History of the Pack

Hard to believe that arguably Ridgeview's most successful team started out void of both any bleachers and a Varsity field. Luckily, in the first year of Ridegview's operation, JV Coaches Bernardin, Rivera and Schwartz and Frosh/Soph Coaches Odom, Hollywood and Aguilar all pitched in together alongside the team to till and lay down the turf for the field themselves! That helped for the official establishment of the Varsity team in 1995 alongside many other sports.

With a Varsity team straight out the gate for the Boys Basketball team since 1994, Ridgeview's Basketball team has a pretty good winners belt overall when you take note of the streaks each team was able to build up. Even more impressive when you consider that the Girls Basketball team didn't have a varsity until the next year (1995)!

The Cross Country team has existed since Ridgeview High School's inception in 1994, though it was not competitive at the time, as not many schools held Cross Country competitions that recognized until the next year, and very few meets were held. Notable figures include Coach Narworski and Coach Thatcher, the very first Cross Country coaches in Ridgeview history.

The Football team opened with a 7-2 record in 1994, a good omen for their future accomplishments down the line- and they did it without a stadium to practice in! The stadium didn't come 'til next year, and was tilled and sodded by the team members themselves... and quite a few other volunteers ranging from students to parents to district officials. Coaches Peacock, Bernardin, Tucker, Aguilar, Grimes, Garcia, Glidden and Rivera all pitched in a little as well. Something incredibly interesting to a few of you, I'd expect- in 1995, the JV/Varsity team gained its first-ever female player in Elena Espinosa!

Fittingly for Theatre, its history is just as rich as the plays it puts on. Established the year the school opened with Mrs. Henry as its head, it may have gotten off to a slow but commendable start, but in 2005 the head position was  given to Mrs. Resolme after Mrs. Davies, the initial replacement for Mrs. Henry, left the district. It was during these years, until 2021, that the Theatre program grew into the popular in-school and after-school class it is today, with countless programs established such as the Fall Play, the Travelling Children's Musical and much more! 

Though Soccer has existed since the school's debut, it actually didn't have a Frosh/Soph team 'till 2018 with its first coach, Imelda Arreguin. In fact, both Boys and Girls Soccer started out with only a JV team, though that didn't stop them from taking second and third in both their respective tournaments straight out the gate under the supervision of Coach Morley for the boys and Coach Marci Walley for the girls.

Though Softball wasn't recognized as anything beyond the "Girls Sport," that didn't stop the first team from being as invested as possible in their team and their competitions. The decent amount of coaches would agree as well- Chandler, Oaks and Kittridge didn't let being seen as a "club" deter their training and their spirit, and in any case, the establishment of Varsity in 1995 made sure to make the sport notable in the school's eyes.

Swim has always been a mixed-gender sport, but when the school opened the swim team was solely female... and only had six members. Luckily, Ridgeview partnered with South High to create a varsity team, and Ridgeview's own Coach Sherri Sacks was the head of the combined team- meaning the Ridgeview Swim team started out solely Varsity!

Since 1994, the Tennis team has been well-off in both their performance and participation numbers. Reliable ever since the first two coaches, Coach Fritche and Coach Young for Boys and Girls respectively, the team started out as solely Frosh/Soph and the Frosh/Soph and JV team remains one of the most consistent teams on the campus.

Track started out only as a JV team, but they still attended meets in their first year, 1994! Though they didn't start out with any real notable achievements, the coaches Tucker, Lewis and Montanio expressed confidence in their future achievements, and a greater focus on team sports such as the rally.

The Girls Volleyball team has existed since Ridgeview's opening in 1994 and immediately made a splash with a tournament win at East High, under the close guidance of the JV team Coach Sliger and the Frosh/Soph team Coach Kloepper.

JV, Varsity and Frosh/Soph aren't really done in the traditional way in Wrestling, which would explain why when it started out in 1994, it didn't have any of those categories... and still kind of doesn't even today. It was more like a heavily school-sponsored club, and the reason for that is obvious; the team was really good, taking both first and second in the SSL tournament and second in the Cotton Classic. Coach Case was almost certainly proud.