by People know about schools like Massillon, St. Ignatius, St. Edward, Hoban and Avon. There is no disputing that. But what most people don’t realize is that one of the best and oldest high school football rivalries takes place between two tiny suburbs just miles apart on the west side. Bay Village and Rocky River High Schools are only ten minutes apart, and the intensity of the feud is so thick you can almost cut it with a knife.
It’s an old-school SWC rivalry that has carried over into the current-day GLC. The Pirates of Rocky River and Rockets of Bay Village—two tiny schools in small but passionate communities with extremely loyal fan bases.
These kids are talented enough to play for schools such as St. Edward and St. Ignatius.
Based on the fact that they live in Bay Village and Rocky River, it is safe to say finances wouldn’t be an issue. But they choose to stay local and play for their hometown teams. That, to me, speaks volumes as to why this rivalry is so darn good and special.
Bay Village head coach Ronnie Rutt grew up in Bay Village and actually attended all thirteen years of school there before graduating and heading off to college. He was a three-sport athlete, excelling at football, basketball and track. He was hired right out of college and began teaching and coaching in the Bay Village school system.
Ronnie Rutt had this to share about his desire to be a part of the Bay Village culture:
At this point, I don’t think I would even want to coach at any other school. Bay is a special place to me. I grew up in the Bay Village school district and I have spent my entire professional career as a Rocket. I feel very fortunate to have spent my life as a Bay Rocket and I am very thankful for the years and years worth of special relationships that I have create in this district.
As a former athlete, Rutt knows the importance of good coaching. He had this to share:
As someone who learned a lot from my coaches growing up, I know the importance a coach can play in a young person’s life. So, it is certainly not something I take for granted. I just try and be myself around the kids. I want all players to feel welcome and loved within our program.
I believe being a good role model is number one. But I also feel the players should know how I am going to respond to any situation that comes up. I try and be consistent in my behavior to help players feel comfortable and know what is expected of them.
Coach Rutt went on to explain why his school’s rivalry with Rocky River is so important:
I think any time you have a long-standing history with an opponent the game just means a little more. You have alumni that remember playing that school and they can share memories with the current team.
Certainly, you want the team to understand that the game means more than a normal week. Rivalry games are special and create great memories. I feel Bay and River should always stay in the same conference with each other. We are neighboring communities with similar enrollment numbers and demographics. That and our history together just makes for great meaningful football games.
Rocky River head football coach Josh Wells grew up in North Royalton, Ohio. He had a few different sports idols growing up. At the professional level, it was Joe Montana and Mark Rypien. It was a huge deal to Wells when Rypien signed with the Browns in 1994.
He was a three-sport athlete for the North Royalton Bears, excelling at football, basketball and track. His first coaching position was as a student assistant coach at the University of Mount Union under the great Larry Kehres. During that time, he got to learn from coaches who moved on to higher levels: Matt Campbell, Jason Candle, Nick Sirianni and Vince Kehres.
Prior to coming to Rocky River, he spent nine years at Brush High School as an assistant coach and then head coach for three years. When the position at Rocky River opened, he jumped at the opportunity and was fortunate enough to be offered the position.
Wells had this to say about the privilege and responsibility of coaching:
It is always a privilege to be able to coach our kids at Rocky River High School. Watching them grow into young men and reaching goals that they have set for themselves will never get old to me. I think the pressure I feel is more internal, I want to make sure each player has an experience that they will never forget playing football in our program. Making sure that we, as a coaching staff, are able to do that is where I feel the most pressure.
This was an old rivalry in the SWC that carried into the West Shore Conference and now the GLC. It helps the overall feel and intensity of the rivalry knowing that the schools have been playing each other for so many years. Wells touched on that as well:
I think this rivalry is the model of what a rivalry should be. It is the first game circled on the calendar by players, coaches, parents and fans. The fact that it has been played for as long as it has makes it that much more special. We do talk about what the rivalry means, we bring in alums of the program to talk about their experiences in the rivalry series, but we try not to dwell on the past and focus on the present game in the rivalry series.
There has been a lot of shuffling of conferences all over the area and sometimes the rivalry games get left behind, so the fact that we are able to year in and year out play this game and have it be one of the big match ups for the conference is really fun for our players.
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You can read more about this rivalry, and the best rivalries in Northeast Ohio High School Football right here.
Excellent article! I played for RRHS in the mid 60’s graduating in 65. My senior year we won the SWC Championships in football, wrestling, baseball, and track. The biggest game or match was always against the Bay Rockets. I was fortunate to captain our championship team. I was named Cleveland Press Star twice and also named to the Plain Dealer Dream Team. Those were the best of times and I have many exciting conversations with my nephew Dave Zastudil about the rivalry. I played fullback and remember those games like they were yesterday. Thank you for writing about the most important game both schools played.