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Just as is the case in college football, high school football thrives due to its rivalries.
All over the country, traditions and respectful hatred of a rival bring another aspect of excitement when it comes to the biggest matchups.
The best of the best rivalries in the East, Midwest, Southeast and Southwest bring excitement. But there is another level of excitement when it comes to the West region, which includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Best of the Midwest: Top high school football rivalries in the Midwest
The Southwest's best: Top high school football rivalries that rule the Southwest
The Southeast's best matchups: What are the best high school football rivalries in the Southeast? Our list
Let's take a look at the best rivalries in the West:
Series Record: East Anchorage leads Bartlett 15-9 (since 2002)
The rivalry known as "The Boot Game" in Alaska even features a trophy called the "East Side Boot," in memory of East lineman Aanooalii “Aano” Filaoialii, who died in a car crash in the summer of 2002, heading into his senior season.
Possibly the apex of the rivalry came in 2024, when it took East Anchorage six overtimes to earn a 50-48 win over Bartlett. This is considered one of the best games in Alaska high school football history.
Honorable Mentions: Palmer vs. Wasilla; Lathrop vs. West Valley; West Anchorage vs. Service
Series Record: Hamilton leads Chandler 20-16
The Battle for Arizona Avenue features two teams separated by less than 4 miles and packs around 10,000 fans for matchups. Generally, this game will feature what could be a preview of the Open state championship game.
Hamilton, which opened in 1998, dominated the series early on, but Chandler dominated for five years. Recently, the teams have traded wins over the last couple of seasons.
Honorable Mentions: Douglas vs. Bisbee; Scottsdale Chaparral vs. Scottsdale Saguaro; Safford vs. Thatcher
Series Record: Garfield leads Roosevelt 43-41-6
California football rivalries can rival just about any state's best rivalry. The choice of Garfield vs. Roosevelt over Mater Dei-St. John Bosco is a tough one. However, the "East L.A. Classic" dates back to 1925 and usually sees packed crowds.
Historically, these two teams have played at larger venues, including the L.A. Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium, with tens of thousands of fans packing the bleachers. Last season, 14,000 fans were in attendance for the 90th meeting.
Honorable Mentions: Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco; Mater Dei vs. Servite; De La Salle vs. Folsom
Series Record: Punahou leads Kamehameha 93-90-6
Punahou vs. Kamehameha Kapālama is the most played high school game in the United States. The two programs have faced off nearly 200 times since the first matchup in 1903. With both teams playing in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH), they often face off multiple times a year.
Between 1997 and 2003, Kamehameha reeled off 13 straight wins over Punahou.
Honorable Mentions: Kahuku vs. Saint Louis; Punahou vs. Iolani; Mililani vs. Campbell
Series Record: Skyline leads Idaho Falls 35-23
The "Emotion Bowl," pitting two crosstown rivals in high school football against one another, has been played since 1966.
A unique tradition from this matchup is that the winning team gets the honor to paint the goalposts at Ravsten Stadium with their school's color, signifying their victory until the teams meet again.
Honorable Mentions: Highland (Pocatello) vs. Pocatello; Rigby vs. Madison; Bishop Kelly vs. Columbia:
Series Record: CMR leads Great Falls 32-29
The cross-town battle between Great Falls and C.M. Russell is a big deal in Great Falls, Montana. The two teams sharing a stadium adds to the already-exciting matchup between the two rivals. The first game between the rivals was played in 1965.
The series has been dominated by Great Falls as of late, with eight straight victories for the Bison to close the gap in the record.
Honorable Mentions: Bozeman vs. Bozeman Gallatin; Columbia Falls vs. Whitefish; Butte High School vs Butte Central Catholic (discontinued)
Series Record: Carson leads Douglas 55-28-4
The Carson-Douglas matchup was voted as the best rivalry in the state by readers of the Reno Gazette Journal — part of the USA TODAY Network — last August. The first matchup occurred in 1923. Carson earned a dramatic 21-14 overtime win last season.
