Row 1: Mickey Dickson, Rob Hallum, Scott Maytubby, David Wolfer, Greg Roland A.L., Brian Boll A.L.,Don Edwards, Charles McKnight, Danny Downs, Kody Duey, Fred Laningham, Mgr. Greg Goertzen.
Row 2: Head Coach Dallas Grider, Mgr. Richard Henderson, Gregory Jackson, John Holbrook, Daren Friedle, Jeff Andrew, Todd Jackson A.L. B.Y., Brett Tillery, Troy Delfino, Darrin Craig A.L., Scott Carlson, Danny Allmon, Wayde Kirschenman, Trainer Booker Kilgore.
Row 3: Brad Emerson, Mike Newcomb, Tom Corson, Dennis Manning, Jim Barlow, David Maas, Randy Maples A. L., Butch Johnson A. L., Kevin Horrisberger, Coach Dave Titsworth.
Row 4: Coach Kevin Sneed, A. Lindsay Davidson, Harvey Warren, Phil Turner, Doby Hagar, Scott Nuanez A.L.,L. Y., Randy Ariey A.L., Jeff Orton, Danny WIison A.L., Darrick Duran, Keith Tatum.
Not Pictured: Aaron Oevttt, Trent West.
A.L.-All League L.Y. Lineman of the Year B.Y. Back of the Year

 1980 Valley Champion Football Team​ 

The 1980 Valley Championship football team achieved a perfect 13-0 season to win the Valley Championship, but it took a miracle play to come from behind to win the final game. Only two West High football teams have completed the journey of an undefeated season: 1977 and 1980.

In the seventies and eighties, most young men at West High worked summer jobs; many in the field, doing tasks like boxing grapes or bucking hay.  Some got up extra early, for a paper route, others waited a bit, until neighbors wouldn’t complain and mowed yards.  After long days at work, the young men reported to weight lifting sessions in a newly renovated but still hot bungalow, near the southeast parking lot, and sweated some more.  It was in these summer lifting sessions that the Vikings began to form a brotherhood and dream of bigger things.

When the summer ended and two-a-days began, the smells of fresh cut bermuda grass and diesel burnt sidelines, filled the nostrils of the 1980 Vikings.  Three former college athletes cast impressive shadows on the young men: Dallas Grider (UCLA linebacker and Rose Bowl hero), Dave Titsworth (Cal Poly SLO baseballer) and Kevin Sneed (San Diego State QB).  Each of these coaches, from this special staff, became legendary Bakersfield coaches; all of them are inductees of the WHS Hall of Fame. Together, these coaches created an atmosphere that fostered athletic achievement and character development in each young man.  The Athletic Director, Darrell Meaders, along with the WHS Booster Club (led by Jim Maples Sr., and Vernon Jackson) played a crucial role in this success by providing the team with resources like an upgraded weight room and organizing Monday night dinners that fostered team camaraderie and unity.

Progressing from the fundamentals of blocking and tackling, in summer camp, to the Veer playbook and Fifty defensive scheme, the Vikings developed, learned and bonded.

Offensively, they were a juggernaut—averaging an impressive 365 yards/game; while defensively, they were nearly impenetrable, allowing minimal yards (250 yds/game), and racking up 25 interceptions that showcased their ability to nimbly read and react to opposing offenses.

The 1980 Vikings had individual stars, to be sure, All Leaguers included: Greg Roland, Brian Boll, Todd Jackson (also Back of the Year), Darrin Craig, Randy Maples, Butch Johnson, Scott Nuanez (also Lineman of the Year), Randy Ariey, Danny Wilson.  But, the real strength of the team was its depth and grit.  After some hard-fought, early wins, especially against Hanford and Foothill, the Vikings began to gel.  By midseason, coming up against rival BHS, legendary coach Paul Briggs remarked “They’re not 7-0 because they haven’t played anybody”. 

The 1980 team’s perfect season was capped off by a thrilling championship game on a chilly December 12th evening. Behind by seven points in the 4th quarter, the defense rallied one last interception—handing the ball back to the WHS offense on the opposition’s 34-yard line. With 6:22 left in the game, the offense marched down the field and scored on the 11th play of the drive—tying the game. With only 32 seconds left on the clock, the Vikings scored a nail-biting two-point conversion to capture the Valley Championship. Final score West 15 - Madera 14.