Football:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto

While it seems that everyone talks about Rancho Cucamonga, Etiwanda, Damien, Upland, Glendora, Bonita, St. Francis, Northview and others in the 210 Prep Sports coverage zone, and rightfully so, there’s a team located in Chino Hills that has quietly become one of the area’s elite programs.

Since taking over the reins at Ayala in 2016, AJ Gracia’s Bulldogs have gone 57-26 overall and 28-5 in league games, which includes five league championships.

After COVID-19 wiped out the 2020 campaign, AHS went 5-0 during the 2021 spring season, and that included a 2-0 mark in Mountain West League games.

The Bulldogs had one of their most talented rosters that year, and they combined to outscore Temescal Canyon, Bonita, Charter Oak, Glendora and Chino Hills by a margin of 177-28.

They defeated Bonita (27-0) and Charter Oak (35-14) in league contests.

During that 2020 spring run, and aside from shutting out three of their five opponents, the highlight of that 5-0 abbreviated season had to be the 42-0 trouncing of Chino Hills.

It remains the largest margin of victory in the Battle for the Bone annual showdown.

Who is AJ Gracia, and how did he get into the coaching profession?

Gracia graduated from Chino High School in 2006, and that included two years as the Cowboys’ quarterback for CHS legend, John Monger.

He earned a degree in History from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and AJ currently teaches AP Economics at AHS.

Gracia, who still looks like he’s in his 20’s, actually got his start in the coaching world when he was just 21.

He spent time at his alma mater in 2010-2012, as the JV offensive coordinator, and the varsity offensive assistant.

From there, Gracia was the varsity wide receivers coach at Chino Hills from 2013-14.

Just before getting his first head coaching job at Ayala in 2016, AJ was the offensive coordinator for the Hillcrest football program.

There were signs early on that Gracia might be special.

It obviously all started when he was hired to run the Ayala High School football program back in 2016.

While in his late-20’s, AJ ‘out-interviewed everyone,’ according to his boss and athletic director, Warren Reed.

In fact, Reed said that Gracia was so impressive that he was able to secure the job over an established four-time CIF-SS championship coach.

(Photo below by Josh Thompson)

Ayala began the 2016 campaign 1-4.

But Gracia, his staff, and their players fought their asses off and rallied to close out the regular season on a 5-0 run.

It earned the boys in red a Palomares League title.

And they overcame some drama along the way to secure that league championship.

In the regular season finale, the Bulldogs trailed South Hills, 20-7, at the half.

AHS, however, outscored the Huskies 14-0 in the second half to claim a 21-20 victory.

In 2018, Ayala claimed its first Battle for the Bone victory in 10 years thanks to a 14-10 victory at CHHS.

One year later, the Bulldogs edged the Huskies, 29-28, in a thriller.

AHS scored on their final drive, and they converted its two-point conversion.

That 2019 victory over Chino Hills was a part of the program’s first 10-0 regular season in school history.

The 35-year-old Gracia refuses to be content in beating up on weaker programs just to pad Ayala’s team record or the stats of its players.

And that’s exactly why, when the opportunity arose, Coach AJ volunteered the AHS football program to join the monstrous Baseline League this season.

They sought a six-team league for football, and the Bulldogs filled their need.

It will be a steep challenge, but Gracia, his staff and their athletes are excited to join arguably the deepest league in this site’s coverage zone.

The Bulldogs will be taking on the likes of Rancho Cucamonga, Chino Hills, Damien, Etiwanda and Upland.

Those five programs went a combined 38-17 in 2023, and four of the five earned a CIF-SS playoff berth last year.

RCHS was ranked 21st in the state by MaxPreps last season, and they were followed by Damien (33), Upland (41), Etiwanda (63) and Chino Hills (125).

Fast forward to August 1st of 2024, and MaxPreps just released its 2024 preseason state rankings.

It features RCHS as the No. 18 program in California, while Damien (23), Upland (32), Ayala (71), Chino Hills (130) and Etiwanda (132) are also projected to make waves starting two weeks from today.