Honorable Mentions: Las Vegas vs. Rancho; Moapa Valley vs Virgin Valley; McQueen vs. Reno
Series Record: North Medford leads South Medford 21-20
North and South Medford split into two high schools from the original Medford High School in 1986. That opened the door for the "Black and Blue Bowl" between the Black Tordano and Panthers. The two schools share the historic Spiegelberg Stadium, which seats 9,250 fans.
Honorable Mentions: West Linn vs. Lake Oswego; Jesuit vs. Central Catholic; Marshfield vs North Bend
Series Record: Box Elder leads 76-27-2
The Battle for the Golden Spike is the longest continuous, uninterrupted prep football rivalry in Utah. The series between Elder and Bear River originated in 1923, with the winner earning the Golden Spike trophy — a railroad spike mounted on a plaque.
Honorable Mentions: American Fork vs. Pleasant Grove; East vs. West; Skyline vs. Olympus
Series Record: Auburn leads Kent-Meridian 60-50-6
Dating back to 1908, Kent-Meridian vs. Auburn is the second-oldest football rivalry in Washington. The teams play for the Taylor Trophy, a trophy donated by Dr. Owen Taylor in 1929. The teams have faced off every season since the first game.
Honorable Mentions: Puyallup vs. Sumner; O'Dea High School vs. Eastside Catholic School; Camas vs. Union
Series Record: Star Valley leads 32-13
For a rivalry that dates back to 1957, most of the excitement has come over the last handful of seasons. Star Valley and Cody have faced off in four consecutive Wyoming Class 3A state championship games in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The Braves are 3-1 in the state title games vs. the Broncs and hold a 7-3 advantage in the postseason.
Honorable Mentions: Natrona County vs Kelly Walsh; Sheridan vs. Gillette; Lyman vs. Mountain View
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Top high school football rivalries that rule the West region
Continue reading...
All over the country, traditions and respectful hatred of a rival bring another aspect of excitement when it comes to the biggest matchups.
The best of the best rivalries in the East, Midwest, Southeast and Southwest bring excitement. But there is another level of excitement when it comes to the West region, which includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Best of the Midwest: Top high school football rivalries in the Midwest
The Southwest's best: Top high school football rivalries that rule the Southwest
The Southeast's best matchups: What are the best high school football rivalries in the Southeast? Our list
Let's take a look at the best rivalries in the West:
Alaska: East Anchorage vs Bartlett
Series Record: East Anchorage leads Bartlett 15-9 (since 2002)
The rivalry known as "The Boot Game" in Alaska even features a trophy called the "East Side Boot," in memory of East lineman Aanooalii “Aano” Filaoialii, who died in a car crash in the summer of 2002, heading into his senior season.
Possibly the apex of the rivalry came in 2024, when it took East Anchorage six overtimes to earn a 50-48 win over Bartlett. This is considered one of the best games in Alaska high school football history.
Honorable Mentions: Palmer vs. Wasilla; Lathrop vs. West Valley; West Anchorage vs. Service
Arizona: Chandler vs Hamilton
Series Record: Hamilton leads Chandler 20-16
The Battle for Arizona Avenue features two teams separated by less than 4 miles and packs around 10,000 fans for matchups. Generally, this game will feature what could be a preview of the Open state championship game.
Hamilton, which opened in 1998, dominated the series early on, but Chandler dominated for five years. Recently, the teams have traded wins over the last couple of seasons.
Honorable Mentions: Douglas vs. Bisbee; Scottsdale Chaparral vs. Scottsdale Saguaro; Safford vs. Thatcher
California: Garfield vs Roosevelt
Series Record: Garfield leads Roosevelt 43-41-6
California football rivalries can rival just about any state's best rivalry. The choice of Garfield vs. Roosevelt over Mater Dei-St. John Bosco is a tough one. However, the "East L.A. Classic" dates back to 1925 and usually sees packed crowds.
Historically, these two teams have played at larger venues, including the L.A. Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium, with tens of thousands of fans packing the bleachers. Last season, 14,000 fans were in attendance for the 90th meeting.
