Writing a new chapter - Ranchview is scripting its own history for the record books
The Dallas Morning News - Friday, September 6, 2002
Author: RICHARD DURRETT, Staff Writer

Jared McGruder had a choice to make.

He was an eighth-grader at Barbara Bush Middle School in May and, along with his classmates, had to decide where he would attend high school.

The choice wasn't easy. He could follow his 16-year-old brother, Garard, and go to R.L. Turner. There he could play any sport he wanted in a school that was established with plenty of athletic teams and facilities.

Or he could join Ranchview and be a part of the first graduating class at the newest high school in the Carrollton- Farmers Branch school district.

"I wanted to help make tradition at a new school," McGruder said. "The first day was great because people were looking up to the freshman. That wouldn't have been the case at Turner."

McGruder wasn't the only one who decided starting fresh at a new school was the best option. Of the nearly 400 students at Bush, less than 30 decided to go to Turner. And only five did so for athletic reasons.

But with only eighth- and ninth-graders roaming the Ranchview hallways for the 2002-2003 school year, the school still seems empty. Next year, those same students again will be on campus by themselves. The district will add ninth-graders in 2004-2005, and the school's first graduating class will receive diplomas in 2006.

This year, Ranchview will have eighth- and ninth-grade teams in football, volleyball, basketball and track. School officials will decide at the end of the school year whether to add more sports for next year. Ranchview won't start varsity play in any sport until the 2004-2005 school year. That entire athletic season will feature varsity teams without any seniors.

Bill Persinger knew the athletic situation before he accepted the position of head football coach and athletic coordinator at Ranchview. After spending four years as defensive coordinator at Creekview, Persinger knew about starting a new school from scratch.

"I couldn't pass up the chance to be a head coach again," Persinger said. "I knew when I came to Creekview that a new school might open. I wanted a chance to start that program."

Persinger isn't new to the head coaching experience. He was the football coach and athletic director at Bishop Lynch from 1987 to 1998, and his teams were 76-40-2 including four state championships (one Texas Christian Interscholastic League, three TAPPS).

"His personality and history were a perfect fit for the school," Ranchview principal Dr. Barry Dodson said. "He knows what needs to happen and is very excited."

After watching and coaching last year's seventh- and eighth-graders at Barbara Bush, Persinger put his team through fall drills in August. He also hired several of the junior high coaches from Bush, which probably made the decision to go to Ranchview easier for a number of athletes.

Last week, the ninth-grade team played the first official game in school history against Duncanville's freshman B team. Ranchview won 19-0, and McGruder scored the first touchdown in Ranchview Wolves history .

"That was part of the reason he wanted to go there," said Monica McGruder, Jared's mother. "He wanted to do his own thing and make history . I'm just trying to make as many games as I can."

As soon as football season ends, girls and boys basketball begins, followed by track in the spring. The district decided to build the softball and baseball facilities to allow the grass to come in and have everything in place when varsity play begins in two years. And more facilities are on the way in the next 5-10 years.

"We all came here because we get to start the traditions that everyone else will follow after we leave," said Pete Persinger, Bill's son and a running back on the football team. "Playing in the first game was exhilarating. I hope they're all like that."