What's the best rivalry in PA High School Football?

[Psugo823]

It's funny reading through these responses, you can likely get pretty close to where just about everyone grew up or lives.

I'll go Laurel Highlands Conference. Those teams just don't seem to like each other. Dad said it was really bad when he went to school in the 70s (Forest Hills).

I always heard Portage and Penn Cambria was a huge rivalry back in the day. Portage has significantly shrunk in size, so they don't play anymore.

Ironically the practice field Ampipe practiced in was Portage, correct?

 

[PAgeologist]

Ironically the practice field Ampipe practiced in was Portage, correct?

I have no idea. I never heard of Ampipe before.

 

[PAgeologist]

I have no idea. I never heard of Ampipe before.

Ok. I looked it up. It's been so long since I had seen that movie. 2 of my aunts are in the movie as part of a crowd.

 

[#1PSU]

Windber vs Conemaugh Twp

 

[bison13]

Bison - Wher did you groe up?

Me - Hickory Twp. (Hermitage)

Western Washington county

 

[psu1969a]

Way back when Blythe Twp. vs. Cass Twp. Two coal region behemoths.

 

[Waltwam]

It's funny reading through these responses, you can likely get pretty close to where just about everyone grew up or lives.

I'll go Laurel Highlands Conference. Those teams just don't seem to like each other. Dad said it was really bad when he went to school in the 70s (Forest Hills).

I always heard Portage and Penn Cambria was a huge rivalry back in the day. Portage has significantly shrunk in size, so they don't play anymore.

Where I'm from, Lewistown vs Chief Logan was big in the old days. Also, Captain Jack was always a big rivalry.

 

[Mike W 31]

In the Harrisburg area, John Harris (of Harrisburg) vs Steelton-Highspire (or Steelton before that) was a good rivalry.

also John Harris vs William Penn on Thanksgiving Day

 

[The Spin Meister]

Lots of good stories

story pennsylvania high school football rivalry - Google Search

 

[bison13]

There are tons of great rivalries throughout the small schools in western PA that dont get mentioned much because overall they arent always successful teams and they are so small that their game doesnt move more than the local needle. The consolidation of schools in Beaver County to make central valley took away lots of great ones, Blackhawk, Beaver, Beaver Falls, New Brighton, Western Beaver, SSB, etc against each other were always great games.

Washington and Greene Counties have quite a few schools with less than 300 total kids So you have 20-25 man rosters and the whole town shuts down on Friday home or away. West Greene, Carmichaels, Mapletown, Jeff-Morgan, Monessen, Charleroi, Ringgold, Wash high, Char Houston, Avella, Burgettstown, Fort Cherry all have 'packed houses' each Friday night, its just that it's under a 1000 people because the two teams dont have that many people total.

 

[KCLion]

Ridgway/Johnsonburg was always a very heated rivalry until the schools had to agree to play together to form a team. As a Ridgway grad in the late 70s that played on teams that won 30+ consecutive games, we used to have nearly 100 players on our team. What a change in population.

 

[Fac]

What ever happened to Art? He knew a lot about western Pa football.

 

[royboy]

What ever happened to Art? He knew a lot about western Pa football.

Art knew a lot about nearly everything.

Is he still over on McAndrews board?

 

[LemonEars]

Years ago a great rivalry was Ringtown vs. Nescopeck in basketball.

 

[soulkitchen74]

Rochester Monaca. There is a bridge over the Ohio River that connects the two. Every year the bridge is renamed so that the nam of the winner goes first…..the Monaca-Rochester Bridge or the Rochester-Monaca Bridge.

That was a big deal before the merger. I played in the first game (Rochester). We lost. That game we were both 10-0 and 1/2 in state. Mayors posed at the middle of the bridge in football stances for the "papers". Extra seats brought in, yadda yadda yadda.

 

[Still in State College]

Bald Eagle Area vs Bellefonte: Schools separated by 1 mile exactly.

That is a little bit of an overstatement. The high schools are separated by about 3-miles as the crow flies and about 5.5 by car.

 

[Psugo823]

That is a little bit of an overstatement. The high schools are separated by about 3-miles as the crow flies and about 5.5 by car.

Yeah that really destroyed the validation of the rivalry 🙄