Larkin quarterback Watson reacts to the new Royals Athletic Complex: ‘We finally have our home’

Larkin’s Brian Watson watched over the past year as the Royals Athletic Complex was being built.

Larkin has never had a home stadium on campus in the football program’s 64-year history. Piece by piece, Watson and his teammates have watched the future come together.

The junior quarterback gets to lead his team onto that field Friday night against Streamwood for the first home game in football — and on homecoming, no less.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Watson said. “We finally have our own home. It definitely did bring some excitement to all of us. I feel like this is going to be big for the school in general.

“We have the field and people see we have something going on. It could change things around.”

It’s expected to be a packed house, with former Larkin players being honored before the game.

Along with Watson, senior receiver Antonio Ventura followed the construction of Larkin’s athletic complex with growing interest. He has been waiting for this day to come.

“I feel like it will be really exciting for me and my team,” Ventura said. “We’re hyped about it. More and more as it kept going through the process, we started seeing everything that goes with it.

“Day by day, it got more and more close. When they started rolling out the turf, I got even more excited.”

The festivities kick off at 4:30 p.m. Friday with Larkin’s boys soccer team playing host to Geneva. The varsity football game against Streamwood follows at 7:15 p.m.

“For more than six decades, generations of Royals dreamed of having an athletic complex to call their own,” Larkin principal Jason Misicka said in a statement. “This new facility is about much more than where we play; it is a place where our students, families and alumni can come together, strengthen their connection to Larkin and celebrate what it means to be a Royal.”

Being able to walk across the parking lot to the stadium as opposed to going across town to Elgin to play at Memorial Field has other tangible benefits outside a sense of pride.

“I feel like for the younger kids, their family may not always have a ride to go where we play,” Ventura said. “Now, we can play here in our backyard.”

The new stadium goes hand in the vision of first-year coach Jomari Villaluz for the program. Physically having a stadium to play in instantly increases the thrill of representing themselves and the program.

“The biggest thing is playing with pride, having pride in your school, having pride in your town,” Villaluz said. “It’s not just playing with pride, but I always give the team the same message every year. I don’t want you to just be better football players. I want you to be better men.”

Watson noticed the change immediately.

“He’s been trying to change things around completely,” Watson said of Villaluz. “It’s been a lot different compared to the last two years I’ve been here. It starts in school, too.

“He tries to keep us on track, making sure we’re all doing the right thing so it can go down to the lower levels. When they come up to varsity, they can be the change.”

The Royals are hoping to change things around on the field starting Friday. Larkin (0-6, 0-3) has lost 19 straight games dating back to Sept. 27, 2024. The last win also came against Streamwood, 22-20. Being able to break that streak in their shiny new stadium would be a bonus.

“We’re a small team, undersized,” Watson said. “I feel like we’re the underdogs. I feel like this Friday, we’re going to go get a win. I’m not going to be nervous, but it’s definitely going to be something completely different.

“This is Larkin. We’ve never really had a home.”