It began in 1946 during the Truman Administration. It became the oldest Peninsula/South Bay prep football rivalry in the earliest iteration of the region's embryonic Catholic league. Bellarmine vs. Serra was a much-anticipated contest well into the 1970s. It lost some luster as the Bells took charge. They dominated into the 1990s. That has changed. Markedly. Over the last eight seasons, the rivalry has tilted dramatically toward San Mateo. Serra hasn't lost since 2015, a string of eight straight wins by big margins. The difference has been striking. Serra has outscored Bellarmine, 340-40, during that span. When the two schools meet at San Jose City College Friday night, the Padres will be heavily favored again as the winless Bells flounder for the second year in a row in the WCAL. They were 2-8 last year. They are 0-7 now. The Bells, who began playing football well over a century ago as Santa Clara Preparatory, have not gone winless since 1936 when they went 0-6-1. They still lead the all-time series with Serra, 49-31-2. But the tide has turned so stunningly it's difficult for alumni of both schools to fathom how fortunes have been reversed so severely.
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