‘Main Street Classic’ rivals meet for lunch ahead of Friday’s football game

SANTA MARiA, Calif. -- Santa Maria area football rivals met for lunch Thursday afternoon, just hours before they battle on the gridiron Friday night.

For more than an hour, selected players, coaches, staff and administrators from Santa Maria and Pioneer Valley high schools enjoyed a friendly get together at Cool Hand Luke's restaurant.

The luncheon is part an annual tradition in the rivalry, which is dubbed, the "Main Street Classic." The game returns after a one-year absence. Last year's contest was canceled due to Covid-19 issues.

"For the City of Santa Maria, it is one of the biggest rivalry games in Santa Barbara County,'' said Pioneer Valley athletic director Anthony Morales. "To everyone's benefit, both communities have mutual respect for each other. Our kids will have fun on Friday night, and they will be victorious regardless of the outcome. The reason, they will have this memory to remember for the rest of their lives."

Santa Maria head coach Dan Ellington, who was the Pioneer Valley head coach for five years (2010-14), knows all about this rivalry, having experienced it on both sidelines.

"The students come out to support both teams each year,'' said Ellington. "The atmosphere is electric. This game reminds me of the rivalries of Righetti and Santa Maria in the 80's. We have cousins and uncles playing against cousins and uncles. This game is for bragging rights for the administration, athletic directors, coaches, players, and students."

Players on both teams agree with the significance of the match-up. The game will allow the winners the opportunity to own bragging rights for a year, and for the seniors, the rest of their lives.

“It’s a big game for the town and for even both schools, said Pioneer Valley senior linebacker Adrian More. "It has a big history, and I know a lot of people I know have played in this game, so it’s very important to the town.”

“My whole time during high school, I’ve heard about these guys," said Santa Maria senior defensive end Angel Castillo "I’ve seen what they can do, and you know, it would be really good to just go out there and beat them”

The game is also important in the league positioning. With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, both teams are hoping to improve their standing in the Ocean League.

The Panthers are currently tied for third place with a league record 2-4, along with an overall mark 3-6.

The Saints are in sixth place with a record of 1-4, and an overall mark of 3-5.

With three wins apiece, each side has earned enough victories to qualify for the upcoming CIF-Central Section postseason.

The teams have played each year since 2006, except for last year's cancellation. Since the rivalry was established, Pioneer Valley has dominated the series winning 14 of the 15 games.

The lone win for Santa Maria was a 10-6 victory in 2019.

Friday's varsity game will be held at Pioneer Valley High School.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The junior varsity game will proceed the varsity match-up and will begin at 4:30 p.m.