03/23/2026
El Rancho Football Family, I’d Love to hear your thoughts.
For years, I’ve been documenting the history of El Rancho High School football — the stories, the players, the seasons, the records, and the moments that shaped generations.
As a proud El Rancho alum (Class of 1989), former freelance reporter for two LA-area newspapers, and contributor to the Arcadia Publishing book on the History of Pico Rivera (2008) as a lifetime member of the Pico Rivera Historical & Heritage Society, preserving our community’s history has always meant a great deal to me.
Many of you may remember the effort to honor Coach Ernie Johnson — a six-year push that finally led to the naming of Ernie Johnson Field in 2011. I was honored to be part of that moment alongside Paul Phipps and Ron Drake (pictured). That experience reinforced something important:
👉 These stories matter. And if we don’t preserve them, they fade.
I’m currently in the initial phases of writing the story of Rich Camarillo (Class of 1977), and that work has me thinking even more deeply about the larger story of El Rancho Football.
Because of that, I want to put out an initial inquiry:
Would there be interest in a book dedicated to the history of El Rancho football?
My hope would be to eventually create a keepsake that includes:
• a year-by-year breakdown from 1952 to the present
• team records and individual achievements
• stories from former players, coaches, and families
• restored and enhanced historic photos
This would be a project built to honor everyone who played, coached, supported, and followed the program over the years.
At this stage, I’m simply trying to get a sense of whether alumni and the broader El Rancho community would have interest in helping bring something like this to life — whether through stories, photos, records, memories, or even financial investment for self-publishing.
If this is something you’d like to see happen, please comment, share your thoughts, tag a former teammate, or message me directly.
Raul Riesgo:
📩 [email protected]
Let’s make sure the legacy of El Rancho Football is preserved the right way — by those who lived it.
