Best High School football rivalries in the state

[littlebuddy]

For me it was always Allen Park/Mevindale in the 70's. Lots of fights after the game, don't know why they hated each other so much, but they did.

[littlebuddy]

But I wonder how intense the Paradise/Hell rivalry would be?

[MrNittany]

Off the top of my head:

Midland vs. Midland Dow ... definitely #1 in the state, IMO.
Brother Rice vs. Catholic Central
Utica Eisenhower vs. SH Stevenson
Menominee vs. Marinette [[Wisconsin)

[NoHeartAnthony]

Allen Park/Melvindale and it's not even close.

They're back to playing each other in Week 9 thanks to the Downriver League.

[48217]

Melvindale/ Lincoln Park 50-60s

[MrNittany]

Allen Park/Melvindale and it's not even close.

They're back to playing each other in Week 9 thanks to the Downriver League.

Those two didn't even play each other for NINE CONSECUTIVE REGULAR SEASONS! [[1999 to 2007).

I know there were extenuating circumstances [[namely, that the Mega Conference, which prevented the match-ups, was a bad idea), but IMO it can't qualify for "best rivalry in the state" [[at least for the time being) when it took such a long time off.

[the rock]

For decades, one of the best prep rivalries in the State was the Birmingham High Maples playing the Royal Oak Acorns. These two teams played in different leagues. The game was played on Thanksgiving Day at noon, the site alternating between the two schools. I believe the rivalry came to an end in the late 50's, when Royal Oak built a second high school, followed by Birmingham doing the same thing shortly thereafter. Royal Oak became Dondero and B'ham became B'ham Seaholm. I saw a good seven games or so while in Barnum and then while attending Birmingham High. The Lions were not the only team playing football on Thanksgiving day.
Seems to me a couple of the Flint or Bay City high school teams also played each other on Thanksgiving Day.

[NoHeartAnthony]

Those two didn't even play each other for NINE CONSECUTIVE REGULAR SEASONS! [[1999 to 2007).

I know there were extenuating circumstances [[namely, that the Mega Conference, which prevented the match-ups, was a bad idea), but IMO it can't qualify for "best rivalry in the state" [[at least for the time being) when it took such a long time off.

Hah, I was just promoting it because I'm an AP grad.

As for other good rivalries:
Fordson/Monroe
Monroe/Adrian
Plainwell/Otsego
Kingsford/Iron Mountain
Pontiac Northern/Central

The Kingsford/IM one challenges the Midland one for tops in the state, IMO.

[MrNittany]

Hah, I was just promoting it because I'm an AP grad.

As for other good rivalries:
Fordson/Monroe
Monroe/Adrian
Plainwell/Otsego
Kingsford/Iron Mountain
Pontiac Northern/Central

The Kingsford/IM one challenges the Midland one for tops in the state, IMO.

Good calls on Kingsford/IM and Monroe/Adrian .... great series.

Pontiac Northern, unfortunately, is no more ..... the 2 schools merged after last season.

Always liked AP the few times I've seen them ..... damn good hard-hitting, blue-collar team. Wished they would have won the title in 2003, Grady was just an inhuman machine at the end for EGR.

[Downriviera]

I remember the time the Melvindale team bus got caught by a train on Champaign Street just up the road from Allen Park High on its way back to Melvindale. We grabbed rocks from along the tracks and proceeded to fire them at the bus, breaking many windows. Fun times.

[NoHeartAnthony]

Good calls on Kingsford/IM and Monroe/Adrian .... great series.

Pontiac Northern, unfortunately, is no more ..... the 2 schools merged after last season.

Always liked AP the few times I've seen them ..... damn good hard-hitting, blue-collar team. Wished they would have won the title in 2003, Grady was just an inhuman machine at the end for EGR.

That game was my senior year... very, very heartbreaking.

[Ray1936]

Mackenzie/Cooley

Alas, the Cardinals usually stomped the Stags.

[blksoul_x]

DETROIT NORTHWESTERN COLTS [[THE BIG N.O.) VS. DETROIT MURRAY WRIGHT PILOTS [[The BIG MW).....circa early 70's to 2000.

The two schools hated each other, beside the fact that the schools were down the street from each other, the two neighborhoods were gang rivals as well!

I can recall my uncles as far back as the 70's talking about the rivalry. Fights, shootings, stabbings, vandalism, as well as kidnappings were a routine affair when the two schools locked horns. I remember when a few games were cancelled due to threats brought on by both schools.

