The OLDEST Rivalries in Texas

The approaching Fourth of July has me thinking about the history of our great nation – and how interwoven football is with the American story.

We love football for its pageantry and community. But we also love it for the rivalries, which let us be part of a team and band together around a common enemy. In that sense, these rivalries made football as popular as it is. 

Of the rivalries still ongoing in 2026, these are the games that played their first game in the EARLIEST year.

Note: All data comes from Texas High School Football History, compiled by Joe Lee Smith.

Tied 10th: First Game in 1915

Goldthwaite v San Saba (108 games)

The “Battle of the River” is tied for the sixth-most-played game in Texas high school football history, with 73 consecutive contests since 1953. The towns are so close to each other in Central Texas that former San Saba head coach John Baskin once said: “If you lived south of Goldthwaite and north of San Saba, you could practically mow each other’s yards.” Each team has had a distinct period of dominance. San Saba won 48 of the first 66 meetings. Goldthwaite’s golden era was from 1984 to 2017 when they won 25 of 34 games.

De Leon v Dublin (95 games)

The “Battle of Highway 6” is one of the most even rivalries in Texas high school football history, with De Leon holding a narrow 48-45-2 advantage. The rivalry took a hiatus from 2007 to 2018. Since the rivalry resumed, Dublin is 4-2, but De Leon is on a two-game win streak.

Tied 9th: First Game in 1914

Clarendon v Memphis (104 games)

The “Old School Rivalry” has lived up to its name with 104 games played since 1914. Memphis holds a narrow 49-48-5 lead, but Clarendon holds current bragging rights after a 56-7 stomping in 2025.

Ballinger v Coleman (98 games)

The Ballinger Bearcats versus the Coleman Bluecats game has been dubbed the almost-annual “Cat Fight” in the Big Country region. These two programs played 64 consecutive games from 1926 to 1989. They have taken brief hiatuses every couple of years, but the Cat Fight is currently on a four-game streak since 2022. Unfortunately, that streak will end in 2026, as the two teams aren’t scheduled to play.

Brownsville Hanna v Harlingen (94 games)

These two programs played for 67 consecutive years from 1931 to 1997. After a couple of brief hiatuses, the game has been played every year since 2012. Harlingen has won every contest since 2019 (the 2020 game was canceled due to COVID-19). Unfortunately, Harlingen and Hanna aren’t scheduled to play a game in 2026.

Tied 8th: First Game in 1913

Harlingen v San Benito (113 games)

The “Battle of Arroyo” is perhaps the fiercest rivalry in the Rio Grande Valley. The name is an ode to the game’s long history. Originally, the Arroyo Colorado River separated the two towns before the shifting course. While Harlingen has historically dominated the rivalry with an all-time 74-29-10 advantage, high school football fans in the RGV pack the stadium out like the Super Bowl.

Burnet v Marble Falls (105 games)

The Battle of Burnet County has given us some classic Texas high school football games, none more so than the “Battle of the Century” in the 1991 Class 3A regional quarterfinals. The two teams tied 14-14, but Burnet advanced because the Bulldogs had gotten inside the Marble Falls 20-yard line more times. It was one of three times in a single playoff run that Burnet tied and advanced on a statistic. But it isn’t just a rivalry on the football field. The two fan bases also compete in the Battle of the Cans canned food drive leading up to the game. 

Giddings v Smithville (103 games)

Giddings has played La Grange 108 times, compared to 103 against Smithville, but the Smithville rivalry began four years earlier, in 1913. In 2023, Smithville stunned Giddings 35-34 in a massive comeback. But Giddings has gotten revenge the last two years with  40-7 and 47-7 wins.

Brownsville Hanna v San Benito (100 games)

Brownsville Hanna and San Benito just crossed the century mark in 2025. San Benito has pushed their all-time series lead to 56-42-2 after five consecutive wins. Can the 16 returning starters on Brownsville Hanna’s squad squash the streak in 2026?

Tied 7th: First Game in 1912

El Campo v Wharton (107 games)

El Campo has dominated the “Battle of Colorado” both historically and recently. The Ricebirds hold an all-time 79-24-4 advantage and have won every game since 2019 by an average of nearly 40 points. But these communities, located just 15 miles apart, always show up in droves.

Hondo v Uvalde (100 games)

These two teams just west of San Antonio officially crossed the century mark in 2025. Hondo won 36-29 en route to an 8-3 season. The rivalry is now one of 34 across the state to have played 100 or more times.

Tied 6th: First Game in 1911

El Campo v Bay City (122 games)

El Campo and Bay City have the longest continuous rivalry in Texas, with 106 consecutive games since 1920. In fact, their rivalry is one of two in the state to cross the 100-game threshold. These two Gulf Coast programs also hold the record for most total games in state history, edging out Denison and Sherman by one.

