No Almond Bowl, no problem for Chico rivals
Crosstown foes PV, Chico ready for first matchup since 2019
CHICO >> It may not be deemed the Almond Bowl, but to the players on both the Chico and Pleasant Valley High football teams, the game still matters just as much.
The crosstown rivals kick off their first meeting since Nov. 30, 2019 today at 7:30 p.m. at PV’s Asgard Yard.
The contest isn’t officially considered an Almond Bowl since the student bodies for both schools aren’t able to attend, the two schools confirmed earlier in the week. Only four household contacts of the players, cheerleaders and the band are permitted into the stands. Instead, both schools agreed to save the 50th edition of the Almond Bowl for the fall.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s not the Almond Bowl, it’s still a big game for us. We are treating it as such,” said Panthers lineman Ottmar Lopez. “It’s a big game, it’s a rivalry game.”
It marks the first of two meetings between the programs this year. Both teams face off again on April 30 at Chico High.
“It’d mean everything (to win Friday),” said PV senior Ethan Alexander. “We play them twice. Getting one win would mean everything then getting two wins will seal the deal and it’ll feel great.”
Both teams opened their seasons last Friday with Chico shutting out Corning 49-0 at home and PV falling in a close matchup 14-7 to Yuba City on the road.
PV is still on the hunt for its first victory of the year.
“Coming off of a loss from Yuba City, our defense was solid but not solid enough,” said Cruz Jauregui of Pleasant Valley. “We don’t care what the game is labeled as long as we play, that’s all we care about. We just want to win.”
Normally during the week of Almond Bowl student rallies and dress-up days take place at school. But because of the
COVID-19 pandemic rallies are put on hold. Only half the student body is on campus at a time since the Chico Unified School District operates in the a.m./ p.m. model.
“You can’t really feel the energy at school but everybody on the team once when you get (to practice) you just know it’s PV week,” said Chico’s Ptolemy Parry. “The energy is unmatched sometimes out here.”
The now-seniors on the Panthers haven’t forgotten about the last matchup with their rivals. On Nov. 30, 2019 PV avenged an Almond Bowl loss to capture the Northern Section Division II championship with a 24-3 victory.
The Vikings’ win denied the Panthers from winning their first section title since 1990.
“We’re all here for a revenge tour,” Parry said. “Last year stung a little bit.”
Like Chico, those on the PV team haven’t forgotten about the 20-10 loss in Almond Bowl 49.
“It’s always disappointing to lose against them. It’s the best feeling to beat them,” Alexander said.
The Chico-PV game carries more weight since players on both teams are often friends who grew up together and ended up attending different high schools.
“Chico is not a very big town so we’re buddies with some of them. When football season starts there are no friends,” quipped Chico’s Hank Murphy. “(Playing your rival) brings it up a notch. It makes it that much more important.
We’ve been dreaming of this moment.”
For Murphy, a senior, the game will still serve as a special moment for him despite the lack of the Almond Bowl title.
“It makes it all worth it. It’ll always go down in the books, even if it’s just something that we can tell our buddies or our kids about someday,” Murphy said. “It’s always going to be important to us whether there are fans or not.”