Texas high school football is, at its core, a talking sport. It’s meant to be bantered about over dinner tables and creaky aluminum bleachers and coffee pots and message boards.

That’s what make ranking elements of Texas high school football so much fun — they’re a conversation starter, not a conversation ender.

Even though we here at Dave Campbell’s Texas Football like to think that we know a little something about Texas high school football, the beauty of the sport is that our opinion is just that: an opinion. It’s meant to be dissected, bandied about, kicked around, debated and (maybe) torn apart.

So when we revealed our picks for the top 10 rivalries in Texas high school football, we didn’t expect that to be the beginning of the discussion. No sir — it’s only the beginning.

We tried our best to scientifically determine the best rivalries in Texas high school football, but admittedly, it’s a topic that is hotly contested. And many other rivalries were right on the cusp of cracking the Top 10, but just missed the cut.

Here’s the best of the rest Texas high school football rivalries. Let the debate rage on.

Texas High vs. Arkansas High
The battle of Texarkana is the fiercest rivalry in northeast Texas (and northwest Arkansas), and owns the undisputed title of Texas’ Best Interstate Rivalry.

New Braunfels vs. Seguin
The Guadalupe River Bowl is all business on the field, but all fun off of it. The mayors of each town put up their respective town’s greatest export as a wager — New Braunfels bets its sausages, and Seguin wagers its delicious pecans.

Gordon vs. Strawn
The best rivalry in six-man football is great for so many reasons, not the least of which is that it’s pitted two perennial state title contenders — separated by about 10 miles — against one another since 1923.

Lufkin vs. Nacogdoches
The phrase “throw out the record book” especially applies to this 100-year rivalry — though Lufkin has established itself as the overall superior program, this is a war year in and year out.

Dallas Carter vs. Dallas Kimball
The Oak Cliff Super Bowl is one of Dallas’ finest (and fiercest) matchups, with bragging rights on the line. These two have had some memorable battles over the years.

El Paso vs. El Paso Austin
The “Battle for the Claw” has the title of El Paso’s oldest and best rivalry, and also one of the best traveling trophies in Texas — it’s a dang claw!

Amarillo vs. Amarillo Tascosa
One of the Panhandle’s most fun rivalries is must-see every year, and has seen its share of heart-stopping moments. Maybe that’s why they pack 14,000 folks into Bivins Stadium every year.

Cedar Hill vs. DeSoto
This rivalry is just recently blossoming into one of the best in Texas, in large part because of the incredible speed that both teams boast.

Stratford vs. Canadian
Up at the tippy-top of Texas, they may not have been playing very long comparatively — just since 1974 — but the six state championships and complete lack of love lost that these two teams share make it one of Texas’ most compelling matchups.

La Marque vs. Texas City
The Battle by the Bay always feels very personal, as if it’s for bragging rights of an entire region and not just between the two cities. Former DCTF managing editor David Barron put it best: “Games like Texas City-La Marque are the comfort food of Texas football.”

Deer Park vs. La Porte
This rivalry has it all — proximity to one another, a fierce streak, typically good teams — but the best parts are the little details, like that La Porte fans wear camouflage to the game…because they’re Deer hunting.

Waco La Vega vs. China Spring
When is the last time these two combatants played a boring game? It seemingly never happens, and that’s what makes this Central Texas clash so special.

Burnet vs. Liberty Hill
These two teams boast plenty of NFL alumni, which makes it no wonder that their clash along Texas 29 every year is a must-see event for fans and scouts alike.

Temple vs. Belton
It’s not that just that these two teams dislike each other; these two cities don’t care for one another, dating back to when Temple allegedly snookered Belton out of a railroad in 1881.

Cameron Yoe vs. Rockdale
The Battle of the Bell is unquestionably one of the state’s most compelling rivalries, and the victor ringing the big brass bell must sting in the fallen’s ears for an entire year.

Lewisville vs. Flower Mound Marcus
Another rivalry defined by its iconic trophy, the “Battle of the Axe” always brings out the best in both of these north DFW squads.