Sparta and Tomah will meet up for the 120th time this fall, with Sparta winning the Gold Football traveling trophy last season

The first games of the 2026 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.

La Crosse Logan vs La Crosse Central to be played for 100th time

Crosstown rivals La Crosse Logan and La Crosse Central have been playing for a trophy dubbed the Ark of Victory for 77 years, but their rivalry goes even further back. The teams met for the first time in a varsity football game in 1928, and this year will meet on the gridiron for the 100th time, with Central leading the all-time series 51-41-7.

Last year, Central won the head-to-head matchup 13-12 in a game typical of the highly competitive nature of the series, as the Riverhawks went on to claim a share of the Mississippi Valley Conference title. The teams were part of a five-way tie atop the league standings in 2024. This year they will meet in Week 5, with Central hosting at Veterans Memorial Stadium on the campus of UW-La Crosse.

Review of state’s most-played rivalry flips the script

The state's most-played rivalry remains Reedsburg and Baraboo, and the margin is again razor-thin. However, after a review of historical records, it was determined that the previous numbers had been incorrect, with a couple matchups in the early 1900’s duplicated.

It had been thought that after Reedsburg’s dominating 49-7 win over the Thunderbirds last year that the Beavers held a 67-65-6 advantage in the 138 matchups. However, after review, there have been 137 meetings between the teams, with Baraboo holding a 66-65-6 edge.

The Sauk County schools still have played the most of any rivalry in state history. In the series that dates back to 1900 and has been played continuously since 1919, the game 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).

Baraboo will host Reedsburg for the Thunderbirds’ Homecoming in Week 6.

Additions to the list

River Falls head coach Ryan Scherz provided updated information on several long-running rivalry games involving the Wildcats. We previously had the River Falls versus Hudson rivalry at 108 games played, with River Falls leading 57-51. However, a review of the archives by Coach Scherz finds the teams have met 119 times, with River Falls leading the series 64-52-3.

Two other River Falls rivalries have been added to the list as a result of Coach Scherz’s work. The Wildcats have faced New Richmond 109 times coming into the year, leading 69-32-2 over the Tigers. River Falls and Menomonie have met up 86 times, with Menomonie leading 57-26-3.

Other Rivalry Game News and Notes

While recent conference realignment separates Cudahy and South Milwaukee, they were able to schedule a non-league game this year after several years off. 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 in 2024 in a non-conference game, they will not face off against each other again in 2026. 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.
Algoma-Kewaunee is technically tied for the second-most meetings, as Darlington and Mineral Point have also played 125 times after last year’s 56-0 Darlington domination, as the Redbirds hold a commanding 94-26-5 advantage all-time.
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 61-51-7, including a 49-13 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 64-53-3 in 120 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 117th time in Week 2, while the Cardinals will face Menomonie for the 115th time in Week 3.
Rivalries that teams have been able to continue as non-conference contests include Marinette vs. Menominee (MI) (120th meeting), Chippewa Falls vs. Eau Claire Memorial (117th meeting), Beaver Dam vs. Watertown (105th meeting), Cudahy vs. South Milwaukee (95th meeting), Boscobel vs. Fennimore (92nd meeting), Fort Atkinson vs. Jefferson (83rd meeting), Omro vs. Winneconne (78th meeting), and Belleville vs. New Glarus (77th meeting).

