Glendale High School has been a part of the CIF Pacific League since 1982. Out of the eight schools in the league (Arcadia, Crescenta Valley, Burbank, Burroughs, Glendale, Hoover, Pasadena, and Muir) only the top-four teams make it to the CIF playoffs for each sport.
It has been known for decades that schools like Crescenta Valley and Arcadia dominate the rest of the league in many sports. Many of the schools in the Pacific League, including GHS, have not had the same resources to compete for CIF titles as these more privileged organizations.
Recently, officials at the CIF Southern Section, along with all of the school athletic directors who are a part of the Southern Section, got together and voted for the Pacific League to merge with the Rio Hondo League to create one big conference. The Rio Hondo League currently includes Monrovia, South Pasadena, Temple City, La Cañada, Blair, and San Marino.
In this new Pacific/Rio Hondo conference, there will be three leagues: A, B, and C. The school’s league for each sports team will depend on their team’s skill level. Each team for a school might be in a different league than other teams at that same school. For example, maybe one of our Nitro soccer teams will be a part of League A, while one of our volleyball teams will be a part of League B.
Having this new conference will be very beneficial for everyone, because it allows teams in both the Pacific League and the Rio Hondo League to compete against teams within their strength level. This will also allow for many teams to qualify for the playoffs, now that they can actually compete and not just be dominated by teams whose skill level is much higher.
Both of the athletic directors at GHS were actually a part of the decision to merge the Pacific League with the Rio Hondo League, and now that it is official, they are very happy with it.
One of our athletic directors, Tadeh Mardirosian, wants to let everyone know that this merger is for the best. “It’s new. It’s fresh,” he said. “It’s bringing a lot of competitive equity. We are now positioning Glendale’s student athletes in a position to be more successful.”
Good luck to all of our Nitro athletes next season! We can’t wait to see how this all plays out!
