High Life / A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : School Rivalries Rage, and Not Just on Playing Fields

Be true to your school.

Either on the athletic field or in the classroom, every school has a rival. It may be the school next door, a cross-town competitor or an enemy of long-standing tradition.

Hot Topics wonders: “With which Orange County school is your school’s fiercest rivalry, and in what area of competition?”

“I hate Capo (Capistrano Valley) more than any other school probably because we just lost to them (in girls’ basketball). I would have to say they’re our biggest rivals in football, definitely.”

Sara Bone, 17,

senior, El Toro

“Mater Dei is our worst enemy and rival for my soccer team.”

Tony Lindner, 14,

freshman, Santa Margarita

“The Servite-Mater Dei football game marks the tradition of Catholic rivalry in Orange County.”

Robert Clifford, 16,

senior, Mater Dei

“Kennedy in sports, but we’re going to catch them.”

Katie Tran, 16,

junior, Santiago

“Our Model United Nations rivalry with Huntington Beach is one of the fiercest. We are always trying to beat one another for the best-delegation award, even at the smallest of conferences. Committees can get very intense when delegates from our school meet up with those from Huntington, and the competitiveness really brings out the best in both schools.”

Chuck Cavanagh, 17,

senior, Ocean View

“Trabuco Hills in all sports.”

Lee Garriott, 16,

sophomore, Laguna Hills

“Brea-Olinda in speech and debate.”

Scott Sable, 15,

sophomore, Huntington Beach

“Edison for academics and Fountain Valley for sports.”

Shirley Cho, 16,

junior, Marina

“Trabuco Hills in football, because that’s the team to beat every year.”

Tim Corken, 17,

senior, Woodbridge

“University and Irvine for the most brains.”

Alicia Chan, 15,

sophomore, El Toro

“In wrestling, Canyon has an OK team; they’re our toughest competitors.”

Fred Chin, 15,

sophomore, Santiago

“La Quinta, but next year, we’re gonna kill ‘em and take over as league champs in tennis.”

Hien-Hanh Do, 16,

junior, Santiago

“I wish I could pick just one rival for Ocean View’s water polo or swim team, but since we don’t have a pool to attract more people to the sport and to practice in, we get our butts beaten in every game.”

Kurt O’Donnell, 16,

junior, Ocean View

“Westminster in cheerleading.”

Tiffany Young, 15,

sophomore, Huntington Beach

“Edison for academics.”

Cathy Kohatsu, 17,

senior, Marina

“Mission (Viejo) in football and band competition.”

Stella Wong, 17,

senior, El Toro

“Trabuco Hills in everything.”

Juan Strutton, 17,

junior, Laguna Hills

“Garden Grove in everything.”

Su Chung, 16,

junior, Santiago

“Edison in test scores.”

Glenn Johnson, 14,

freshman, Huntington Beach

“Laguna Hills in softball and Trabuco Hills and Laguna Hills in soccer.”

Mary Dugard, 18,

senior, Woodbridge

“In the middle of the football season, our football team triumphed over Huntington Beach. At that point, both Huntington and Ocean View had been undefeated (in league play). We won the game, Huntington’s only loss of the season. It seems Huntington was rather upset, so I believe that a rivalry has begun.”

Nancy McCollough, 17,

senior, Ocean View

“Mission in football.”

Nicole Leigh, 16,

junior, El Toro

“In boys’ basketball, Mater Dei is Ocean View’s biggest rival. For this game the gym is always packed, the game gets very intense and is really exciting.”

Suzanne Correnti, 16,

junior, Ocean View

“Whittier Christian is our biggest rival in football.”

Marc Mosman, 16,

junior, Santa Margarita

“Orange in soccer.”

David Ochi, 14,

freshman, Laguna Hills

“Western in football.”

Giselle Bonilla, 17,

senior, Cypress

“Edison in football.”

Matt Doe, 16,

junior, Huntington Beach

“Trabuco Hills in basketball.”

Scott Coker, 14,

freshman, Woodbridge

“Huntington Beach is our basketball team’s fiercest rivalry.”

Jeff Larson, 15,

freshman, Santa Margarita

“Kennedy in football.”

Sam Patel, 16,

junior, Cypress

“If it concerns tennis, Marina is our fiercest rival from the last tennis match we had. We were tied in number of wins but then lost in games. Because they underestimated our ability this year and almost lost to us, next year they’ll definitely prepare harder for the match.”

Joanne Nguyen, 16,

junior, Ocean View

“Edison for water polo. The games are always a close contest.”

Steve Ray, 16,

junior, Marina

“Trabuco Hills in soccer.”

Tina Hall, 17,

senior, Woodbridge

“Capo in all sports.”

Kathy Kim, 17,

senior, El Toro

“Kennedy, because almost no one can beat us at water polo but them.”

Alan Chin, 17,

senior, Santiago

“Whittier Christian is the most challenging in soccer.”

Kirsten Capobianco, 17,

junior, Santa Margarita

“Trabuco Hills in football, basketball and soccer.”

Tony Nguyen, 14,

freshman, Laguna Hills

“Kennedy in basketball.”

James Kim, 18,

senior, Cypress

“Edison because they win in everything.”

Johney Han, 17,

senior, Marina

Next Week’s Hot Topic:

What’s your favorite or strangest money-saving habit or practice?

Hot Topic responses gathered by Blythe Latimer (Cypress), Dawn Stone (El Toro), Jane Wey (Huntington Beach), Megan Kenney (Laguna Hills), Jenny Henderson (Marina), Debbie Maddox (Mater Dei), Felice Wu (Ocean View), Asra Hashmy (Rosary), Nguyen-Hong Hoang (Saddleback), Suzanne Zamoyski (Santa Margarita), Tam Vuong (Santiago), Kiley Coble (University) and Tomarra Wilds (Woodbridge).