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	Baraboo leads 66-65-6	1900	1919	Wk 6
Algoma	Kewaunee	125	Kewaunee leads 79-39-7	1899	N/A	N/A
Darlington	Mineral Point	125	Darlington leads 94-26-5	1894	N/A	Wk 3
Green Bay East	Green Bay West	120	East leads 64-53-3	1905	1905	Wk 3
Marinette	Menominee (MI)	119	Menominee leads 61-51-7	1894	1999	Wk 2
Sparta	Tomah	119	Tomah leads 68-45-6	1894	N/A	Wk 5
Hudson	River Falls	119	River Falls leads 64-52-3	1895	1923	Wk 7
Chippewa Falls	Eau Claire Memorial	116	ECM leads 69-43-5	1898	N/A	Wk 2
Marshfield	Wisconsin Rapids	114	Rapids leads 68-42-4	1907	N/A	Wk 5
Chippewa Falls	Menomonie	114	Menomonie leads 62-49-3	1895	N/A	Wk 3
Algoma	Sturgeon Bay	110	Sturgeon Bay leads 65-42-3 ^	1900	N/A	N/A
Stevens Point	Wisconsin Rapids	110	Stevens Point leads 59-40-11	1912	1914	Wk 3
Portage	Reedsburg	109	Portage leads 56-52-1	1902	N/A	N/A
New Richmond	River Falls	109	River Falls leads 69-36-2	1895	N/A	Wk 6
Marshfield	Stevens Point	108	Stevens Point leads 62-37-9	1914	1919	Wk 8
Antigo	Rhinelander	104	Antigo leads 66-35-3	1917	1921	Wk 5
Beaver Dam	Watertown	104	Watertown leads 57-44-3	1904	N/A	Wk 1
Racine Horlick	Racine Park	101	Park leads 54-41-6	1928	1928	Wk 4
Merrill	Rhinelander	101	Merrill leads 53-46-2	1921	2009	Wk 7
Menasha	Neenah	100	Neenah leads 55-40-5	1896	N/A	N/A
Berlin	Ripon	100	Berlin leads 54-51-5	1915	N/A	Wk 6
La Crosse Central	La Crosse Logan	99	Central leads 51-41-7	1928	N/A	Wk 5
Lancaster	Platteville	97	Platteville leads 50-45-2	1902	N/A	Wk 3
Durand-Arkansaw	Mondovi	97	Mondovi leads 48-38-2	1938	1948	Wk 9
Oconomowoc	Watertown	96	Watertown leads 47-46-3	1903	N/A	N/A
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	Wk 1
Cedarburg	Port Washington	93	Port Washington leads 57-32-4	1928	1951	N/A
Kenosha Bradford	Racine Horlick	93	Bradford leads 49-42-2	1929	1983	Wk 7
Lancaster	Prairie du Chien	92	Lancaster leads 56-32-4	1897	2022	Wk 9
Boscobel	Fennimore	91	Fennimore leads 59-27-5	1902	N/A	Wk 2
New Holstein	Sheboygan Falls	90	Sheboygan Falls leads 60-28-2	1938	N/A	N/A
Horicon	Mayville	89	Mayville leads 67-18-4 ~	1895	N/A	N/A
Sheboygan North	Sheboygan South	88	South leads 44-41-3	1938	1938	Wk 3
Hurley	Ironwood (MI)	86	Ironwood leads 48-35-3	1919	N/A	N/A
Menomonie	River Falls	86	Menomonie leads 57-26-3	1901	N/A	Wk 9
Fort Atkinson	Jefferson	82	Fort Atkinson leads 49-27-6	1911	N/A	Wk 1
Beaver Dam	Oconomowoc	81	Oconomowoc leads 44-33-4	1918	N/A	N/A
Reedsburg	Richland Center	80	Reedsburg leads 38-36-6	1901	N/A	N/A
West Allis Central	West Allis Hale	80	Central leads 41-34-5	1940	N/A	Wk 4
New London	Shawano	80	Shawano leads 44-35-1	1927	1979	Wk 4
Mauston	Wisconsin Dells	80	Dells leads 47-33	N/A	N/A	Wk 7
Kiel	Plymouth	79	Plymouth leads 64-18-2	1936	N/A	N/A
Kiel	New Holstein	79	Tied 39-39-1	1935	N/A	Wk 5
Omro	Winneconne	77	Winneconne leads 43-33-1	1948	N/A	Wk 2
Belleville	New Glarus	76	New Glarus 43-31-2 ~	1928	2000	Wk 2

^ - 2020 game played as 8-Player

~ - Includes co-op matchups & 6-player, 8-player, & 11-player

About the Author

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].