Vote now: Which is the best high school football rivalry in the country?
From the West to the East to the Midwest to the South and from new to old, we recently featured some of the best high school football rivalries in the country.
Now, we want to hear from you: Which is the best of the best?
Vote in the poll and let us know which rivalry you think reigns supreme in high school football across the United States. Descriptions of each rivalry are below the poll.
Rivalry voting will conclude Saturday, Oct. 29, at 11:59 p.m.
(Roswell-Milton photo by Josh Major)
Arkansas: Fordyce - Rison
Rison won the first contest 37-7 in 1952, and it's been a big rivalry ever since in these small towns separated by 18 miles. Fordyce owns the longest winning streak in the series, with 13 straight from 1956-68, and the Redbugs hold a 38-27-5 overall advantage over the Wildcats. “If you live here, there is no explanation that is necessary,” said Rison coach Clay Totty, a Fordyce native. “It is a way of life and a big deal. All of the interconnections, the ties back and forth, the history of it. A lot of the same names played on both sides and some crossover. If you are not from here, there is really no explanation that is satisfactory.”
Georgia: Valdosta - Lowndes
The Winnersville Classic features crosstown rivals and perennial powerhouses squaring off against each other in south Georgia. Valdosta stakes claim to 24 state titles and more wins than any other team in the history of high school football, and it began playing Lowndes in 1968 a couple of years after the school opened. The two have played every year since, and there’s never a lack of talent or hype when the Wildcats and Vikings get together. Valdosta won 13-6 in this year’s meeting, snapping Lowndes’ five-year win streak and improving its lead in the all-time series to 38-23.
Ohio: Canton McKinley - Massillon Washington
The oldest rivalry in Ohio is also commonly crowned as the best rivalry in Ohio. Dating back to 1894, the two schools are ranked first and second in the state in total wins with over 1,700 between them. Countless famous NFL players, coaches and all-Americans have taken part in this series — including Paul Brown, Earle Bruce and Josh McDaniels, just to name a few. Combined, the two schools have 30 state football championships, most coming from the AP before the playoff era. - Sam Houseworth
Texas: Port Neches-Groves - Nederland
Separated by less than 5 miles, these two schools near the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana border have been playing each other since 1925. Bum Phillips coached Nederland from 1951-1956 and Port Neches-Groves from 1963-1964, and the winner of the game takes the Bum Phillips Bowl trophy.
Missouri: Kirkwood - Webster Groves
This game's been played since 1898 and on Thanksgiving Day since 1907, and it's evolved into being much more than a football game. The St. Louis schools located 5 miles apart spend the whole week leading up to the game decorating the campus in varying themes, along with staging multiple pep rallies. Kirkwood has won eight straight in the series, but Webster Groves still leads the all-time series 58-54-7.
California: Mater Dei - St. John Bosco
This has become the de-facto Super Bowl of high school football in recent years, with the southern California schools squaring off annually as two of the top-ranked teams in the nation. This year’s edition of the rivalry, which Mater Dei won 17-7, featured a whopping 76 Division I prospects.
Florida: Lakeland - Kathleen
If you’re looking for the hot ticket in Polk County year in and year out, you can usually count on the Dreadnaughts and Red Devils giving you that. It’s always a packed crowd trying to watch this matchup at either Bryant Stadium or Johnny Johnson Stadium, which are 3.6 miles apart. When you can attract over 10,000 people to one regular-season game, you know it’s a rivalry. - Andy Villamarzo
Washington, D.C.: Gonzaga - St. John’s
These two teams met for the 100th time last season, with St. John's edging Gonzaga 20-17. Played annually on the last weekend of the regular season, it's one of the oldest high school football rivalries in the country. St. John's will host the 101th edition on Nov. 5 with a chance to even the all-time series, as Gonzaga leads 48-47-5.
