jungle - Junipero Serra High School

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TRADITIONSSince 1975, SerraandSt. Ignatius haveclashed in anuproarious, unparalleledrivalry:16THEJUNGLEGAMEWhen reflecting on the 30-year tradition of the storied Jungle Gamebetween Serra and St. Ignatius, Chuck Rapp almost waxes poetic– if a boys’ varsity basketball coach can be said to wax poetic onany subject.“I don’t want to sound cheesy,” he says. “But it’s a slice of Americana,and echoes a time gone by. Two rival schools meet in a highschool gym, and vie for bragging rights, surrounded by their community.The game has always really appealed to me.”He’s not alone; for 30 consecutive years, the game has appealedto the entire Serra community. The spotlight event of the basketballseason, it invariably draws sellout crowds, excited fans, and passion on
oth sides of thecourt. Basketballplayers from thecity who traveldown to thePeninsula forthe match-up inSerra’s gym aregreeted with aspectacular sight:palm fronds thatbedeck the bleachers andwalls, an amped-up, deafeningcheering section,and a basketball squad thatis ready for jungle warfare.Even 30 years later, it’s nothard to see how the Jungle Gamegot its start. On February 14, 1975,the SI players walked into a gym thatlooked much the same as it does now,expecting an easy victory, and a sweetcap to an undefeated, 23-0 seasonthat had already earned the Wildcatsthe de facto WCAL title that year.The game drew the biggest crowd ever to witnessa Serra basketball game to date. Students packedthe gym, hallways, and even the roof of the gym toobserve the action from the skylights above the court.“The crowd was out the door and all the wayaround the gym,” remembers Randy Vogel, then afourth-year teacher and the Rally Committee Moderator.“The noise level was unbelievable.”The noise, the commotion and the skills ofthe Padre hoopsters proved enough to rattle the topseededWildcats, in an unforgettable 54-50 upset.“We were at the height of our game, and thatcrowd was a big reason why,” Serra’s varsity coach PatMcGlennon said that night. “It’s a super advantage tohave all those peopleyelling and screamingfor you.”Fueled by theschool spirit in thestands, center JoeNed and forwardMike O’Regan “hadpossibly the bestall-around efforts oftheir careers,” accordingto the San MateoCounty Times thenext day.In a tenseovertime period,O’Regan and seniorJohn O’Leary each scored fourpoints, clinching a Padre victoryand halting SI’s 23-0 streak.Serra students stormed thecourt, exulting in the narrowvictory.“Students danced orjumped to the beat of the musicas clothes, paper and bodiesflew through the air,” wrote BillRaynor ’75 two weeks later inthe Serra Friar.“The nets were cut andthrown into the middle of thecrowd.“As the night wore on,all San Mateo learned of Serra’svictory,” he continued.“(The excitement) stayed and will stay with Serrastudents much into the future.”It left a deep impression on SI head coach BobDrucker as well. Two years later, when the team waspreparing to travel down to San Mateo to face offagainst the Padres again, he told a San Francisco Examinerreporter, “We have to go down to Serra, andit’ll be a jungle down there.”With his choice of words, Drucker unwittinglybegan a 30-year tradition that has become the highlightof the Serra basketball season.“I had no idea it had started because of somethingI said,” says Drucker today. “It wasn’t until“Being in the standsfor theFebruary 14‘St. Valentine’s DayMassacre’ was an experiencethat I’ll neverforget.”— Bill Raynor ’75,Serra Friar,continued on Page 1817
Page 3 and 4: insideissueThe Halls Are Alive...Wi
Page 6 and 7: theclassJunípero Serra High School
Page 8 and 9: 8continued from Page 7Jesse Lyshorn
Page 10 and 11: PADRE BENCH10Frosh Winners’ Circl
Page 12 and 13: PADRE BENCHoff thebeaten12Climbing
Page 14: up,personal& close, FreshmenTake a
Page 19 and 20: Pandemonium in 1982 After the 62-50
Page 21 and 22: The Caseof theMultiplyingTicketsJus
Page 23 and 24: 23Latter-day victories Above, Deron
Page 25 and 26: ecognized for the outstanding contr
Page 27 and 28: For the first time,read the story o
Page 29 and 30: ’78It’s your 25-year reunion! L
Page 31 and 32: ’93Stephen O’Malley currently
Page 34 and 35: the Last PageLookingBack...34On a f
Page 36: theseare thedaysThe 58th Annual Com

jungle - Junipero Serra High School

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