It’s the No. 1 Thing on Eisenhower’s Mind : High schools: Being the nation’s top-rated football team has some disadvantages.

The response was electric last month when the stadium announcer at Rialto Eisenhower High School told fans before a game against Pasadena Muir that their Eagles were the nation’s No. 1-rated team in every prep poll.

After having been the hunter for years, the Eagles were suddenly the hunted, with every opponent focused on defeating them.

And Coach Tom Hoak has learned that being regarded as the best can be a problem.

“It is very difficult to deal with because what it does is change the way you normally approach the game,” said Hoak, whose Eagles are 5-0. “Like it or not, there is certain pressure placed on your shoulders that takes some of the fun away.

“We are constantly reminded of (the No. 1 ranking), every day. The players think, because people see us as being this good, that they don’t have to work as hard. But, in reality, we have to work twice as hard now to keep our position. This is an opportunity that you don’t want to blow.”

Eisenhower’s most famous alumnus, the Raiders’ Ronnie Lott, who played for the Eagles in the mid-1970s, has followed the team’s recent rise.

“I’ve kept up with (Eisenhower) over the years because my family still lives in the area and still attends games,” said Lott, an All-Southern Section Division I defensive back in 1976. “Football was big when I was there, and it is still big now. I remember when we played Fontana, over 15,000 people would show up for the game, and that is big-time football at the high school level.”

The respect Eisenhower’s program has recently received did not come overnight. Even though the Eagles have been a mainstay in the tough Citrus Belt League for years, Eisenhower played in the shadow of Fontana until last year.

Then, after having lost to Fontana for 11 consecutive seasons, Eisenhower defeated the Steelers last season, 16-7, ending Fontana’s 23-game winning streak.

“Once they beat us, that gave them a lot of credit,” Fontana Coach Dick Bruich said. “We like the fact that they are now the team around here. It’s great that they are now respected like that.”

Eisenhower players say they realize that they cannot let up now, against any opponent.

“There is pressure on us every week to do well because we are the big game for every team we play,” said Jevon Hicks, starting quarterback and linebacker for the Eagles. “Our worst fear is us defeating ourselves.”

Senior tailback Omar Love, who has rushed for 640 yards and 11 touchdowns in averaging nine yards a carry, has received the most attention. But Love is not the Eagles’ only blue-chip athlete.

Eisenhower features a defensive line that includes tackle Chris Anderson, 6 feet and 220 pounds; end Aparicio Tate, 6-3 and 290, and Germaine Gray, 6-5 and 240. They lead a defense that has given up an average of seven points a game.

The big game for Eisenhower will be Nov. 8 when it plays host to Fontana. Both teams are expected to be undefeated in a rematch of last year’s showdown, but this year the Eagles will be home.

“They have more Division I (college) bodies on the team than any high school team I have ever seen,” Muir Coach Mike Morris said.

Playing for respect has always been important for Eisenhower, which did not win its first playoff game until 1986 and has yet to win a Southern Section divisional title.

The furthest Eisenhower has advanced in postseason play was the semifinals in 1986, when the Eagles lost to Encino Crespi after having beaten top-seeded La Puente Bishop Amat in the quarterfinals. Last season, Eisenhower lost to Santa Ana Mater Dei in the quarterfinals, 34-20.

Hoak coached at San Bernardino Pacific High for five years before taking over at Eisenhower, so he knows of the years when Eisenhower wasn’t as successful.

“Some people don’t want to see Eisenhower as a football school, and that has created some problems,” said Hoak, who was an assistant at the school when Lott played there. “Instead of getting behind the team, there are those who don’t want the program to steal the limelight away.

“This has been a conflict because the idea of just competing is overshadowed now because a win-at-all-cost attitude has taken over. At times, I feel like a college coach because of the pressure. We no longer can just win, we have to do it impressively for people who want to see our margin of victory look good.”

Lott has some advice for the Eagles, who will begin Citrus Belt play Friday when they travel to Riverside to play Rubidoux.

“People expect a lot from the team there,” Lott said. “The key for them is to take one game at a time and not get caught up with the rankings.”

For Hoak, that is easier said than done.