Mississippi: Jackson Prep - Jackson Academy
This one could also be expanded to include Madison-Ridgeland Academy, but long before the Patriots were major players, these two schools have been in an arms race that dates back to the 1970s. Jackson Prep has won an amazing 25 state titles, and Jackson Academy is second with nine. Prep has won seven straight in the series. - Tyler Cleveland
Oklahoma: Jenks - Tulsa Union
What makes the Backyard Bowl really stand out is how good these two teams always are, and the schools are separated by just 9 miles. One of these two juggernauts took the large-school state championship every year from 1996 to 2016, and Jenks beat Union for the title in last year's championship game. Jenks is second in Oklahoma state history with 18 state titles, and Union is tied for eighth with nine. Union dominated this season's Backyard Bowl 38-3.
Michigan: Brother Rice - Detroit Catholic Central
Detroit Catholic Central has owned this rivalry in recent years, winning its eighth straight in the series in September with a 21-19 victory. It wasn't long ago that this series between perennial state title contenders was tied, but now Catholic Central holds a 36-30-1 lead. Catholic Central has won 10 football state championships, while Brother Rice has won nine.
Ohio: Ironton - Portsmouth
No other rivalry in southern Ohio is quite like that between Ironton and Portsmouth. The rivalry, one of the oldest in the state, came to prominence during the Bob Lutz era with Ironton. The winningest head coach in Ohio high school football history, Lutz led the Fighting Tigers to two state championships in 1979 and 1989. In recent years, the rivalry has grown in importance as both teams have become regulars in the D-V state playoffs. - Sam Houseworth
New Jersey: Bergen Catholic - Don Bosco Prep
These have been two of the best teams in the state for several years now, and you never know what you're going to get. Don Bosco pulled off the upset this year, ending Bergen Catholic's 17-game win streak and improving Don Bosco's series lead to 42-33-2. Don Bosco has 24 football state titles, while Bergen Catholic has 12.
California: Garfield - Roosevelt
Along with bands and cheerleaders from both schools, Black Eyed Peas will be performing at halftime of this year's game in the LA Coliseum. If that sentence alone doesn't tell you how massive this rivalry is, then listen to Roosevelt's senior captain Alexander Arroyo. "We are both from hard-working families," Arroyo said. "We are both communities that respect tradition. The only thing that separates us is the blue and gold." They'll play the East L.A. Classic for the 87th time Friday.
Georgia: Roswell - Milton
One of the most heated rivalries in the Atlanta area and the entire state is the one between Milton and Roswell. Located less than 4 miles apart, the two public schools have met 66 times since 1950 (when both schools were in small farming communities) and haven’t missed a year since 1999. Roswell leads the all-time series 38-29-1.
Texas: Bay City - El Campo
This is the oldest continuous rivalry in Texas high school football, as the teams faced off for the 103rd straight season earlier this month. El Campo prevailed, extending the Ricebirds' series lead over the Blackcats to 66-44-9. It was the 119th time the two schools, which are 32 miles apart and about an hour and a half southwest of Houston, had played.
Mississippi: Brandon - Pearl
This Rankin County rivalry really could be a three-way affair if we included Northwest Rankin, but the Brandon-Pearl game has special significance each season. The series, known colloquially as the "Eat Dirt" game, features two Class 6A schools separated by just 10 miles. On top of being a rivalry game, the two powerhouse programs usually meet with a lot on the line. Like most good series, the game takes place in the last week of the regular season. The Pirates made the Bulldogs eat dirt last year, winning 15-7. - Tyler Cleveland
Massachusetts: Wellesley - Needham
Wellesley and Needham renewed the United States' oldest public high school football Thanksgiving rivalry last year after missing 2020 because of COVID. Wellesley holds the all-time series lead with a 64-60-9 record after winning the 133rd edition last year.
Washington: Auburn - Kent-Meridian
The state's second-oldest rivalry began in 1908, and the two teams have vied for the Taylor Trophy since 1929, when Dr. Owen Taylor donated it. For a game that's been played so many times, the series is very close, though Auburn has dominated in recent years to take a 57-50-6 lead. Kent-Meridian's last series win came in 2015, its second in a row after losing 15 straight.
