Los Osos vs. Rancho Cucamonga

Rancho Cucamonga Cougars @ Los Osos Grizzlies

Friday, October 13, 2017 7:00 PM

At Carter High School from 2008-16, Alex Pierce had mixed success in his head to head battles with Rancho Cucamonga and Los Osos, going 2-2 against the two fierce rivals. As Los Osos’ new head football coach this fall, success against the Cougars will be a must.

Pierce is being asked to familiarize himself with one of California’s truly heated football rivalries, and to come up with a game plan to upend the Cougars October 13 – something the Grizzlies haven’t been able to do since 2009. It may be a lot to ask, but Pierce’s 64-37-1 record at Carter speaks volumes to his abilities.

Rancho Cucamonga took the rivalry opener 34-28 in 2003, before the Grizzlies claimed bragging rights over their despised neighbors in six of the next seven clashes to earn an early 6-2 advantage in wins. Rancho Cucamonga leads the series 9-6 after winning the last seven contests. Either the Cougars or the Grizzlies have finished atop the Baseline Conference standings nine times in 14 seasons.

Wins and losses is only part of the history in this annual gridiron struggle. Bad blood also adds another element to the clash, but Rancho Cucamonga is undoubtedly enjoying its current run of success against the Grizzlies and will do almost anything to keep it going. Los Osos, on the other hand, is eager to throw the momentum switch in its favor and win its first Rancho Cucamonga-Los Osos bout since 2009.

Some 5,000 fired up football fans are expected to arrive at Los Osos Football Stadium on Friday, October 13 at 7:00 p.m. Fans have been known to get turned away, so arrive early for this black and blue showdown, one of California’s most impassioned battles.

Riverly Series Hashtags

  • #BeatLosOsos
  • #BeatRanchoCucamonga

Who will win?

Learn More About the Teams

@ Los Osos
Score
Los Osos
Rancho Cucamonga Cougars Rancho Cucamonga, CA
48
Loveland Tigers
Los Osos Grizzlies Rancho Cucamonga, CA
0
Rancho Cucamonga

Rancho Cucamonga Cougars

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Rancho Cucamonga High School, home of the Cougars, is located about 45 miles east of Los Angeles on Highway 210 and with more than 3,000 students enrolled in 2017-18; the Cougars will compete in CIF Southern Section Division 1 football.

Led by Nick Baiz, the Cougars have been on fire as of late in this 14-year football clash. Winners of the last seven rivalry football games, Rancho Cucamonga now owns a 9-6 edge in wins against Los Osos. The Cougars have outscored the Grizzlies 265-95 since 2010 and by an average score of 51-9 over the last three seasons. Since the rivalry’s inception in 2003, Rancho Cucamonga has outscored Los Osos 446-346.

Baiz, who is 8-4 against his crosstown rival, has guided the Cougars to the postseason nine straight seasons. Rancho Cucamonga is 18-8 in play beyond the regular season under Baiz and 18-11 since the rivalries inception. Baiz guided the Cougars to a 21-7 Central Conference championship win over Upland in 2008. Rancho Cucamonga won a Division V championship in 1999, with a 30-22 triumph over Paloma Valley, and competed for a Division VI title in 1995.

Rancho Cucamonga finished atop the Baseline standings in 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2016. The Cougars and Grizzlies finished 1-2 in the Baseline League in 2008 when Rancho Cucamonga edged its rival 27-21 in the first of two overtime games in the series. The Cougars, who are 131-50-1 overall since 2003, won the other overtime contest 29-28 in 2010 to secure its second Baseline title in three years.

Rancho Cucamonga couldn’t be happier with the turn this bitter slugfest has taken under Baiz, unless of course, the Cougars put even more distance between themselves and the Grizzlies with a win in 2017.

For more information on the Rancho Cucamonga football team, click here.

Los Osos

Los Osos Grizzlies

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Los Osos High School, home of the Grizzlies, is located less than two miles northwest of crosstown rival Ranch Cucamonga. With about 3,000 students enrolled this fall, the Grizzlies will compete in CIF Southern Section Division 5 football. Alex Pierce has been asked to lead Los Osos for the first time this fall, after the nine-year Carter coach posted an impressive 64-37-1 record with the Lions from 2008-16.

Following a 34-28 loss to Rancho Cucamonga in 2003, Los Osos’ inaugural season, the Grizzlies ran off six wins in seven tries in this barbarous series. Los Osos outscored the Cougars 223-147 during the streak.

In 2009, Los Osos took two wins from its rivalry counterparts. Following a 31-28 triumph during regular season play, the Grizzlies claimed a 28-21 win in the postseason, which in turn catapulted Los Osos into the Central V championship game. The Grizzlies came up short against Upland (19-7) in that title contest.

During its short 14-year run, Los Osos played beyond the regular season nine times. The Grizzlies are 6-9 in the playoffs and as a program Los Osos is 90-79 overall. The Grizzlies claimed Baseline Conference championships in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

Grizzly Nation despises the rivalry results of the last seven seasons and is looking to Pierce to start turning Los Osos’ fortunes around with a thumping of the Cougars in October.

For more information on the Los Osos football team, click here.