Rancho Cucamonga High School football began a new chapter with their season opener against Murrieta Valley High School, with the game being hosted by the Nighthawks. After a season of growth and challenges during the 2024-2025 season, the Cougars are coming into fall with determination to win.
Last year, the Cougars hosted the season opener against the Nighthawks on Aug. 23, losing the game with a final score of 19-35. MVHS averaged 42.3 points per game while RCHS averaged only 29.1 points per game. In their second meeting, Murrieta Valley beat the Cougars with a final score of 42-49, eliminating RCHS in the first round of playoffs.
The team experienced growing pains with the introduction of a new head coach and players like USC freshman RJ Sermons coming and going. Prior to the 2024-2025 school year ending, Sermons was set to gear up for the Cougars again in his senior year but decided to reclassify to the class of 2025, accepting his offer to USC, joining his brother Cam Sermons as well as adding on to the family legacy like his father before him, Rodney Sermons. RJ Sermons was ranked as the number 16 cornerback in the nation according to On3.com
“Ever since my freshman year, the chemistry has always been good,” senior quarterback Jacob Chambers said. “I noticed the chemistry was down during my sophomore and junior year, and you know, if we’re good in chemistry, we’ll have a good season.”
On Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, the Cougars were defeated by the Nighthawks in a nail-biter, finishing the game with a final score of 26-28. The Cougars were in a deficit the majority of the game, scoring nothing in the first half. The Nighthawks were up by 21 points going into the second half. Then the Cougars went on a rampage led by seniors Tyree Wilson and Chambers with three touchdowns, allowing the team to score 20 points in the third quarter and limiting the Nighthawks to only seven points. RCHS went on to score one more touchdown, fighting back from their rough start and showing their determination, but without another defensive stop from the Cougars, the Nighthawks were able to pull away with the win.
“We showed a lot of guts coming into the second half,” Mr. Alex Pierce, the RCHS varsity football coach, said. “We came back to fight within two, so I really like the resolve our team showed.”
The Cougars’ second game took place on Aug. 29, 2025 against Orange Lutheran High School, resulting in a loss with a final score of 24-27.
The first home game of the season is against Oak Hills on Sept. 5, 2025 in the Cougar Dome.
