Del Norte prepares for its first year of varsity play

It’s gearing up to be another year of firsts for Del Norte High School. As the 4S Ranch school begins its second year, the athletic department is set for the first year of playing varsity sports.

Though the school still lacks a senior class, the Nighthawks are ready to enter the varsity level, said Athletic Director Mike Giaime.

“We’re excited to go out there and have an opportunity to compete,” said Giaime. “Our coaches have worked hard in the off season.”

Every sport — the school has 23 teams last year — will have a varsity squad, said Giaime. If there’s enough interest, the teams will also have junior varsity and freshman squad.

Del Norte will be competing in the Valley League.

For football, the league opponents will be San Marcos, Orange Glen, Mt. Carmel and Valley Center. For other sports, the opponents are Orange Glen, Valley Center, Canyon Crest, San Dieguito Academy and Mission Vista.

Giaime said that last year, with only junior varsity squads, the teams did well, even though the school was “under the gun” to get the athletic program up when not all of the facilities were open.

“Last year it was just about getting used to each other,” he said. “This year we hope to build on that and see what we can do to surprise people.”

Giaime noted, however, that this early in the game a team’s win-loss record can’t be the gauge for success.

“It’s about constant improvement from the kids that you’ll be seeing from year to year,” Giaime said. “My goal is to have every team be competitive.”

It doesn’t mean, however, that the teams won’t go out and challenge themselves — or that coaches or Giaime are expecting anything less than the players’ best efforts.

Del Norte’s football team, for example, will have its first-ever varsity game by hosting Rancho Bernardo, considered one of the county’s top teams.

Coach Jerry Ralph admitted that the squad is going up against a “team that’s loaded,” but said his players are excited about the game, scheduled for Friday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m., adding that the team will know “right away where we stand.”

“When you play varsity football things are a lot more serious and a lot more focused because you’re not just playing for fun,” Ralph said. “It’s a very meaningful thing that’s going to happen Friday nights.”

Field Hockey Coach Meghan McMurtry said that fielding a varsity and a junior varsity team this year has already resulted in at least one change from last season — tryouts and cuts.

“I’ve told them that it’s an even playing field,” McMurtry said. “No one has a sure ticket into the varsity team, even if they played last year.”

She added that the first year last season was a good learning experience for the girls that played, one that she said she hopes carries over to this year.

“We’re going to be a young team in the varsity, but I think that the experience we had last year will help,” she said. “We’re going to be tested a lot more than we were last year, and it’s not going to be easy, but I don’t think the girls are expecting that.”

Giaime said that the school is now laying the groundwork for the traditions of the future, and added that it will be interesting to see what rivalries develop over time.

“We’re nestled in between Mt. Carmel, Westview and Rancho Bernardo,” he said. “Right now RB and Poway have a strong rivalry, as do Mt. Carmel and Westview… We’re the fifth school, so we’re the oddball. Over time, I think the leagues will dictate what the rivalries will be.”

Another first — lettermen jackets — have been designed, and they should be available soon for students to display their varsity letters.