Top 20 active Texas high school football rivalries

National powers Duncanville and DeSoto are also district foes. Here are the rest of the best rivalries in Texas.

A DeSoto player reacts to a momentous upset of undefeated Duncanville in a rivalry in 2023. / Photo by Robbie Rakestraw, SBLive

The 2024 Texas high school football season has already produced the latest renditions of some of the country's most compelling rivalries.

From cross-town rivals to district foes, many teams across the Lone Star State have shared history.

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While nationally ranked Duncanville and DeSoto are set to clash Oct. 11, rivalry week has already arrived in East Texas as the cross-town battle of College Station is on tap Friday.

SBLive examined the 20 best active high school football rivalries (and then some):

BEST HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RIVALRIES IN TEXAS

Amarillo vs. Lubbock

The two squads will match up in a District 2-5A game on Nov. 1 in Lubbock. That will be meeting No. 102 between the two West Texas schools. There was a stretch where they played 90 years in a row, but that ended in 2012. The Amarillo Sandies holds the state record for most wins in a row with 43 in a row, spanning from 1974 to 2021 — a series that picked back up in 2018. The two haven’t played since 2021, but the rivalry will renew soon.

Burnet vs. Marble Falls

The opening game of District 4-4A play will see the long-time rivals face off when the Burnet Bulldogs goes on the road to face the Mustangs. Located about 13 miles apart on Highway 281 in Central Texas, the two have been playing against each other since 1913 — two games that year both won by Marble Falls. This will be game No. 104 between the two, with Burnett winning 53. The rivalry took a break between 1992 and 2004.

Cameron Yoe vs. Rockale

The District 11-3A rivals will clash on Oct. 25 in Rockdale this year in what is dubbed the ‘Battle of the Bell,’ which started in 1954 when the Rockdale Sandow & Southern Railroad donated a brass train bell that goes to the winner. In 2001, the original bell was replaced in the Milam County rivalry and now is mounted on a two-wheel trailer. The rivals first played in 1911 and this year will be game No. 97 overall and the 68th year in a row.

College Station vs. A&M Consolidated

This is still a relatively new one, but has been competitive in the short history since College Station's debut varsity football 10 years ago. The newcomers have won won all six matchups against A&M Consolidate, which was founded in 1920 on the Texas A&M campus. Last year, College Station beat A&M, 49-42, to claim a district title. The Tigers host College Station on Sept. 20 and both teams are 3-0 this year.

Cuero vs. Yoakum

The South Texas rivals — about 17 miles separate the two football stadiums — have been playing for a long time. This year was game No. 116 between the two schools, the third most ever in Texas — starting back in 1911. The Cuero Gobblers won the 2024 showdown handily, 61-49, to maintain bragging rights in DeWitt County. This year was the 86th consecutive year the two schools played. The Gobblers at one point won 42 games in a row — from 1969 to 2011.

Dallas David W. Carter vs. Dallas Justin F. Kimball

One of the biggest rivalries in Dallas ISD is the one for the Carter Cowboys and the Kimball Knights. Kimball opened in 1958 and Carter opened in 1966. The next year, they played on the gridiron for the first time. They met 54 years in a row until the series ended after the 2020 season. However, the games resumed in 2022. This year, Carter travels to Kimball on Oct. 19 and will look to improve on their 36-18-2 record in the series.

De Kalb vs. New Boston

Near the Arkansas-Texas border is this showdown of rivals a short drive from each other on Highway 82. The New Boston Lions and the De Kalb Bears have played for 87 years in a row and on Oct. 11, it will be 88 when New Boston travels west. They first played in 1930 and have played every year since 1937. New Boston holds a 47-45-2 mark.

Del Rio vs. Eagle Pass

The Del Rio Rams will travel to Eagle Pass to face the Eagles in the regular-season finale on Nov. 7 in the final District 30-6A game of the season. The rivalry is among the most in Texas in games played and games played in consecutive years. This year’s game will be No. 105 — the first game played was in 1920. The teams played for 69 years in a row, until 2006. In 2008, the series picked back up again with the Eagles winning the past 8.

Devine vs. Hondo

Located 20 miles apart, west of San Antonio, this is another rivalry that dates back to the 1930s. The Devine Warhorses travels to face the Hondo Owls on Sept. 20. The rivals have played every year since 1938 — this will be the 87th year in a row. Hondo won 61, with Devine winning 40 and there were two ties — in 1934 and 1947. This year’s game will be No. 104 — which includes one playoff showdown.

While this rivalry hasn’t been played for 100 years, it is one that is filled with probably as many Division I prospects as you can get in one game. The DeSoto Eagles are 11-6 in the matchups against their nearby neighbors in DFW. In a weird scheduling fluke due to the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the start of the 2020 season, the Duncanville Panthers beat DeSoto in the 6A quarterfinals twice in 2021 — in January and December. DeSoto's rain-delayed 2023 win was one for the ages.

