El Rancho High School
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El Rancho High School is a public school located in the city of Pico Rivera, California, United States. It is a part of the El Rancho Unified School District.
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[edit] History
El Rancho High School opened its doors in September 1952. Whittier High School provided many of the original El Rancho students, and the Whittier Union District administered the new school until 1962 when the El Rancho Unified School District was developed. The school was located within the unincorporated community of Rivera before the municipal incorporation of Pico Rivera. The school colors are Blue and Gray, representing the colors of the Union and Confederate soldiers of the American Civil War. The two neighboring communities were Pico and Rivera: in symbolic terms, the North and the South.Ultimately the school brought students from the two communities together. El Rancho, Spanish for The Ranch, provided the student body and community with the nickname, The Ranch. The football stadium slogan is "You haven't been hit until you've been hit by The Ranch, which became well known throughout the Southland during the El Rancho powerhouse years of the 1960's."
In 2011, The El Rancho School Board voted to name the Football field at El Rancho 'Don Memorial Stadium'- "Ernie Johnson Field" in honor of his numerous and remarkable contributions and achievements during his tenure of Head Football Coach at El Rancho. A Banquet in the El Rancho Gymnasium with over 400 past players, Coaches and fans attending was held on August 28, 2011. The City of Pico Rivera also declared that day as "Ernie Johnson Day". Official Field dedication took place on September 23, 2011 at El Rancho's Homecoming football game.
El Rancho's campus was 45 acres (180,000 m2) and was named after what the land used to be a ranch. Before it was home to orange groves and avocados, soon it was made to serve the ever growing population of the two cities. No seniors were present during the first year of school until the Juniors of 1952 graduated as the first batch of seniors to leave the Ranch and head on to be the pioneering Dons of the future in 1954. Reflecting the local demographics, the school opened its doors to a population of primarily white, non-Hispanic students and a notable percentage of Hispanic students.
When El Rancho was in the process of opening, the students who were planning to attend the school attended assemblies to decide their mascot. The Don was adopted as the schools mascot by a vote of the student population. Other mascot candidates included the Swallows, the Rocketeers, and Grizzlies.
In 1990, the school was used for the film Zapped Again!. On Tuesday, May 31, 2011, El Rancho made history by becoming the first San Gabriel Valley high school to host a Teen Court. The court was held at the City Council chambers across the street from the school.
[edit] Sports
El Rancho High School football team during the 1960s established themselves as one of the most respected high school football programs in the California. The Dons were led by head coach Ernie Johnson, who coached from 1956-1968. In 1966, the Dons were awarded the National Championship and California State Championship when they beat Anaheim High School by a score of 35-14, in the Championship game. Coach Johnson directed El Rancho High to nine League Championships in 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968. Three CIF Championships in 1960, 1966 1968, were CIF Runner-Ups in 1960 and 1963 and a National High School Football Championship in 1966. Coach Johnson ended his coaching tenure in 1968 with a 108-31-5 record.[1] El Rancho last won a league championship in 1997-1998. El Rancho's last CIF Semifinals appearance was in 1991 losing to Nogales High School. El Rancho last made it to the CIF Championship game in 1988 losing to Los Altos high school 12-0.
El Rancho football's crosstown rivals are the Montebello Oilers, Pioneer Titans, Whittier Cardinals, and Santa Fe Chiefs.
Soccer
The varsity soccer team has won league 10 times. They were CIF champions in 2003 and CIF semi-finalists in 2008. Their most recent result in the CIF playoffs was a 3-1 win to Crescenta Valley in the quarterfinals after narrowly beating Hawthorne 1-0. The 2010-2011 Varsity team has recently won the CIF Division IV Southern Section Championship winning 4-2 against Oak Hills. During the Season of 1976-1977, a CIF-4A record (Southern Section), was set by GoalKeeper Duane Joel Daniel, who made a total of 257 saves in that season. Daniel also made 148 saves during Pacific League play the same year.
Cross Country
El Rancho's running dynasty has captured 8 Del Rio League titles in the last 10 years, making it the most successful team in the recent years. The team of 2005 was ranked 18th in the nation and finished 5th at the California State Championships.
Track and Field
El Rancho's Track and Field recently became Del Rio League Champions in 2010 and 2011. All four level were undefeated.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Rich Camarillo, former NFL punter.[2]
- Tom Egan, former major league catcher.[3]
- Randy Flores, left-handed pitcher currently a free agent.[4]
- Ron Flores, left-handed relief pitcher. Currently a free agent.[5]
- Mickey Klutts (1954-), Major League Baseball player from 1976 to 1983 for the New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays.[6]
- Bill Nelsen, former quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.[7]
- Scott Reid, former major league baseball outfielder with the Philadelphia Phillies.[8]
- Jeanette Jurado, actress/singer
- Paul Phipps, former General Manager of the San Diego Clippers, Denver Nuggets and executive of Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and NASCAR
- Cesar Ramos (baseball), left handed pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays.
[edit] References
- ^ Football Team Records, El Rancho High School Football. Accessed July 15, 2007.
- ^ Rich Camarillo player profile, database Football. Accessed July 15, 2007.
- ^ Tom Egan player profile, The Baseball Cube. Accessed July 16, 2007.
- ^ Randy Flores player profile, The Baseball Cube. Accessed July 16, 2007.
- ^ Ron Flores player profile, The Baseball Cube. Accessed July 16, 2007.
- ^ Mickey Klutts, The Baseball Cube. Accessed September 19, 2007.
- ^ Bill Nelsen player profile, database Football. Accessed July 15, 2007.
- ^ Scott Reid player profile, The Baseball Cube. Accessed July 16, 2007.
[edit] External links
- The Don Page, El Rancho High School.
- School overview at greatschools.net.
Coordinates: 33°59′02″N 118°05′13″W / 33.983902°N 118.087013°W
