard to tell which was louder: the pop of confetti tubes or the cheers that erupted when the Sartans' school colors burst into the sky. And while the celebration wasn't for head football coach Curtis Flakes Jr.'s 44th birthday, he couldn't help but smile at the timing.

"What a birthday gift," Flakes said. "Having our own home field? We're super excited about that."

The new multiuse facility—set to open in 2027—will serve as the home for football, soccer, and track and field. Right now, the site is just a small pile of dirt next to an excavator, but for the St. Pius community, it represents a dream decades in the making.

The ceremony took place in front of Ben Rios Field, the school's current soccer stadium, which has been the stage for countless memories. Boys soccer coach AJ Herrera, a four-time state champion during his playing days at St. Pius and the 1998-99 New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year, reflected on the moment with a mix of nostalgia and excitement.

"There's been so many memories and great experiences on this field, so it's a little bittersweet," Herrera said. "But this is the right decision for the school and the athletic programs. We've been waiting a long time for today, and this means so much to the whole community."

The new stadium will feature green turf, seating for 3,000 fans, a digital scoreboard, a press box, and concessions. But the biggest upgrade? Lights. For the first time in decades, Sartans athletes will be able to compete under the Friday night glow on their own campus. The field will retain the Ben Rios name, honoring a former student.

The project carries a price tag of about $5 million, with St. Pius looking to raise an additional $1 million. "The more we can raise, the more bells and whistles we can have," said Julie Cook, the school's vice president of institutional advancement. "It helps us build some features now instead of waiting."

Construction is set to begin this summer, with major infrastructure and stadium framework expected by fall. The football and soccer portions should be ready by spring 2027—just in time for the fall seasons.

For context, St. Pius hasn't hosted a football game on campus since 1997. For nearly three decades, the Sartans have rented facilities from Albuquerque Public Schools, a decision driven by outgrowing their own crowd capacity. Between rental fees, staffing, and security, each home game currently costs the school close to $5,000.

Now, that money stays home—and so does the Sartans' pride.