Sparta and Tomah will meet up for the 119th time this fall
The first games of the 2025 high school football season are just a few days away, which means soon we'll be immersed in the pageantry of the boys of fall -- the bands, cheerleaders, student section themes, Friday night lights...and the rivalries that make high school sports, especially football, so memorable.
I have been compiling information on the state's most-played high school football rivalries for more than a decade, establishing the most robust database in Wisconsin.
Many of those longtime rivalries will be rekindled this season, while some will not be contested due to conference changes, adjustments to schedules, or even moves of some teams to 8-player football.
Berlin versus Ripon to be played for the 100th time
Berlin and Ripon will meet for the 100th time in Week 5 of the high school football season, becoming the 20th known high school football rivalry to reach the century mark in games played. Berlin leads the all-time series 52-43-4 dating back to 1915, including a dominating 35-0 victory last year.
Berlin is the favorite to repeat as the South Central Conference champion, while Ripon is trying to get things heading in the right direction under second-year coach Andrew Selgrad.
Reedsburg holds slim lead in State's most-played rivalry
The state's most-played rivalry has a razor-thin margin heading into 2025. Reedsburg will host Baraboo in Week 6 in the 138th matchup between the Sauk County schools, the most of any rivalry in state history. In the series that dates back to 1900 and has been played continuously since 1919, Reedsburg’s 42-7 win last year gives the Beavers a 66-65-6 all-time advantage in a game that is contested for the Old River Jug.
Reedsburg has two other frequently played rivalries that are no longer on their schedule: Portage (109 meetings) and Richland Center (81 meetings).
Other Rivalry Game News and Notes
Once again, conference realignment separates Cudahy and South Milwaukee, who were not able to schedule a non-conference game to keep their rivalry going (though they did scrimmage each other). The teams are separated by just three miles and have played 94 times previously, with Cudahy holding a 47-42-5 advantage dating back to the first meeting in 1922.
Neenah and Menasha are connected geographically and in the minds of many around the state, but after the teams played for the 100th time last year in a non-conference game, they will not face off against each other in 2025. Neenah leads the series 55-40-5, winning 50-13 last year.
The state's second-most played rivalry is once again not contested, as Algoma moved to 8-player a few years ago and will no longer face Kewaunee. The teams had met 125 times, with Kewaunee holding a 79-39-7 advantage.
The famous "M&M Game" is set for Week 2, as Marinette and Menominee (MI) are separated by just 3.2 miles, the Menominee River, and a state border. Menomonie (MI) leads that series 60-51-7, including a 49-6 victory a year ago.
Green Bay East and Green Bay West have struggled for many years, but the teams do have the longest continuous rivalry going, playing each year since 1905. East leads 64-52-3 in 119 matchups, though West scored the win last year.
Chippewa Falls has two of the ten most-played rivalries in state history, as they’ll meet up with Eau Claire Memorial for the 116th time in Week 2, while the Cardinals will face Menomonie for the 114th time in Week 9.
Rivalries that teams have been able to continue as non-conference contests include Marinette vs. Menominee (MI) (119th meeting), Chippewa Falls vs. Eau Claire Memorial (116th meeting), Fort Atkinson vs. Jefferson (82nd meeting), West Allis Central vs. West Allis Hale (80th meeting), Omro vs. Winneconne (77th meeting), and Belleville vs. New Glarus (76th meeting).
Weeks 2 and 6 will be busy ones on the rivalry calendar, with six matchups each week featuring teams that have played at least 75 times.
Do you have info on a long-running football rivalry? Please share the information with us as we put together a list of the most played and/or longest-running rivalries. Email Travis Wilson at [email protected] with the name of the teams, the total number of games played, and the overall series record. Please include only specific, verified information on rivalries with at least 70 meetings.
