North County fans arrive early for game

By: ADAM KAYE - Staff Writer | Saturday, January 8, 2005 9:34 PM PST ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- Wet or dry, a capacity crowd spread Charger fever throughout Qualcomm Stadium on Saturday. And the party started early. At least four fans from Oceanside arrived at 8 a.m.

"It was packed," Eleno Saldivar said of the sprawling parking lot. "And it was fun 'cause it was rowdy."

As they awaited the kickoff, Saldivar and friends ---- Luis Carbajal and Daniel and Armando Carbajal ---- commanded a sweeping view of the stadium. Their seats were on the very top row.

As drizzle turned to rain, the friends said they would have cheered their beloved San Diego Chargers even if it were snowing. At the altitude of their seats, they did not rule out that possibility.

"It's all right, baby!" an energized Carbajal said.

Rainfall came and went during the team's first playoff game in nine years, and fans huddled beneath parkas and trash bags. Some of the first sprinkles began before kickoff, in the jam-packed parking lot.

One fan, Sherman Labrador of San Diego, had a thrill well before the game started. He was keeping watch of the vehicles pulling into the section of the parking lot used by the players.

"I just high-fived Doug Flutie!" said Labrador, beaming. "Here's the hand! Right here! I'm not going to wash it!"

Some daring guests wore the unpopular dark green of the Jets. The outfits drew choruses of boos.

"I'm used to it," said Jets fan Marilyn Solek.

Solek and her family recently moved from New Jersey to Temecula. She said fans from San Diego are not as hostile as those from Miami.

"It's no comparison," she said.

Solek's daughter, Saundra, 13, said she knew her Jets had made her unpopular among Chargers fans. No big deal.

"They'll see after the game!" Saundra said.

As the game began, the stadium felt as if it shaked as the audience roared in support of their team. Fans waved souvenir towels they were given at the gate. One fan said he worried that the towels looked as if they symbolized surrender.

A temporary North County resident, Jonathan Wichers, was among more than 100 Camp Pendleton-based Marines who unfurled a giant American flag along with an equal number of sailors.

Being part of the ceremony was an honor, Wichers said. Many of Wichers' comrades are deployed in Iraq, he said.

"I wish 'em a lot of luck, to come home safe, and I'll be over there soon," he said.

Contact staff writer Adam Kaye at (760) 943-2312 or akaye@nctimes.com.

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