Cuero v Yoakum (117 games)

The DeWitt County Showdown is the third-most-played high school football game in state history. While not necessarily a “friendly” rivalry, there’s not the heated animosity of other games. Yoakum head coach Bo Robinson described it as playing your cousin instead of your brother.

Cameron v Rockdale (98 games)

In 1954, the Rockdale, Sandow, & Southern Railroad donated a brass bell from a steam locomotive to serve as a trophy for the annual Cameron versus Rockdale football game. Now, the Battle of the Bell rivalry is played for a chance to ring that bell – and signal Milam County football supremacy.

Cooper v Honey Grove (97 games)

Cooper leads the all-time series 51-41-5, but Honey Grove had a cathartic win in 2025. The Warriors won their first game against Cooper at home since the 2008 season opener en route to a District Title. Can the 16 returning starters on Cooper’s team get revenge in 2026?

Tied 5th: First Game in 1910

Amarillo v Lubbock (103 games)

This rivalry game is one of the oldest in West Texas, but it hasn’t necessarily been the most competitive. Amarillo holds a commanding 88-12-3 series lead. The last time the Sandies fell to Lubbock was in 1973.

Marshall v Texarkana (102 games)

It’s honestly amazing that Marshall and Texarkana Texas High have played 102 games since 1910. The schools aren’t exactly neighbors; they’re roughly 80 minutes apart. But the two Class 5A DII programs always seem to end up in the same district, creating a classic rivalry. 

Abilene v San Angelo Central (99 games)

You can’t get any more even than this rivalry. Abilene and San Angelo are knotted up in the all-time series at 47-47-5. Abilene has won the last three ball games with a high-flying offense that’s scored 49, 60, and 42 points. Can Abilene win a fourth consecutive matchup in the season opener this fall? Or will San Angelo Central star quarterback Micah Smith put the Bobcats back on top?

4th: First Game in 1909

Longview v Marshall (115 games)

This East Texas rivalry has been a tale of two eras. Marshall dominated Longview in the beginning, racing out to a 28-12-3 series lead by the end of 1953. Longview officially tied the series at 33-33-5 in 1981 and hasn’t looked back. Since 2000, the Lobos have won all but one game, a 28-25 defeat in 2015.

Tied 3rd: First Game in 1908

Ennis v Waxahachie (104 games)

This rivalry is dubbed the “Battle of 287” because of the highway that connects these two towns, just 16.6 miles apart. In fact, both high schools are located 1,000 feet from the highway. But those aren’t the only similarities these two towns share. They were each incorporated a year apart (Waxahachie in 1871 and Ennis in 1872). These rivals are like brothers, too close together and too similar to not have some animosity.

“51 weeks a year, we manage to get along,” Ennis alum and game broadcaster Ronnie Greer said. “For that one game a year, it’s pretty much pure hatred.”

Marshall v Tyler (89 games)

Marshall is making a case for the Mount Rushmore of Texas high school football’s most historic teams. The Mavericks have three rivalry games on this list, each of which started before 1911. The game against Tyler is the most intermittent of Marshall’s rivals, with only 89 games played. The rivalry took an extended hiatus from 2011 to 2022. But the recent clashes have reminded us how lucky we are to have this game back. In 2023, Tyler beat Marshall 38-36 in a five-overtime classic. Last fall, Marshall prevailed 43-42 in a thriller.

2nd: First Game in 1902

Denison v Sherman (121 games)

Texoma’s “Battle of the Ax” is the second-most-played game in state history. The teams have played 95 consecutive games since 1931, but the first meeting dates back to 1902. The rivalry didn’t get its famous trophy, however, until the 1940s. Denison’s Jack Barker, who owned an ice cream parlor on Main Street across from the high school stadium, crafted the ‘Ye Old Battle Ax.’ The Ax is awarded on the field after every game, and the year is carved on the winning team’s side. The engravings date back to 1949. 

Oftentimes, a successful season is strictly defined by whether or not you won the Battle of the Ax. In 2004, Sherman head coach Drew Young led the Bearcats to the state semifinals, the best season in program history. After the season, an older gentleman stopped him in Walmart.

“Coach, you had a good season, you won the old Battle Ax,” he said. “How’d the rest of the season go?”

“Got to the state semifinals, best season in school history,” Young said.

“Well, that’s nice,” the gentleman said. 

Not as nice as the rivalry win, though.

1st: First Game in 1901

Groesbeck v Mexia (87 games)

The “Battle of the River” between Mexia and Groesbeck is not the most historic rivalry in terms of total games played. But of all the rivalries still ongoing in 2025, Groesbeck and Mexia played the earliest game in 1901. Mexia won that inaugural battle 10-0, the first sign of the dominance they’d display in this rivalry. The Black Cats hold a 63-19-5 all-time lead.