Based on that MaxPreps preseason poll, the six Baseline League teams (RCHS, Damien, Upland & Ayala) sit in spots 1-4, and Chino Hills and Etiwanda are sixth and seventh, respectively, among the 30 teams within the 210 Prep Sports coverage zone.

It will be interesting to see how well Ayala matches up against its Baseline League counterparts, and don’t be too surprised if they fight their way into the mix.

Win or lose in season one, there are three certainties.

AHS will not be intimidated, out-coached or out-worked.

Gracia already has an impressive resume, and he knows well that stacking one’s regular season schedule against elite programs is the most direct path in taking the Bulldogs to the next level.

Since the 2016 season, Ayala has a 22-6 record against some of this site’s best programs.

In the Gracia era, the Bulldogs have gone 8-0 against a really good and well-coached Bonita program, 6-2 versus their rival at Chino Hills, they have a 5-3 mark with Glendora, and AHS has won three of four against Charter Oak.

There will certainly be skeptics who question the likelihood of AHS having success early on, but it seems like Gracia and his staff always do an outstanding job of game planning throughout each week, and that has paid off in the form of a 69-percent winning clip.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the only area in which the Bulldogs continue to struggle.

In eight seasons, Ayala is just 1-7 in postseason games.

And that’s something Coach AJ accepts, takes responsibility for, and it’s one of the many reasons they’re happy to join the Baseline League.

They intend and hope to turn those Friday night wars in the regular season into November victories.

Gracia also wanted to emphasize that his success would be impossible without the dedicated men that share the sideline and coaching duties with him, and their talented and dedicated student-athletes.

The AHS varsity staff includes Randy Reams (offensive line), Tyler Walker (defensive coordinator), Rudy Ramirez, (defensive line), Matthew Rodriguez (tight ends/fullbacks), Matt Kaylor (running backs), Damian Staricka (special teams) and Adam Horvath (linebackers).

It should also be mentioned that Gracia’s wife Nora has supported her husband and sacrificed their personal time so that AJ can chase his dream of one day leading Ayala High School football to their first CIF-SS championship.

Lastly, I asked Gracia what he likes most about being the head football coach at Ayala, whether he had a favorite team, and which season were the Bulldogs blessed with the most talent.

Said AJ Gracia: “I love the student-athletes. We have great players here at Ayala that are very dedicated, hardworking, and talented. I’ve had amazing support from the Ayala staff, administration and athletic department. I’ve been very fortunate to have the same principal, Mrs. Yarboi, and athletic director, Warren Reed, for the past nine years. Finally, some of my closest friends are the coaches on my staff. I love coming to work every year with great coaches and players. I love all my teams and players, but I have a special place in my heart for the 2019 team, because they were the first senior class that came in as freshman in 2016. Our 2020 team was incredible. We went 5-0, outscored our opponents 177-28, and we had the largest margin of victory (42 points) in the Battle for the Bone rivalry game against Chino Hills.”

*** Just below are video interviews with Coach Gracia and six of his players talking about the upcoming 2024 season. 

Quotable:

Ayala athletic director, Warren Reed: “AJ was young, but we felt he was exactly what our program and school needed. This was AJ’s first head coaching job, and we could not be happier with the results on and off the field. He is now an AP teacher who has pushed his players to take AP courses. He and his staff truly care about our student-athletes. Coach Gracia and his staff hit the ground running his first year as we won a league title. The moment I knew he was going to excel in this position at Ayala was after the final game of that first regular season when we came back from a 20-7 halftime deficit to win his first league title.

There was a small altercation during the handshake line among coaches and Coach Gracia was interviewed right away. He was poised and professional throughout the interview just moments after the altercation. He handled the situation like a 30-year veteran of coaching would. If you asked Coach Gracia what makes this program go, he will say his student-athletes are the reason and that is true. We get to work with some of the best people and for me this does include our coaches. AJ has assembled a very good coaching staff who work so hard every day with our student-athletes. The football program has grown with our head coach and the direction he is taking us on and off the field is so much fun to watch. Coach Gracia wants to bring a CIF title to Ayala, and I have no doubt he will get it done.”

