By Daniel Fischer and Luis Hernandez Espinoza,
Staff Writers.
The rivalry between the Santa Rosa High School Panthers and the Montgomery High School Vikings has been the cause of beloved and long lasting traditions during the SRHS spirit week. Being our school’s 150th Year Anniversary, it’s only fitting to take a look at our past rivalry with Montgomery High.
Santa Rosa High was established in 1874, while Montgomery was established in 1958, the first two high schools in the history of the city. The battle between these two represent the distinct culture, community and competition, reflecting the passion and rich history of Santa Rosa’s oldest institutions.
The rivalry started once the high school sports scene was popularized and garnered public attention. Since both of the schools are located in the city of Santa Rosa, students of each respective school commonly attend each other’s games, which creates an atmosphere of intense competition.
The most memorable sporting events between the two are the football games. These yearly duels draw out the most crowds by far, and the stakes are always high. “It was intense,” weighed senior Jonas Petre on the atmosphere of the rival games. “There was a lot of energy and spirit.”
In the past 20 years, Santa Rosa has a highly disappointing record against Montgomery. “Despite all the energy put in by the players, we still got smoked,” said Petre. The unfortunate truth appears to be that Montgomery has our number both on the field and on the court as of late.
Athletics isn’t the only department where the two schools face off. Spirit week is an annual tradition where themes are presented and the students dress accordingly. While Monty Nerd Day and Mourning of the Viking Day take place here at SRHS during the week of the rivalry game. The two spirit days involve poking fun at each other’s mascot and colors by mocking them as nerds or by mourning their supposed death that happens after the football game.
This rivalry is esteemed in Santa Rosa’s history, going back to the opening of Montgomery in 1958. Our entire school is involved in the rivalry with Montgomery. Through sports and school activities, we will continue to compete with the Vikings for years to come.
