A week of tradition between Generals and Tigers

Perhaps no other rivalry in the Central Valley is more powerful than the one between the Shafter Generals and the Wasco Tigers, a tradition that dates back nearly a hundred years. This annual football game is more than just a competition - it's a historic event celebrated by both schools and their communities, bringing out intense school pride.

Leading up to the big game, each school held spirit week with activities, dress-up days and the burning of their respective mascots at night. A highlight of the festivities was the pep rally at each school on game day morning, with the unique twist of football players, cheerleaders and Associated Student Body members from Shafter High attending Wasco's rally and vice versa. Before the rallies, a breakfast was held for the players, cheerleaders and ASB members at Wasco High, serving as a friendly and spirited exchange before the big event.

Shafter High School senior Yareli Acosta said the video was her favorite part of the rally. "It is always something I look forward to and seeing the cheerleaders perform. It's always been very tense between the girls." She added that school spirit was amped up, with people eager to compete to see who had the better ASB, cheerleaders and football players.

"There was so much excitement in the room," Wasco High School varsity cheerleader Noemi Rios Medina said. "Performing in front of Shafter and showing that we're such an amazing school was incredible. Seeing their reaction when they walked in and proving that all of our sports and clubs are superior-Shafter can't top that."

The rallies fueled the excitement for the anticipated clash between two talented teams, though Shafter High ultimately prevailed with a final score of 35-14. Wasco High football player Jacob Robledo expressed frustration: "I could have done better, and the team could have done better as well." He cited the biggest challenge as stopping Shafter's strong offense and defense.

Asked about his thoughts on the rivalry after the game, Robledo said, "It's still the same. There's a lot of tension but also respect. They are a very good team, and I think they are very capable of doing good things. But I learned there is much we can go back and fix to get ready for when we see them again in the playoffs."

Shafter High football player Athan Benitez was ecstatic. "It feels great. Working hard every day at practice always takes discipline, and we only won because we won as a family together."

Shafter's Mathew Cordova said that the rivalry made the victory even sweeter. He shared that controlling his emotions and staying relaxed under pressure was challenging. "I just looked at my teammates around me, and we kept each other calm." His game strategy was to work collectively. "We knew they would come out energized, so our main goal was to weather the storm and lean on each other as a team."