Oregon: West Linn - Oregon City
West Linn has dominated this 100-year-old rivalry in recent years, winning eight straight, but Oregon City still holds the overall regular-season advantage in the Battle of the Bridge, 51-48-1. Oregon City — the first incorporated city west of the Rockies and site where the Oregon Trail ended — will get a chance to break West Linn's streak Oct. 28 at home.
Louisiana: Jesuit - Holy Cross
This New Orleans rivalry is the fifth-oldest continuously played prep rivalry in the country and dates back to 1922. The pregame tailgate has the atmosphere of a big-time college game, with varieties of food and custom T-shirts at every turn. Jesuit cruised to victory last season to claim the Golden Football and holds a 60-40-1 series lead.
Florida: Glades Central - Pahokee
These two schools are 13 miles apart in small towns on the south side of Lake Okeechobee, and it's called the Muck Bowl in honor of the swampy soil in the area. Despite being played in small stadiums, the annual game attracts up to 25,000 people, including NFL alums. Among Glades Central's NFL alumni are Santonio Holmes, Kelvin Benjamin, Deonte Thompson, Ray McDonald, Jessie Hester, Fred Taylor and Reidel Anthony. Pahokee's NFL class includes Janoris Jenkins, Anquan Boldin, Andrew Waters and Rickey Jackson.
Maryland: Calvert Hall - Loyola Blakefield
The Turkey Bowl is the longest continuous Catholic prep-school football rivalry in the United States. Played every Thanksgiving morning, this rivalry will celebrate its 102nd renewal this year. Win or lose, students and alumni of both schools pack the current venue, Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium, for the 10 a.m. kickoff, which is televised regionally, before heading home to celebrate their Thanksgiving feast. - Gary Adornato
Arkansas: Bryant - Benton
The Salt Bowl draws more than 20,000 fans per year to War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, as two of the largest schools in Arkansas square off in a rivalry that's been around since 1974. A reported 29,150 fans witnessed this year's Salt Bowl, which Bryant won 38-17.
Iowa: Dowling Catholic - Valley
The two West Des Moines schools are located 2 miles apart, and Dowling uses Valley's stadium for its home games. The rivalry began in 1968 and has produced countless memorable matchups over the years. Dowling defeated Valley in the 2019 4A state championship to claim its seventh consecutive state title.
North Carolina: Pisgah - Tuscola
One of the fiercest rivalries in North Carolina is also one of the longest-running ones, as Pisgah and Tuscola have met every year since 1966. Technically, the schools have played for over 100 years, before the school system consolidated multiple schools. Last week, Tuscola snapped Pisgah's nine-year win streak in the Haywood County rivalry with a 35-34 win over the Bears.
South Carolina: Clover - York
Until the pandemic ruined the 2021 meeting between Clover and York, the two schools had met on the gridiron every year since 1943, though they first squared off in 1912. The rivals started a new streak this year, with York winning 28-24 in their 109th game against Clover.
Illinois: Geneva - Batavia
These two Chicago-area schools separated by just 4 miles started their rivalry in 1913 and have played more than 100 times since then. Batavia has owned the series in recent years, winning its 12th in a row earlier this month, but Geneva still holds the series lead at 51-48-5.
Alabama: Hoover - Thompson
What this rivalry lacks in history, it makes up for with its high level of talent, as Hoover and Thompson have faced off the past six years as two of the nation’s top programs. AL.com surveyed 75 coaches across the state prior to the 2022 season, and 19% said Hoover-Thompson takes the cake as Alabama’s best rivalry even though it's new to the discussion.
Pennsylvania: Penn Charter - Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy won the first two games — all the way back in 1887 and 1888 — but in terms of results this rivalry has been dominated by Penn Charter, which holds an 87-37-11 series lead. The Philadelphia schools separated by 11 miles meet for the 136th straight year next month, making it the longest continuous prep school football rivalry in the country.
