It has only been twelve years since Berkeley High School switched athletic conferences, but an iconic rivalry has already emerged.
Bishop O’Dowd HIgh, a Catholic private school with an attendance of 1,248 students, is by far Berkeley High’s biggest athletic challenger. The schools are known to be the two goliaths of the league and thus natural rivals in almost every sporting event.
BHS baseball player Mason McDunn said, “(O'dowd is our) only rivalry, so every time we play them it always means more than any other opponent.” McDunn also described feeling added intensity in any game between the schools.
“Even if we’re winning by a ton or losing by a ton, we are all fully focused on the game because we don’t want to play badly in front of O'Dowd. Everyone sees that,” McDunn said.
Last year, BHS’s intensity and focus in games versus O'Dowd worked in giving them an edge. The entire baseball program went 5-1 against O'Dowd, including 2-0 at the varsity level. According to McDunn, this dominance is expected to continue over the next year.
On the soccer pitch, the rivalry has been relatively even according to sophomore Elliott Zatkin, a soccer player for Bishop O’Dowd. Last year, the BHS boys freshman team won both of its matches against O’Dowd, while the JV teams split the two game series one to one. On the varsity level, O’Dowd had the edge, winning once and tieing once in the two matchups that the teams had against each other.
For Zatkin, his motivation to play extra hard in his games against BHS is different. “I know some of the kid’s on Berkeley… (BHS is) one of the more competitive teams in our area, so it's like a different mentality,” he explained, noting that this drove him to focus more on this rivalry game. For Zatkin and many other athletes, in addition to a win on the scoresheet, a year’s worth of bragging rights are on the line.
For women’s varsity soccer, the rivalry has expanded off the pitch. BHS senior Sammy Wellborn explained, “A lot of players post on social media inviting people to come (to the games), but also to diss the other school.” Even though the BHS girls varsity coach is adamant about athletes not posting about the rivalry, oftentimes players do it anyways. Additionally, preparation for the O’Dowd game starts weeks in advance. The team watched game footage, analyzed the opposing lineup, and then practiced ways to attack and defend against O’Dowd’s play style.
The intensity of the rivalry is also heightened by the fact that every game against O’Dowd is played at night. According to Wellborn, night games are always more hot-blooded. “Every single player on the field is fighting for every second,” she explained.
BHS girls soccer have been crowned league champions for five out of the last six seasons, but according to Wellborn, the head to head competition has been relatively even. Although BHS won in their most recent matchup, the overall advantage is split between the two schools.
These highly competitive matches are yet another reason to support BHS athletics against O’Dowd this season.