It’s officially July, which means it’s time to start thinking about high school football in North Jersey.
Three summers ago, we conducted a survey of fans throughout the state to determine the top 25 high school football rivalries in North Jersey, and the top 65 rivalries in the entire state.
Of the 25 rivalries that made our North Jersey list, which do you think is the area’s best rivalry? Vote in the poll at the bottom of this page.
Voting will stay open through Sunday, July 7.
If not for each team’s secondary rivalry with St. Joseph, this one might have been No. 1 in our 2021 survey. The Ironmen and Crusaders were Thanksgiving rivals from 1958-88 and now are both nationally-recognized programs that face off every year – sometimes twice if they meet in the playoffs – in front of capacity crowds.
The Indians and Mustangs played their final Thanksgiving Day game in 2019, ending a tradition that dated back to 1992. But fans of both Passaic County schools still regarded each other as their biggest rival in our 2021 survey.
Fans of both teams said they have several rivals, but – by a narrow margin – both regarded each other as their biggest rival in our 2021 survey. The two teams have met 47 times, including a memorable 2016 state playoff game won by Hasbrouck Heights. Cresskill now co-ops with Emerson.
This was the No. 1 rivalry in our 2021 survey. One of two remaining Thanksgiving Day rivalry games in Bergen County, these teams have played every year since 1949 except for 2020. Dumont has won every game in this series since 2014.
The two public schools in Paterson have a Thanksgiving tradition that dates all the way back to 1925, when Kennedy was known as Central High School. It’s the last remaining Thanksgiving game in Passaic County, so it’s no surprise that fans of both school universally regarded each other as their biggest rivals in our 2021 survey.
Located a few miles down Palisade Avenue from each other, these teams squared off 21 times on Thanksgiving Day. They both now play in the Super Football Conference’s Ivy Division. Cliffside Park now co-ops with Ridgefield, another nearby school.
Though they haven’t played each other since 1982, fans of both teams – particularly Garfield fans – still valued this rivalry in our 2021 survey. The schools are located just three miles from each other, and these longtime programs faced off on Thanksgiving Day every year from 1937 to 1970.
This was the No. 2 rivalry in our 2021 survey. One of two Thanksgiving Day rivalry games left in Bergen County, the Highwaymen and Comets have met every year since 1932 except for 2020. The rivalry has been lopsided in recent years as Teaneck hasn’t won since 2012.
Though they haven’t met since 2011, fans of the Blue Devils universally considered the Aviators to be their top rival in our 2021 survey. The schools are located less than two miles from each other, and these programs met on Thanksgiving Day every year from 1938 to 2009.
It’s been a long time since this has been a competitive rivalry, but these are still sister schools. Fans haven’t forgotten they played on Thanksgiving Day every year from 1964 to 2008.
It’s usually pretty quiet in northwest Passaic County, but not when these two teams get together. Fans of the Lancers and Highlanders universally considered each other to be their biggest rival in our 2021 survey, and the stadiums are packed when they get together. They’ve squared off 58 times dating back to 1962.
Fans of both teams ranked each other as their biggest rival in our 2021 survey, honoring a rivalry that dates back to 1954. They’ve played each other every year since 1986 and currently compete in the same division of the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference.
The Rams and T-Birds met on Thanksgiving each year from 1964-83 and 1994-2009. They still square off every season, challenging each other for the Super Football Conference American Red division title.
The first time these two programs met was 2006, but their rivalry has taken off from there. They play in the same division of the Super Football Conference, and back in 2016, the T-Birds edged the Cardinals for a state title.
Fans of the Panthers considered the Golden Knights to be their biggest rival in our 2021 survey. They’ve faced each other 50 times, including every year since 1999.
Located in neighboring towns, the Spartans and Maroons played on Thanksgiving every year from 1984-88 and 1999-2013. Though that tradition has ended, both teams still circle this game on the calendar.
These small schools co-op in many sports, but they’ve kept the football programs separate. They squared off almost every year since 1986, including as Thanksgiving Day rivals from ’86 to 2009. Emerson now co-ops with Cresskill, and competes in a different division of the NJIC.
These sister schools were Thanksgiving Day rivals from 1970 to 2001. They haven’t played each other since that 2001 game, but fans of both teams still put the other down as a rival in our 2021 survey.
These Passaic County neighbors were Thanksgiving Day rivals at a few different times, and they still play each other almost every fall. Hornets fans universally considered the Indians to be their No. 1 rival in our 2021 survey.
This rivalry really heated up when the two teams met in both the regular season and in the playoffs five years in a row from 2014-18. In 2020, the Golden Hawks ended the Raiders’ 26-game winning streak that dated back to 2017 … when River Dell beat Ramapo at Giants Stadium
Fans of both teams rated this rivalry as their school’s biggest rivalry in our 2021 survey. The rivalry really took off when the Raiders and Patriots met in several big postseason games during the ’90s and 2000s.
Located in neighboring school districts, the Cardinals and Golden Hawks have played each other 43 times, including playing Thanksgiving games from 1994 to 2003. The games are often close, with 11 contests decided by seven points or fewer.
Fans of St. Joseph, Bergen Catholic and Don Bosco all ranked each other as their top two rivals in our 2021 survey. Most fans of the Green Knights ranked the Crusaders over the Ironmen as their biggest rival.
St. Peter’s Prep fans ranked Bergen Catholic as their biggest rival in our 2021 survey. The two non-public powerhouses have a long history of squaring off in big postseason games, and competed in the same division of the Super Football Conference for several years.
The rivalry between these sister schools took off in the last decade. In 2016, the Patriots beat the Indians by one point during the regular season then won an overtime thriller in the state title game at Giants Stadium. In 2019, the Indians got revenge with a first-round win on the way to a title.
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