Despite the violence though, the two schools was usually evenly matched. Many of the games, whether football, or basketball was often decided late in the game. During the basketball season, the two schools played in the annual PSL Classic Tournament [[dubbed the 'Christmas' tournament). Because school was out during the 'Christmas' game, Alumni , Parents, Special Guest, O'G's, and anybody else that was associated with Northwestern and Murry would be at the game. It was ONE BIG party and one BIG RIVALRY.

Today, the two schools are on different programs, and Murry Wright is in a smaller grouping, therefore, Northwestern and Murry Wright no longer play each other [[not even sure if they have a sports program), thus, the GREATEST RIVALRY in the PSL history has been buried.

blksoul_atcha!
The BJL, the color you love to hate!

[reddog289]

As a kid living in Garden City it was West VS East back then till the two merged. Then moved to Westland where the big game is the WMHS vs Westland Glenn. My Dad can remember when Det NW hated Det SW which he pointed out to me why the cannon was pointed to the SW. When both schools were open I hear that Henry Ford and Redford High were a pretty big deal.

[Gary]

Denby-Pershing and Western-Southwestern are two other long standing PSL rivalries.

[birwood]

Detroit PSL league in the 60's was Mackenzie vs Northwestern....Go Stags !

[Maxine1958]

Denby-Pershing and Western-Southwestern are two other long standing PSL rivalries.

Wasn't Osborn part of that Denby-Pershing rivalry? I seem to recall some vicious games when Osborn played them while I attended Osborn WAY back in the 70's.

[SMRJim]

I don't know that my old school [[St. Marys of Redford) ever had a rivalry that could be considered 'best in the state', but I know they had some good ones in the old Catholic League [[back when it had MANY teams, including Servite, St Ambrose, Bishop Gallagher, Shrine, Holy Redeemer, ...). St. Ambrose was one of the big football powerhouses back in the day, I'm sure they had a big rivalry or two. Dearborn High and Dearborn Edsel Ford has always been huge.

Funny thing with St Marys - we didn't have our own football field [[other than our 2 gyms we had no real sports facilities at the school grounds), and for a while we used McKenzie's field for our 'home' games - I think it was called Hammersburg Field or something like that. Dad took me to a few games there as a youngster.

[Oldertimer]

back in the 60's. Harper Woods Notre Dame vs [[Detroit) Austin in the Catholic League.

[douglasm]

I think The Rock and I have had this discussion before. We [[Ferndale High) may have disliked Birmingham Seaholm intently, but when it came to football rivalies, nothing could hold a candle to Ferndale/Royal Oak Kimball in the 60's. Couldn't beat them to save our souls, though.....

[65memories]

For DPS rivalries, as stated, Henry Ford and Redford was always a big game. For Royal Oak Kimball, although Ferndale and Seaholm were always big games, the season was not complete without a victory over cross-town rival Dondero.

[Zulu Warrior]

Cooley vs. Henry Ford in the 80's
Ann Arbor Pioneer vs. Huron
Cass vs. Renaisaance

[Det_ard]

There's a whole set of West Michigan HS football rivalries that match those in the Detroit area. For some reason metro Detroit high schools sucks when the playoffs come around. Last year all 8 champions came from West Michigan [[one from Traverse City). In the four years prior to that, Detroit area high schools only won 2 of 32 championships. West Michigan dominates for some reason.

[JVLIVS]

I went to Kettering bet. the late 80s and early 90s, and the big blue K has had its share of bitter enemies back then. Osborn, King, Southeastern, Finney, and Cass were the biggies back then-I shudder to think about now!

I can recall that one achilles heel that KE had was Chadsey's B-ball team! THEY were a force to be reckoned with.

Now 20 years down the road, I now work for DPS and things have escalated as most of us have feared as well as predicted.

Henry Ford/Redford. Since Redford shut its doors and transferred most of their students to Ford and some went to Cody, Henry Ford ain't been the same since!

Cody/Mackenzie.
Osborn/Denby
Denby/Finney
Cass/Renaissance
Western/Southwestern

And whenever there was a playoff in the Football state championship, TWO teams that DPS teams have either haven't beaten yet, or had a hard time beating them, as it were [[somebody PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong here), were Bishop Borgess, and Brothers Rice.

My mother told me that when she started high school, those teams were unbeatable teams back then!

My apologies if any of this is off-topic!

[Fury13]

Ann Arbor's crosstown rivalry: Pioneer vs. Huron.