PVHS Faces CHS in Spring Showdown

PVHS and CHS football teams have rivaled for quite some time, and the Almond Bowl is at the heart of their competition. Once a year, PVHS and CHS face one another in the Almond Bowl — due to the long-standing rivalry of Pleasant Valley High School and Chico High, the atmosphere and the spirit of the players change during this game. Mark Cooley, varsity head football coach for PVHS said, “When it’s called the Almond Bowl, there’s much more competitive spirit […] maybe even more than in a championship.” Cooley also mentioned that there is definitely more competition when PVHS plays against Chico than against any other team.

However, the pandemic has had an impact on the game and the audience, including a drop in the number of spectators in the stands. Cooley addressed this concern and said “the fans that do show up bring a lot of energy.”

With COVID-19 guidelines preventing large gatherings, this year brings no Almond Bowl, meaning this year’s game against CHS was not as packed. Cooley commented that because it was not actually called The Almond Bowl, the game did not bring as much competition, and thus the energy of both the players and the fans fell — but did not completely diminish.