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El Campo vs. Bay City

Located in Southeast Texas, this rivalry has the most games against each other in the state’s history, according to the Texas High School Football History website. On Oct. 25, El Campo will visit Bay City in a District 15-4A game. That will be meeting No. 121 overall — first occurred in 1911 — and will be the 105th year in a row the two played. The El Campo Ricebirds hold a 67-49-9 lead in the series.

El Campo vs. Wharton

Another one on the list for the Ricebirds and it was another showdown that started back in 1911. In terms of actual rivalry, the Ricebirds have dominated the Tigers, winning 78 of those meetings, with the last win for the Tigers coming back in 2001. This year was the 106th meeting and El Campo won in Week 1.

El Paso vs. El Paso Austin

The Battle of the Claw stayed with the Austin Panthers this year in a 21-19 game that was delayed a day this year due to weather issues in Week 1. The win was the 60th for the Panthers over the Tigers in a series that was first played in 1930. In 1960, a travel trophy of a ‘large cat leg’ was introduced by a 16-year-old student at El Paso High School.

Ennis vs. Waxahachie

This is another Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex rivalry that dates back to the early 1900s. This year, the Waxahachie Indians posted a 42-14 win in Week 1 over the Ennis Lions. This was game No. 103 overall and the 86th year in a row, tied for the 9th longest active streak in Texas. The first match was a 37-0 win by Waxahachie back in 1908 — the year William Howard Taft became president

Euless Trinity vs. Hurst Lawrence Dale Bell

The last game of the regular season will see the two Tarrant County schools clash on Nov. 7 with Bell being the host school this year in a District 4-6A showdown. This will mark the 55th straight year the two have played — starting two years after Trinity opened. From 1998 to 2022, the Trinity Trojans won 22 in a row against the Blue Raiders.

Harlingen vs. San Benito

San Benito opens the 2024 Texas high school football season. / Casey Jackson/Caller-Times

These two schools are part of the 5-team District 32-6A lineup this year and will play on Nov. 8. This is the second longest consecutive series in the state as this year will mark 102 years. The first five meetings led to a total of 6 points and 4 ties from 1913 to 1915. Harlingen has won 73 games and there have been 10 ties.

Lewisville vs. Flower Mound Marcus

On Sept. 27, the Lewisville Fighting Farmers will travel to the Flower Mound Marcus in a showdown of Lewisville ISD schools. The two schools — District 5-6A rivals — compete in the Battle of the Axe, which started in 1986. The Marcus Marauders won 9 in a row from 2007 to 2015, but the Fighting Farmers will look to make it 3 in a row later this month.

Little River-Academy vs. Rogers

The Central Texas rivalry dates back to 1927 but this year the two teams didn’t play each other. Little River-Academy won the 2023 matchup, 48-20. The Rogers Eagles hold a 66-24-2 lead in the series. Before this year, they had played every year since 1960.

Longview vs. Marshall

The Longview Lobos added another win in this series with a 42-7 triumph in Week 2, traveling east on Highway 80 to face the Mavericks. This was game No. 114 for the two East Texas schools and the 92nd year in a row — dating back to 1933. The Lobos have won 69 games, while the Mavericks have taken 40 wins and they have tied five times.

Lufkin vs. Nacogdoches

The Lufkin Panthers’ first win of 2024 came at the expense of longtime rivals Nacogdoches on Sept. 6, a resounding 56-0 win. This year was game No. 106 between the two Southeast Texas schools, which was first played in 1911 — which was a 0-0 tie. Lufkin has dominated the series, winning 77 times, compared to 23 wins by the Dragons and there have been six ties.

New Braunfels vs. Seguin

This is tied for the 5th most games played against rival schools in Texas history. This will be another late-season showdown this year, with the New Braunfels Unicorns traveling to face the Seguin Matadors on Nov. 1. This will be the 98th year in a row the two have played and the showdowns started back in 1922. The Unicorns won 23 games in a row from the early 1980s to the early 2000s in what is called The Guadalupe Bowl.

Odessa Permian vs. Midland Lee/Legacy

Odessa Permian’s Jakob Garcia (25) throws the ball during the football game against Eastlake on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Socorro ISD Student Activities Complex in El Paso, Texas. / GABY VELASQUEZ/ EL PASO TIMES / USA TODAY NETWORK

On Oct. 25, the West Texas showdown will happen at Odessa Permian when the Panthers host the Rebels. This will mark the 64th year in a row the two teams played and often times it was a district game that had playoff implications. The rivalry gained national attention in the 2004 movie “Friday Night Lights.”

Port Neches-Groves vs. Nederland

Port Neches-Groves celebrates the UIL 5A Division II state title in Dec. 2023 at AT&T Stadium. / Photo by Tommy Hays

This year will mark a history one for this Southeast Texas rivalry when they meet at Port Neches-Grove on Oct. 25. It will be game No. 100 in the series and the 71st consecutive year the Indians have faced the Bulldogs. From 1925 to 1929, the rivals played two times a year.

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