Over the years, Aragon and Hillsdale have been paramount rivals, not just in football but also in other sports like boys basketball and volleyball. With Aragon being founded in 1961 and Hillsdale in 1955, the neighboring San Mateo schools have had a long history of being competitors.
Athletic director Steve Sell recounted the rivalry from when he was a student at Aragon.
“It was a huge rivalry,” Sell said. “Our coaches got really excited about it and … people wore buttons and pins about it.”
From the years 1992 to 2013, Aragon had a reign of dominance; they did not lose a football game for 21 full years. Many of the games were heavily skewed in Aragon’s favor. In fact, from 2001 to 2008, most if not all of the football games were tilted in Aragon’s favor.
However, since 2009, the games between the rivals have gone back and forth.
“Because the games have been close for the last 15 years, there’s always good crowds there,” Sell said. “Not just Aragon and Hillsdale people, but people from the community.”
Since 2010, Aragon has won seven of the 15 annual football games, with a win rate of slightly less than 50%.
Though football is the sport where the Hillsdale rivalry is the most prominent, other Aragon teams are also rivals with them.
“Whenever [it’s] volleyball season, we have two games against Hillsdale,” said sophomore and junior varsity boys volleyball player Braden McMillan. “Those are always the ones we kind of build up to throughout the season.”
The games are usually dependent on the season and how good the teams are that year.
“Last year we were really dominant, so it was kind of an easy showing versus Hillsdale,” McMillan said. “Most of the time it’s a close match and it’s a really fun game.”
Aragon and Hillsdale players usually play with more passion during games against each other.
“[It’s] just way more intense [when we play Aragon],” said Hillsdale sophomore and volleyball player Brady Bittle. “All the teachers talk a lot about it, too.”
However, the JV boys volleyball rivalry is mostly friendly since many players know each other.
“I wouldn’t say [the rivalry] is out of hatred,” McMillan said. “I play with a lot of these players [during club season], so it’s kind of fun to compete against these people who I don’t usually play on the team.”
On the girls side, JV volleyball is also a competitive but friendly matchup.
“Both schools know that we’re rival schools,” said freshman and volleyball player Aleksa Dimalanta. “You can really feel rivalry when you’re playing. Some of our players are a bit more competitive. Some players know the Hillsdale players from like club teams. It’s mostly friendly, though.”
When the JV basketball teams of both schools play each other, Aragon usually wins.
“The basketball team, at least, when I’ve been playing, we’ve played them twice and we’ve won both,” said sophomore and basketball player Tyler Ma.
However, when they play each other, it is usually a major game.
“I wouldn’t say it’s trash talking,” Ma said. “I would just say there’s more at stake.”
Although the attention is on the Aragon and Hillsdale rivalry, Aragon also has one with San Mateo. Many of these rivalries started with middle school. Students that lived in the Highlands area went to Turnbull, and afterwards, they would go to either Aragon or San Mateo. This caused some competitiveness as they knew each other and wanted to win. Later, when Turnbull closed, the rivalry stemmed from Bayside, as many of the Bayside kids would go either to San Mateo High or Aragon.
Going back to the 1950s, many of Aragon’s teams have had a rivalry with Hillsdale’s teams, whether fierce or not. However, no matter the sport, both teams turn the heat up in the hopes of winning and to continue the rivalry.