Honorable Mentions: Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco; Mater Dei vs. Servite; De La Salle vs. Folsom
Hawaii: Punahou vs. Kamehameha Kapālama
Series Record: Punahou leads Kamehameha 93-90-6
Punahou vs. Kamehameha Kapālama is the most played high school game in the United States. The two programs have faced off nearly 200 times since the first matchup in 1903. With both teams playing in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH), they often face off multiple times a year.
Between 1997 and 2003, Kamehameha reeled off 13 straight wins over Punahou.
Honorable Mentions: Kahuku vs. Saint Louis; Punahou vs. Iolani; Mililani vs. Campbell
Idaho: Idaho Falls vs Skyline
Series Record: Skyline leads Idaho Falls 35-23
The "Emotion Bowl," pitting two crosstown rivals in high school football against one another, has been played since 1966.
A unique tradition from this matchup is that the winning team gets the honor to paint the goalposts at Ravsten Stadium with their school's color, signifying their victory until the teams meet again.
Honorable Mentions: Highland (Pocatello) vs. Pocatello; Rigby vs. Madison; Bishop Kelly vs. Columbia:
Montana: Great Falls vs C.M. Russell
Series Record: CMR leads Great Falls 32-29
The cross-town battle between Great Falls and C.M. Russell is a big deal in Great Falls, Montana. The two teams sharing a stadium adds to the already-exciting matchup between the two rivals. The first game between the rivals was played in 1965.
The series has been dominated by Great Falls as of late, with eight straight victories for the Bison to close the gap in the record.
Honorable Mentions: Bozeman vs. Bozeman Gallatin; Columbia Falls vs. Whitefish; Butte High School vs Butte Central Catholic (discontinued)
Nevada: Carson vs Douglas
Series Record: Carson leads Douglas 55-28-4
The Carson-Douglas matchup was voted as the best rivalry in the state by readers of the Reno Gazette Journal — part of the USA TODAY Network — last August. The first matchup occurred in 1923. Carson earned a dramatic 21-14 overtime win last season.
Honorable Mentions: Las Vegas vs. Rancho; Moapa Valley vs Virgin Valley; McQueen vs. Reno
Oregon: North Medford Black vs. South Medford
Series Record: North Medford leads South Medford 21-20
North and South Medford split into two high schools from the original Medford High School in 1986. That opened the door for the "Black and Blue Bowl" between the Black Tordano and Panthers. The two schools share the historic Spiegelberg Stadium, which seats 9,250 fans.
Honorable Mentions: West Linn vs. Lake Oswego; Jesuit vs. Central Catholic; Marshfield vs North Bend
Utah: Box Elder vs Bear River
Series Record: Box Elder leads 76-27-2
The Battle for the Golden Spike is the longest continuous, uninterrupted prep football rivalry in Utah. The series between Elder and Bear River originated in 1923, with the winner earning the Golden Spike trophy — a railroad spike mounted on a plaque.
Honorable Mentions: American Fork vs. Pleasant Grove; East vs. West; Skyline vs. Olympus
Washington: Kent-Meridian vs Auburn
Series Record: Auburn leads Kent-Meridian 60-50-6
Dating back to 1908, Kent-Meridian vs. Auburn is the second-oldest football rivalry in Washington. The teams play for the Taylor Trophy, a trophy donated by Dr. Owen Taylor in 1929. The teams have faced off every season since the first game.
Honorable Mentions: Puyallup vs. Sumner; O'Dea High School vs. Eastside Catholic School; Camas vs. Union
Wyoming: Star Valley vs Cody
Series Record: Star Valley leads 32-13
For a rivalry that dates back to 1957, most of the excitement has come over the last handful of seasons. Star Valley and Cody have faced off in four consecutive Wyoming Class 3A state championship games in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The Braves are 3-1 in the state title games vs. the Broncs and hold a 7-3 advantage in the postseason.
Honorable Mentions: Natrona County vs Kelly Walsh; Sheridan vs. Gillette; Lyman vs. Mountain View
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Top high school football rivalries that rule the West region
Continue reading...
