Hesperia Sting Youth Football Program Hit By Theft At Equipment Storage Container

HESPERIA, Calif. (VVNG.com) — Thieves targeted the Hesperia Sting youth football program after breaking into an equipment storage container at Hesperia High School and stealing helmets, shoulder pads, and training gear intended for local youth athletes.

Information about the incident was shared on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, by Michael Moreno, commissioner of Hesperia Sting and head coach for the program’s sophomore division for players ages 9 to 11.

According to Moreno, the theft happened at a large shipping container used by the organization to store football equipment on the campus of Hesperia High School.

Moreno said the stolen equipment included football helmets, shoulder pads, tackle wheels, tackle bags, arm shields, step-over bags, and parts from the program’s generator. He said many of the helmets that were stolen were brand new and still inside plastic bags.

“What’s in the photo is what’s left,” Moreno said. “The photo that has the empty rack was full of shoulder pads and the helmets they stole were brand new ones on the shelves still in plastic bags.”

Moreno said school officials informed the organization there are no surveillance cameras covering the area where the container is located.

“This wasn’t just stolen equipment,” Moreno said. “This was taken from children who work hard every single day to be part of something positive, safe, and bigger than themselves.”

He said the theft comes just weeks before the team is scheduled to begin official practices.

“We have our first day of practice on Monday, July 27th, so we have to hopefully find who did this to get back helmets and shoulder pads before then,” Moreno said. “If not, it will be really hard to get the money to replace all the stolen items.”

According to Moreno, most of the stolen equipment was intended for the organization’s older players. “They mainly took all of our bigger equipment for our older kids,” he said.

Despite the loss, Moreno said the organization plans to continue spring training sessions.

“Right now we are doing spring training without pads but we were using the arm shields and step over bags to do certain drills and now those are gone so we will still do spring training just with less equipment,” Moreno said.

Moreno also described the sacrifices families and volunteers make to keep the program operating.

“Football keeps these kids active, disciplined, focused, and surrounded by a family that believes in them,” Moreno said. “A lot of families sacrifice to make this program possible. Coaches volunteer countless hours. Sponsors and parents give what they can. To have someone come in and steal from a youth organization is heartbreaking.”

The organization is asking anyone who may have seen suspicious activity or who may hear about football equipment being sold to contact the Hesperia Sting program privately through its social media pages.

“Even the smallest piece of information could help us recover what was taken from our kids,” Moreno said. Despite the setback, Moreno said the organization remains committed to its players.

“We refuse to let this stop our program or our kids from continuing to grow,” he said.

A GoFundMe campaign titled Rebuild Stronger: Help Our Youth Football Program has also been created to help replace the stolen equipment and support the Hesperia Sting youth football program.

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