FONTANA, CA – Anticipation is building in Fontana Unified as Fontana and A.B. Miller high schools prepare to resume their football rivalry on Friday, Sept. 11, a night that will also honor the City of Fontana’s police officers, firefighters, and paramedics during a special First Responders Night at A.B. Miller Stadium.

First responders will receive free entry to the rivalry game in honor of their service to the Fontana community and also to mark 25 years since 9/11. A group of local first responders will serve as honorary team captains, taking the field for the pregame coin toss. Additionally, a commemorative Fontana T-shirt that reads, “5 Schools, 1 City” will be gifted to the first 100 residents at the game who have taken a photo of themselves at the 9/11 statue located at City Hall. Fontana High School’s (FOHI) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (MCJROTC) will also present colors prior to kickoff.

The FOHI vs. A.B. Miller matchup is the first since 2019, with the Steelers being led by head coach J. Eric Gonzales, and the Rebels, which graduated more than two dozen seniors from its 2025 team, being led by new head coach Rick Pontious. Both FOHI and A.B. Miller are coming off winning seasons where they competed in the CIF playoffs.

“We’re excited to play each other again,” FOHI Athletic Director Brandon Colbrunn said. “This is a good measuring stick for both teams. We’ve worked hard to improve, and we’re seeing results. We know A.B. Miller is always ready to play us, so the emotions will be high. A good strong game is what everybody is looking forward to.”

The peak years of the FOHI vs. A.B. Miller rivalry were between 2013-2019, with two games highlighting how evenly matched the teams were. In 2014, FOHI led 28-14 in the fourth quarter only to see A.B. Miller rally to win 30-28 after scoring a touchdown with 32 seconds left to play. In 2017, FOHI led 28-7 in the fourth quarter, then held off a furious A.B. Miller rally to win 35-29.

FOHI is best known for dominating Southern California football from 1977 to 1999 during the Coach Dick Bruich era. Bruich led the Steelers to a national championship, two state championships, and two CIF titles, before moving on to coach the team at Henry J. Kaiser High School, where he also led the Cats to a CIF championship. To recognize the impact of the coach’s contributions to the team, FOHI changed the name of its football stadium to Dick Bruich Field at Steeler Stadium in 2022.

A.B. Miller opened its doors in 1991, but the two schools didn’t face each other until 1996. During the 2000s, the rivalry was one-sided, with A.B. Miller dominating the series and winning multiple games by double digits, including shutting out FOHI on four occasions. In 2021, the games were discontinued when the CIF realigned its leagues and divisions.

Pontious came to A.B. Miller after leading Murrieta Mesa High School to a CIF championship in 2024 as its defensive coordinator. He also served as head coach at Notre Dame High School in Riverside from 2021 to 2023, and coached and played for the San Bernardino Spartans, a nonprofit football team consisting of law enforcement officers and first responders.

After Pontious had finished playing college ball at the University of Indianapolis, he received an opportunity to coach his oldest son’s Pop Warner team. Returning to the Inland Empire, Pontious again got the chance to coach his son as a Rubidoux High School special teams coach from 2011 to 2014. Now a Rebel, Pontious will not only be a part of the resurgent rivalry match against FOHI, but will also be coaching his youngest son.

“We have a very young team this year and there have been growing pains, but these athletes are working hard and it’s been a lot of fun watching them develop. Most of them have never experienced the Friday Night lights,” Pontious said. “I’m honored to be at Miller and part of a great rivalry. I hope we can do this every year. These games are great for bringing the community together.”

Gonzales came to FOHI in 2020 determined to bring the team back to its glory years. His first season was wiped out by the pandemic, followed by a challenging return in 2021. Since then, Gonzales has seen his teams gradually improve year by year, with winning seasons leading them to CIF playoffs in 2024 and 2025 after a nearly 20-year drought.

“It’s been so long since we’ve played, we aren’t really sure how it’ll feel until game night,” Gonzales said. “It’ll be fun just to get to see Fontana athletes playing each other.” 

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FUSD_FOOTBALLRIVALRY1: Fontana and A.B. Miller high school football teams will face off on Sept. 11, a night honoring first responders and also marking 25 years since 9/11. A commemorative Fontana T-shirt, reading, “5 Schools, 1 City” will be gifted to the first 100 residents at the game who have taken a photo of themselves at the City Hall 9/11 statue.