Most Played High School Football Rivalries
Team A | Team B | Meetings | Series | 1st Meeting | Played Since | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baraboo | Reedsburg | 137 | Reedsburg leads 66-65-6 | 1900 | 1919 | Wk 6 |
Algoma | Kewaunee | 125 | Kewaunee leads 79-39-7 | 1899 | N/A | N/A |
Darlington | Mineral Point | 124 | Darlington leads 93-26-5 | 1894 | N/A | Wk 3 |
Green Bay East | Green Bay West | 119 | East leads 64-52-3 | 1905 | 1905 | Wk 9 |
Marinette | Menominee (MI) | 118 | Menominee leads 60-51-7 | 1894 | 1999 | Wk 2 |
Sparta | Tomah | 118 | Tomah leads 68-44-6 | 1894 | N/A | Wk 5 |
Chippewa Falls | Eau Claire Memorial | 115 | ECM leads 69-42-5 | 1898 | N/A | Wk 2 |
Marshfield | Wisconsin Rapids | 113 | Rapids leads 68-41-4 | 1907 | N/A | Wk 6 |
Chippewa Falls | Menomonie | 113 | Menomonie leads 62-48-3 | 1895 | N/A | Wk 9 |
Algoma | Sturgeon Bay | 110 | Sturgeon Bay leads 65-42-3 ^ | 1900 | N/A | N/A |
Portage | Reedsburg | 109 | Portage leads 56-52-1 | 1902 | N/A | N/A |
Stevens Point | Wisconsin Rapids | 109 | Stevens Point leads 58-40-11 | 1912 | 1914 | Wk 4 |
Hudson | River Falls | 107 | River Falls leads 56-51 | 1899 | N/A | Wk 6 |
Marshfield | Stevens Point | 107 | Stevens Point leads 62-36-9 | 1914 | 1919 | Wk 9 |
Antigo | Rhinelander | 103 | Antigo leads 66-34-3 | 1917 | 1921 | Wk 6 |
Beaver Dam | Watertown | 102 | Watertown leads 55-44-3 | 1904 | N/A | Wk 6 |
Menasha | Neenah | 100 | Neenah leads 55-40-5 | 1896 | N/A | N/A |
Racine Horlick | Racine Park | 100 | Park leads 54-40-6 | 1928 | 1928 | Wk 3 |
Merrill | Rhinelander | 100 | Merrill leads 52-46-2 | 1921 | 2009 | Wk 9 |
Berlin | Ripon | 99 | Berlin leads 52-43-4 | 1915 | N/A | Wk 5 |
La Crosse Central | La Crosse Logan | 98 | Central leads 50-41-7 | 1928 | N/A | Wk 5 |
Oconomowoc | Watertown | 96 | Watertown leads 47-46-3 | 1903 | N/A | N/A |
Lancaster | Platteville | 96 | Platteville leads 49-45-2 | 1902 | N/A | Wk 4 |
Durand-Arkansaw | Mondovi | 96 | Mondovi leads 47-38-2 | 1938 | 1948 | Wk 9 |
Beaver Dam | Waupun | 95 | Beaver Dam leads 71-20-4 | 1895 | N/A | N/A |
Cudahy | South Milwaukee | 94 | Cudahy leads 47-42-5 | 1922 | 2009 | N/A |
Cedarburg | Port Washington | 93 | Port Washington leads 57-32-4 | 1928 | 1951 | N/A |
Kenosha Bradford | Racine Horlick | 92 | Bradford leads 48-42-2 | 1929 | 1983 | Wk 5 |
Boscobel | Fennimore | 91 | Fennimore leads 59-27-5 | 1902 | N/A | N/A |
Lancaster | Prairie du Chien | 91 | Lancaster leads 56-31-4 | 1897 | 2022 | Wk 8 |
New Holstein | Sheboygan Falls | 90 | Sheboygan Falls leads 60-28-2 | 1938 | N/A | N/A |
Horicon | Mayville | 88 | Mayville leads 66-18-4 ~ | 1895 | N/A | Wk 2 |
Sheboygan North | Sheboygan South | 87 | South leads 44-40-3 | 1938 | 1938 | Wk 6 |
Hurley | Ironwood (MI) | 85 | Ironwood leads 48-34-3 | 1919 | N/A | Wk 2 |
Beaver Dam | Oconomowoc | 81 | Oconomowoc leads 44-33-4 | 1918 | N/A | N/A |
Reedsburg | Richland Center | 81 | Reedsburg leads 38-35-8 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Fort Atkinson | Jefferson | 81 | Fort Atkinson leads 49-26-6 | 1911 | N/A | Wk 2 |
Kiel | Plymouth | 79 | Plymouth leads 64-18-2 | 1936 | N/A | N/A |
West Allis Central | West Allis Hale | 79 | Central leads 41-33-5 | 1940 | N/A | Wk 1 - Hale 28-7 |
New London | Shawano | 79 | Shawano leads 43-35-1 | 1927 | 1979 | Wk 4 |
Mauston | Wisconsin Dells | 79 | Dells leads 46-33 | N/A | N/A | Wk 7 |
Kiel | New Holstein | 78 | Kiel leads 39-38-1 | 1935 | N/A | Wk 8 |
Omro | Winneconne | 76 | Winneconne leads 42-33-1 | 1948 | N/A | Wk 2 |
Belleville | New Glarus | 75 | New Glarus 42-31-2 ~ | 1928 | 2000 | Wk 2 |
^ - 2020 game played as 8-Player
~ - Includes co-op matchups & 6-player, 8-player, & 11-player
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].