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   The best of the best in Alabama High   
  School Football over the past 100 seasons.






Rivalries 


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          Rivalry is defines as "competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field." When it comes to a high school football rivalry in Alabama, it means a little more. Just ask any fan of any team and they will tell you the dislike for their rival school goes way beyond anything that happens on a football field on a Friday night once every year.

          Most rivalries are lived out 365 days a year until that same Friday night rolls around again. Coaches are fired due to the lack of success against a rival. Fans take great pride in bragging about a win in the rivalry. Players are told from a young age all about the importance of defeating that hated rival team from down the road.

          When researching the rivalries, there are several things to look at in determining the best rivalries of all time. How long have the two teams played? Do the teams continue to play even when their classifications and regions are different?
         
          The most intense high school football rivalries often feature key ingredients: schools that aren't far apart, strong community involvement, competiveness, and bragging rights. These games have all those factors and more.

          Some rivalries are newer than others simply because the schools came into existence recently. These include; Hoover and Vestavia Hills, Daphne and Spanish Fort, UMS-Wright and St. Paul's.

          Our list is not necessarily about the most heated rivalries this season. We know who those teams are very well. It is about the rivalry between schools that have stood the test of time.

          There have been some rivalries lost to time forever due to the consolidation of the two schools. The Clay Bowl rivalry was dissolved when Clay County and Lineville were consolidated into Central Clay County in 2011. Hazlewood and Courtland became R.A. Hubbard, Alba and Grand Bay became Alma Bryant, Coffee and Bradshaw became Florence, Stevenson and Bridgeport became North Jackson.

          Other rivalries have just faded into history when the great teams of the past have lost their dominance in the sport. Banks and Woodlawn along with Lanier and Lee in Montgomery. 

          Before we get into each rivalry, some of the important facts that are argued among the state schools about the rivalries. Here are a few facts about the state rivalries.

              The Oldest Rivalry - While Albertville and Guntersville (101 games) claim the oldest rivalry, Talladega and Sylacauga (96 games) began playing in 1911, three years earlier.

              The Longest Continuous Rivalry - Jackson and Clarke County have played every season since 1925 for a total of 91 seasons. Albertville and Guntersville have played every year since 1926 along with Geraldine and Crossville. Clay County and Lineville also played 90 consecutive seasons before the schools consolidated in 2011.

              The Most games played in a Rivalry - Gadsden and Etowah played a total of 103 times before Gadsden closed in 2005. Clay County and Lineville played 102 times while the only current teams in this list, Albertville and Guntersville, have played 101 times. Clarke County and Thomasville stand at 101 games and Clarke County and Jackson have played 100 games.

             

The Longest Rivalries
Teams Games Years
Etowah vs. Gadsden 103 1924-2005    
Clay County vs. Lineville 102 1922-2011    
Albertville vs. Guntersville 101 1914-2015    
Thomasville vs. Clarke County 101 1917-2015    
Clarke County vs. Jackson 100 1919-2015    
Foley vs. Robertsdale 96 1925-2015    
         
Sylacauga vs. Talladega 96 1911-2015    
Crossville vs. Geraldine 94 1926-2015    
Cullman vs. Hartselle 94 1916-2015    
Foley vs. Fairhope 93 1931-2015    
Cordova vs. Dora 92 1925-2015    
B.B. Comer vs. Sylacauga 91 1927-2015    
         
Foley vs. Baldwin County 91 1923-2013    
Gordo vs. Pickens County 91 1920-2015    
Hamilton vs. Winfield 91 1922-2015    
Lamar County vs. Sulligent 91 1924-2015    
Auburn vs. Opelika 90 1917-2015    
Baldwin County vs. Escambia County 90 1920-2015    



The Rivalries
Teams Games Years
T.R. Miller vs. W.S. Neal, The Battle of Murder Creek 73 1946-2015    
Murphy vs. McGill-Toolen, The Cannon Bowl 84 1935-2015    
Etowah vs. Gadsden 103 1924-2005    
Clay County vs. Lineville, The Clay Bowl 102 1922-2011    
Foley vs. Robertsdale 96 1925-2015    
Albertville vs. Guntersville 101 1914-2015    
Clarke County vs. Jackson, Longest Continuous Rivalry 100 1919-2015    
B.B. Comer vs. Sylacauga, The Marble City Classic 91 1927-2015    
Crossville vs. Geraldine 94 1926-2015    
Vigor vs. Blount, The Battle of Prichard 44 1971-2013    
         
Lee vs. Lanier 61 1957-2015    
Auburn vs. Opelika 90 1917-2015    
Cullman vs. Hartselle 94 1916-2015    
Foley vs. Fairhope, Battle of the Blue and Gold 93 1931-2015    
Deshler vs. Russellville 89 1923-2015    
Hoover vs. Vestavia Hills 51 1972-2015    
Baldwin County vs. Escambia County 90 1920-2015    
Lamar County vs. Sulligent 91 1924-2015    
Hamilton vs. Winfield 91 1922-2015    
Cordova vs. Dora 92 1925-2015    
         
Gordo vs. Pickens County 91 1920-2015    
Washington County vs. Millry 79 1930-2015    
Thomasville vs. Clarke County 101 1917-2015    
Courtland vs. Hazlewood 55 1962-2008    
Foley vs. Baldwin County 91 1924-2013    
UMS-Wright vs. St. Paul's, the Battle of Old Shell Road 37 1978-2015    
Dothan vs. Enterprise 85 1913-2015    
Talladega vs. Sylacauga 96 1911-2015    
         
         


        

David Parker
  AHSFHS.org
  dparker@ahsfhs.org




Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History

The first football game played by a high school team in Alabama was in 1892 when Central Birmingham (Phillips) lost to Alabama 56-0 on November 11.