Prep Football: Twelve Bridges Raging Rhinos looking to ‘Crash’ the varsity party

The Sacramento-area sports landscape is getting its newest member next week.

Twelve Bridges High School in Lincoln, which opened to freshmen and sophomores a year ago, begins its inaugural varsity campaign this fall. Located just east of Highway 65 – off the Twelve Bridges exit, of course – is the home of the Raging Rhinos.

With an enrollment hovering around 1,000 students, Twelve Bridges launches the first varsity seasons for football, volleyball, cross-country, golf, basketball, soccer, wrestling, coed tennis, baseball, softball, swimming, track and field and STUNT.

“They want to set the bar,” said Twelve Bridges principal Heather Pierce. “They want to set the bar so high that we just kill it and get out there and play strong, play hard and be rhino strong.”

The Rhino football team is headed by Chris Bean, who’s long been entrenched in the Lincoln community. Bean spent seven seasons as head coach of Lincoln High School before taking the Twelve Bridges job. After leading the Fighting Zebras to six playoff appearances, Bean spent last season developing his current Rhino varsity players at the JV level. He knows the adjustment it takes to make the leap from JV to varsity.

“It’s hard because (Twelve Bridges) didn’t really have a varsity game to go watch and go, ‘Oh, that’s the speed. That’s the physicality,’ ” Bean said. “I do know this about this group: Once they see it, and once they adapt, they’re gonna be just fine.”

Despite having no seniors, Twelve Bridges has plenty of hungry junior leaders eager to prove their mettle. Most of the team already knew each other from Lincoln High School and its feeder programs.

“We didn’t have to build friendships and relationships,” said junior running back Nathan Crawford. “We already pretty much had that from knowing everybody from Lincoln and the junior program. We’ve been tight and have had good relationships.”

Last year’s JV squad proved more than capable of playing with its peers, going 8-1 (3-0 in league) and outscoring opponents by more than five touchdowns per game.

“I’m hoping we win, of course, but I’m hoping there’s a big turnout and a lot of people come and watch us,” said junior defensive lineman Danny Gonzalez. “We’re all juniors and everyone’s doubting us, but I think we can really do something.”

The first day of school (Aug. 18) will be followed by a Thursday night freshman football game. Then Twelve Bridges will host its first-ever varsity game against McClatchy on Aug. 19. The Rhinos follow with non-league games against Pioneer (ranked No. 25 by the Bee), El Dorado and Johansen (Modesto) before grinding through a Pioneer Valley League slate of Wheatland, Bear River, Center, Sutter, Colfax and Marysville.

“It hasn’t always been easy opening up a school in a town like Lincoln, where it’s been a one-horse town for so long,” Bean said. “Sometimes it’s kind of easy to say it’s our first year and kind of take a step back. But that’s just doing a disservice to our kids, to our coaches and to our fans. We’ve got to charge. You gotta move forward.”

A family of rhinoceros is called a crash. So, the Twelve Bridges’ student cheering section is aptly named “The Crash Pit.” Pierce liked what she saw from her student section at the JV level last year and hopes it grows this year.

“They didn’t have a lot shown to them about how to really pump up a game or how to pump up a crowd,” Pierce said. “But it’s like they’d been doing it a hundred years. It was exciting, it was fun, and I just can’t wait to see a Crash Pit at a varsity game.”