What are the area's best football rivalries right now?

Burkburnett-IP, Holliday-Henrietta and Windthorst-Archer City are in the mix

Ten years ago, I wrote a story for the paper breaking down the area’s best football rivalries.

There wasn’t a scientific formula to my findings, but I based it off overall competitiveness and if high stakes and thrilling finishes were involved. Plus you pretty much had to play the game on an annual basis.

I recently stumbled across the article while researching single-game passing statistics and it got me thinking.

What are the area’s best rivalries now?

Because a lot has changed in 10 years. I didn’t have Rider-Wichita Falls High School on the list because I was looking at area (and not city) rivalries, but those schools don’t even exist anymore.

Two of the four I ranked back in 2015 wouldn’t be in consideration these days. Graham-Vernon haven’t played since the Lions dropped to 3A, and even when squaring off, the Steers won the last five meetings by an average of 42.4 points.

Windthorst-Munday was the top rivalry 10 years ago, but it isn’t anywhere close to that now. There was a four-year gap from 2017-21 where the teams didn’t play – understandable because the Trojans were competing for regional titles while the Moguls were trying to just win a game. Windthorst has won the past three meetings 48-12, 56-0 and 62-0.

The other two rivalries from 10 years ago should certainly still be considered these days: Burkburnett-Iowa Park and Holliday-Henrietta.