Bonita coach & four-time CIF champion, Steve Bogan: “AJ has always come across as a genuinely real person, because he is. He’s a class act, he’s not a “pretender”… to quote Jackson Browne. More and more, in the modern world of modernity, people seem to be “game players.” AJ’s not one of them. He is real, and a tremendous coach! Ayala is very fortunate to have him. AJ teams have always used smart schemes. His teams have always played fundamentally sound. They also play hard and fast, and they play together. There is not much more than that. To do that consistently, over many years, as Ayala has, speaks loudly. Getting moved to the Baseline League is a compliment and a tribute to the program AJ, his staff, and the leadership team at Ayala have built.”

Chino Valley Champion sports editor, Josh Thompson: “Coach Gracia has brought a much-needed stability to a great Ayala High football program. He is a great coach with even greater character. Watching him grow as a coach over the past eight seasons is admirable. His dedication to his players, his program, and the Ayala High community has been one of the greatest assets to the football program. His record speaks for itself, and his success is hard to match.”

Former Ayala two-way starter, Drew Merrill: “Coach Gracia made an impact on my career and as a person by the way he coaches, and just the day-to-day interactions we had off the field. He knows when to turn it up a notch and get guys fired up and ready to compete, which is what you like as a player, having that coach that’s always going to ride for you and the team. Off the field, you could always approach him with whatever and I was also a student in one of his classes, which was cool. I think he’s successful, because of the consistency he brings daily. and that he’s a players’ coach who gets the most out of them. Coach Gracia is one of the best around, and I wouldn’t have rather played for anyone else.”

Former Ayala two-way starter, Marquis Monroe: “Coach Gracia and the coaching staff all pushed me every day to be the best possible on the football field knowing the potential I had, but the most important is, they made sure that I was not messing up off the field, which is why I believe this program has had success over the years. The coaching staff truly cares and wants to see all their players reach their potential as an athlete and human being.”

Preseason State Rankings by MaxPreps Among 210 Prep Sports Programs:
Rancho Cucamonga: 18
Damien: 23
Upland: 32
Ayala: 71
Bonita: 87
St. Francis: 113
Chino Hills: 130
Etiwanda: 132
Charter Oak: 134
Glendora: 185
Muir: 193
San Dimas: 221
Northview: 222
Rio Hondo Prep: 242
Chino: 250
Los Osos: 254
West Covina: 283
South Hills: 300
Covina: 339
San Marino: 417
Monrovia: 428
Arcadia: 455
La Canada: 499
Maranatha: 511
Alta Loma: 638
Claremont: 693
La Salle: 696
Pasadena: 772
Duarte: 910
Azusa: 949

2024 Ayala Schedule:
8/22: Colony at Ayala
8/31: Desert Pines at Ayala
9/6: La Habra at Ayala
9/13: Ayala at Villa Park
9/20: Glendora at Ayala
10/4: Ayala at Chino Hills
10/11: Ayala at Rancho Cucamonga
10/18: Upland at Ayala
10/24: Ayala at Damien
11/1: Etiwanda at Ayala

Ayala Records Under AJ Gracia:
2023: 6-5 overall, 3-0 in league & 0-1 in playoffs
2022: 8-3, 2-1 & 0-1
2021 Spring: 5-0, 2-0 (Abbreviated COVID season & didn’t play a full league schedule or have a postseason)
2021 Fall: 9-2, 3-0 & 0-1
2019: 11-1, 5-0 & 1-1
2018: 7-4, 2-3 & 0-1
2017: 5-6, 3-2 & 0-1
2016: 6-5, 5-0 & 0-1
Totals: 57-26 overall, 28-5 in league & 1-7 in playoffs

Ayala Record vs Area & League Programs, 2016-2023:
Bonita (8-0)
Alta Loma (6-1)
Chino Hills (6-2)
Glendora (5-3)
Claremont (4-0)
Charter Oak (3-1)

Ayala League Titles:
2023, 2021 spring & fall seasons, 2019 & 2016