Photo by Precision Sports Entertainment
The 10th Annual MaxPreps Football Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard brought us to Redlands, California, the home of the
Redlands East Valley (REV) Wildcats. The CIF Southern Section Division II State Champions secured their championship season with a win over Clayton Valley Charter of Concord, 34-33, on Dec. 20, 2014. REV ranked No. 179 in the nation by MaxPreps and was also one of only 50 schools to receive the prestigious honors from MaxPreps and the Army National Guard.
On Thursday, January 29th, MaxPreps arrived on campus and was greeted by the head coach and athletic director Kurt Bruich. Then, Sergeant Arkadiy Knopov of the California Army National Guard arrived on the scene and set up a display table to showcase the prestigious Minuteman trophy. The gymnasium was beautifully decorated and ready for an all-school assembly.
The Tour of Champions presentation took place during the students' winter pep assembly. At the bell, approximately 3,000 students, parents, coaches, administration and community members poured into the gymnasium excited about this wonderful presentation. Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Kurt Bruich was excited about the honor. He began giving direction to everyone there, making sure the program was tight and that his football players were well behaved.
By 10:00am, the rally was underway. A student body representative led the assembly in the pledge of allegiance to the United States and the school choir followed with the National Anthem. Then, Principal Maloney quarterbacked the ceremony and welcomed MaxPreps and the California Army National Guard to Redlands East Valley HS. Following the introduction, a highlight video from the season was played for the audience. MaxPreps representative Josh Canales congratulated the Redlands East Valley Varsity football team on their successful season and talked about the significance of the award. All who were in attendance applauded the Wildcats Football Team for their commitment to excellence and sportsmanship!
Next, Sergeant Knopov greeted the crowd and congratulated the school on a successful season. Then, he invited forward Head Coach Kurt Bruich. SGT Knopov presented Coach Bruich the Army National Guard national ranking trophy. Coach Bruich thanked SGT Knopov and the California Army National Guard for the prestigious award and continued to talk about how proud he was of his boys' accomplishment, having battled to win five come-from-behind victories near the end of their season, including the CIF title game. He said he expects great things from his returning underclassmen. As the pep assembly continued, students participated in singing the school alma mater. It was a blast!
Congratulations Redlands East Valley Wildcats on finishing the season ranked No. 179 in the nation by MaxPreps and for winning your 1st CIF Southern Section title!
