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






Rivalries 




          Rivalry is defined 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 over the past few seasons. 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 (111 games) claim the oldest rivalry, Talladega and Sylacauga (103 games) began playing in 1911, three years earlier.

              The Longest Continuous Rivalry - Jackson and Clarke County have played every season between 1925 and 2021 for a total of 97 seasons before the game went dormant in 2022. 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 - Albertville and Guntersville, have played 111 times. Clarke County and Thomasville stand at 110 games and Clarke County and Jackson have played 106 games.

             
The Longest Rivalries
Teams Games Years
Albertville vs. Guntersville 111 1914-    
Thomasville vs. Clarke County 110 1917-    
Clarke County vs. Jackson 106 1919-    
Cullman vs. Hartselle 104 1916-    
Sylacauga vs. Talladega 104 1911-    
         
Foley vs. Fairhope 103 1931-    
Etowah vs. Gadsden 103 1924-2005    
Lamar County vs. Sulligent 103 1924-    
Foley vs. Robertsdale 102 1925-    
Clay County vs. Lineville 102 1922-2011    
Cordova vs. Dora 102 1925-    
         
Gordo vs. Pickens County 102 1920-    
Crossville vs. Geraldine 101 1926-    
Auburn vs. Opelika 100 1917-    
Deshler vs. Russellville 99 1923-    
Athens vs. Decatur 98 1922-    
Hamilton vs. Winfield 98 1922-    
         
Guntersville vs. Arab  97 1922-    
Marion County vs. Brilliant 97 1930-    
Foley vs. Baldwin County 96 1923-    
         


The Rivalries
Teams Games Years
T.R. Miller vs. W.S. Neal, The Battle of Murder Creek 82 1946-    
Murphy vs. McGill-Toolen, The Cannon Bowl 94 1935-    
Etowah vs. Gadsden, The Charity Bowl 103 1924-2005    
Clay County vs. Lineville, The Clay Bowl 102 1922-2011    
Foley vs. Robertsdale 102 1925-    
Albertville vs. Guntersville, Alabama's Oldest Rivalry 111 1914-    
Clarke County vs. Jackson 106 1919-    
B.B. Comer vs. Sylacauga, The Marble City Classic 90 1927-    
Crossville vs. Geraldine, The Battle of Skirum Creek 101 1926-    
Vigor vs. Blount, The Battle of Prichard 54 1971-    
         
Lee vs. Lanier 69 1957-2023    
Auburn vs. Opelika 100 1917-    
Cullman vs. Hartselle 104 1916-    
Foley vs. Fairhope, Battle of the Blue and Gold 103 1931-    
Deshler vs. Russellville 99 1923-    
Hoover vs. Vestavia Hills 60 1972-    
Baldwin County vs. Escambia County 90 1920-    
Lamar County vs. Sulligent 103 1924-    
Hamilton vs. Winfield 98 1922-    
Cordova vs. Dora, The Coal Bowl 102 1925-    
         
Gordo vs. Pickens County, The 8 Mile War 102 1920-    
Washington County vs. Millry 89 1930-    
Thomasville vs. Clarke County, The Backyard Brawl 110 1917-    
Courtland vs. Hazlewood 55 1962-2008    
Foley vs. Baldwin County 96 1924-    
UMS-Wright vs. St. Paul's, the Battle of Old Shell Road 47 1978-    
Dothan vs. Enterprise, The Battle of the Wiregrass 88 1913-    
Talladega vs. Sylacauga 103 1911-    
Athens vs. Decatur 98 1923-    
         

        

David Parker
  AHSFHS.org
  dparker@ahsfhs.org




Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History

Foley outscored their opponents 433-6 in 1961. The Lions were named state champions by the Alabama Sports Writers Association that season.