Menlo-Atherton High School had a great week. Former M-A student and lead singer of the rock band Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Bears football team won its first-ever state championship on Saturday, Dec. 15.
What made the football victory so special, possibly the biggest game in the history of the program, was playing for the title at Sequoia High School, about 5 miles north of Ben Parks Field.
The proximity of the game to the school meant the Bears drew a near-capacity crowd, something longtime fans hadn’t seen in a while.
“As far as I can remember, this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this,” said 2005 M-A grad and current Bears baseball coach David Klein. “This is the largest turnout for an event I’ve seen. It means a lot and this team is special. They went up to Humboldt, about seven hours north, and had to win a tough game on the road and they really earned it.”
Klein wasn’t the only M-A graduate at the contest. The stands were full of former Bears who brought that much more energy to the atmosphere.
“I love to see all the alumni,” said M-A teacher Jenna Carson, who has seen a few decades of Bears football. “There’s letter jackets out here, there’s people who have graduated and are bringing their kids back. It’s such a great atmosphere.”
Part of what made for a historic run was the decision by coach Adhir Ravipati to establish an after-school study program for players to help them get eligible and remain eligible. That’s also led to multiple scholarship offers for several players.
“That’s all coach,” said senior lineman Noa Ngalu, who accepted an offer from the University of Washington. “He reaches out to college coaches, sends them game films.”
Ravipati has been able to put together a roster filled with athleticism, which also includes a handful of transfers from private schools. In addition to Ngalu, linebacker Daniel Heimuli, wide receiver Troy Franklin and defensive back Justin Anderson are being recruited by several top programs. Heimuli narrowed his list to a few Pac-12 schools and the University of Alabama, the nation’s top-ranked team. They’ve helped turn the culture around and it means a lot to the future of the program.
“I think it shows the program and the younger kids that you can do that,” said Klein. “If you work hard and keep your head down, the type of coaching staff you have at M-A, they’re going to work hard to get you to a place at a school where you can move on and play at the next level.”
Heimuli is also one of Klein’s top baseball players.
“There’s a sense of excellence at M-A that people strive for in all avenues of what we do — academically, athletically, theater, art,” said Carson. “It can be stressful to be that person but it can also create a sense of community when you’re dealing with people who all want to go that direction.”
M-A’s football team now has tangible evidence of that pursuit of excellence in the form of the state championship trophy.
The community will come together to celebrate Menlo-Atherton’s championship at a parade on Saturday, Jan. 12, in Menlo Park. The parade is tentatively scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Further details about the parade and celebration that will follow will be announced in early January, according to a press release from the city of Menlo Park.
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