The Poinsettia Bowl between Navy and San Diego State was expected to take place on December 23 at 8 p.m. It will still take place on December 23 at 8 p.m., despite massive flooding at Qualcomm Stadium, the location of the game.
There were floods all over the region yesterday, due to heavy rain that caused the San Diego River to flood. According to reports, the Qualcomm Stadium field was submerged in 10 inches of muddy water on Wednesday, leaving the game in doubt. Pictures via SB Nation and Sign on San Diego.
Cleaning up that amount of flooding is a difficult job, to say the least. However, it looks like the crew found a way to pull it off. Workers spent all night pumping out about a million and a half gallons of water, and they managed to dump enough out to begin repainting the field at 8 a.m. this morning. Therefore, the game will go on, according to Sign on San Diego.
Poinsettia Bowl Executive Director Bruce Binowski called the workers' efforts "an amazing accomplishment."
"The field looks beautiful," Binkowski said at about 7:45 a.m. Thursday. "All the water if off. They've actually started to paint the sponsor logo at midfield. That tells you how things are progressing. They're painting the field markings now. All the water is out. It's a miracle."
He added, "The field may be a little damp and slushy during the game because it's so absorbent down there.... As we said yesterday, we're going to play football tonight. The sun's out. Not a cloud in the sky. You may see some guys slipping and sliding tonight, but considering the alternative, I think it's an amazing accomplishment."
There are still a couple city officials concerned about the safety of the players and fans for the game, but Binowski says the game will go on. About 11,000 of the 19,000 parking spots are usable, and the stands appear ready as well.