Santa Maria Valley football rivals meet for lunch ahead of ‘Battle for the Helmet’ game
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - Two days before they meet on the gridiron captains of the Righetti and Pioneer Valley high school football teams met in a much friendlier environment on Wednesday afternoon.
For more than an hour, the players, along with coaches, school and Santa Maria Joint Union High School District officials spent time having lunch together at Cool Hand Luke's Steakhouse and Saloon.
"It's good to see them," said Nehemiah Galindo, Righetti senior linebacker. "It's for sure a nice, a nice thing to just chat, meet up to see what's going to go on and see how they're doing catch up. So it's always a nice time to communicate with them too, so it's going to be a good Friday."
The luncheon has been a longtime tradition ever since the rivalry, which has been named, "Battle for the Helmet" was first created back in 2006.
"It's nice seeing them, getting to talk before it does get to business," said Cade Quezada, Pioneer Valley senior running back/linebacker. "It's nice to just catch up and have some fun. It's the last time I'll ever play these guys, so to me, it's probably the biggest event that I'll probably have this year."
The winner of the game takes possession of the perpetual helmet trophy that was created several years ago.
One half of the helmet is painted in Pioneer Valley black and its Panther logo, with the other half painted in Righetti purple and its school "W" logo. There are stickers with the each year printed on them that are placed on the winning side.
Last year, Righetti kept the helmet, winning for the second straight year, in a 49-7 victory over the Panthers.
Overall, the teams have met 19 times, with Righetti leading with 13 victories, to six for Pioneer Valley.
Players from both teams said before the lunch they are eager and excited to face off on Friday in front of what is expected to be a huge crowd.
"This game, it's always the biggest of the year for us," said Quezada. "It means everything. You know, being always the underdog to me, I have nothing to lose. I'm just going to go in there and do everything I can to come out victorious."
"Growing up and playing these guys from like the past years, it just gets the heat of a moment since you know them," said Galindo. "It's a fun time to play against people you know, see who's better and always have the chats after game or before season. It's always a nice time to to refresh that memory."
Righetti enters the game with a record of 1-1, while Pioneer Valley is 0-2 and seeking its first win of the season.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Pioneer Valley High School.
