Coach Dave Ward’s football team of Oak Harbor Wildcats is off to an incredible start this year, with a perfect 4-0 record after four weeks of play.

The impressive record includes wins over the perennially powerful Snohomish Panthers on their home artificial turf, and the talented Monroe Bearcats last Friday on Oak Harbor’s questionable turf.

It’s unlikely Coach Ward inspires his players with a Rockne-esque, “Get out there and win one for the bond issue,” but the fact is the team’s great start couldn’t be timed better for the Nov. 8 stadium bond election.

The Wildcats are packing the fans in at our historic and once-proud Memorial Stadium, and it’s sorry condition is obvious to a growing fan base. Rented bleachers, no overhead cover for when the fall rainy season begins (this Friday, the weatherman predicts), a field that drains poorly and is dangerous to run on, and substandard restroom facilities for players and fans alike argue persuasively that the stadium bond issue is a necessity, not a luxury.

If the Wildcats continue their winning ways it looks like we’ll go into the third consecutive football playoff season without a home game. Oak Harbor’s facilities aren’t good enough to host a playoff game so fans will be on the road again to Mount Vernon or perhaps Everett to watch the Wildcats take their first steps toward a possible state championship.

As always, Coach Ward’s Wildcats are fighting hard. The least we can do is show our support and appreciation by assuring that future teams have a decent place to play, and that they can play their hard-earned playoff games in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.