The Rivalry-Rich Football of Southeastern Ohio

[14U]

Not so much the last few yrs of the series but burg - ports has seen it’s share of heated games. I wish that series would pick back up. A couple big ones come to mind for me. One in the early 90s when only four teams from each region made the playoffs burg came into the historic spartan stadium 9-0 ranked like one or two in the state to take on like a 2-7 or 3-6 trojan team and got beat knocking them out of playoff contention. The burg had to have a police escort home.

Another game was my freshman yr in 97. Some burg students painted a old station wagon orange and black and drove it to spartan. They came out and the windows were broken.

Two games come to mind that was not heated but still stand out in my mind. One in 2004. Ports leading 7-0 late in the game and was driving with the chance to go up 14-0. They line up in passing formation first and goal on like the 8 yard line and we picked the ball off taking it to the house.

My fav game of all time was in 2009. Just the 2nd game at the new trojan colliseum. The burg hands them their first loss in the new diggs 68-14

Yes I watched the one at Spartan. 3-6 Portsmouth beat 9-0 burg 21-6 or 28-6. Also at the one at burg, Portsmouth used up the whole quarter running the ball until they got to the 5 yard line. Portsmouth threw a pass to right corner of endzone when Stephenson picked it off and went 107 yards to tie game. Portsmouth then panicked and throwing ball around to punt, burg kicked a 31 yard field goal to win. Portsmouth gave game away as burg only had one timeout with 3:50 left in game. Burg scored 10 points in that time left!

[14U]

In my opinion you missed the biggest and most important.


Portsmouth vs ironton
First meeting way back in 1902
124 games
Ironton leads 59-57-8
That many games and that close is crazy how competitive it has been.
2 playoff games
1997 both had trouble scheduling games so they decided to play 2 regular season games.
These two are historicaly the 2 big local schools and were each other’s only local competition.

It was also PHS that broke Irontons undefeated streak.

I played in 3 of these games in mid 80’s. Every game was packed house as most if not all of them back then! It was the hardest hitting game but with respect from both schools. I do remember that in crowd there was many students from other schools. If this game was a Saturday game I don’t know where they would put everybody! I think hands down this is the best and ranked 1st over all other rival games in southern Ohio. That’s just me playing in the game, seeing the amount of people in stadium, how many games played and the record is incredible bein 2 games apart with Ironton leading 59-57-8

[RVRaiderFan]

My question on rivalries has always been how do you define a rivlary? Is it record? Location? Same county?

As a RVHS grad and the radio guy for RV Football, I look at Gallipolis and Meigs as our 2 rivals.

With those you would have to go by location/county rivals. Because records are 23-3 Meigs and Gallipolis 11-3.

Just always an interesting discussion.

[ravensfan09]

My question on rivalries has always been how do you define a rivlary? Is it record? Location? Same county?

As a RVHS grad and the radio guy for RV Football, I look at Gallipolis and Meigs as our 2 rivals.

With those you would have to go by location/county rivals. Because records are 23-3 Meigs and Gallipolis 11-3.

Just always an interesting discussion.

I always think of it as a game that has meaning. Not just coaches or locations, but year in and year out playing for a title or playoffs. That to me is a rivalry.

Noncompetitive series aren't rivalries, they are games played that make money.

[formerfcfan]

N-Y /Trimble. Traditional rival
N-Y /Athens. For league
N-Y/Miller. Genuinely don’t like each other. Border on hate.

I'm not sure if you've been around the area in the last, let's say, 20 years lol But Ny and Miller have absolutely NO beef. The 1997/98 guys might. But the schools play each other in other sports and are completely civil, and football would be the exact same way. I understand why the teams weren't allowed to play each other for the first few years after the fight.......but now? no way. no rivalry there WHAT-SO-EVER. Miller has 2 wins against NY and both came way before the 97/98 season. 1980 the last one lol

It’s the off-season. The people demand a story, and that story is the 1998 Nelsonville/Miller game.

[eagle25]

One of the great rivalries is between that team from the south, the Racine Tomatoes, and Reedsville Eastern. The most recent game went down to the wire. Those buttsuckers from the south had just scored. My lil buddy Pat looked up at me and winked, then called the trick play that I had drawn up for him whilst we was having some refreshments at his place a few days earlier. So, as time ran out the Eagles scored the winning TD dashing any playoff nonsense the tomatoes had been wishing for. They were crying after the game cause that's how intense the rivalry is.

[Reds Fan]

VC vs Wellston

[Dundas]

VC vs Wellston

There have been some dandy games between the two throughout history. If the rumors are true and a VC alum will take over the rockets this fall, it could make things even more bitter between the two.

[itsme]

Meigs County
Southern/Eastern

[Geronimo]

Back then Gallipolis vs Point Pleasant game cross river rivalry!

[efarns]

Fort Frye doesn't have any rivals.

[Orange and Brown]

Fort Frye doesn't have any rivals.

My hope is that NY and Fort Frye keep playing for many years after this home and home and it develops into a rivalry.

[efarns]

Fort Frye doesn't have any rivals.

My hope is that NY and Fort Frye keep playing for many years after this home and home and it develops into a rivalry.

Be careful what you wish for. The once proud Frontier Cougars have dropped off the face of the earth. Waterford hasn't won a football game with us since The Bush administration. I don't know why you would want to be rivals with Fort Frye. There will probably be rivers of brimstone running the streets of Nelsonville in your lifetime.

[Orange and Brown]

Fort Frye doesn't have any rivals.

My hope is that NY and Fort Frye keep playing for many years after this home and home and it develops into a rivalry.

Be careful what you wish for. The once proud Frontier Cougars have dropped off the face of the earth. Waterford hasn't won a football game with us since The Bush administration. I don't know why you would want to be rivals with Fort Frye. There will probably be rivers of brimstone running the streets of Nelsonville in your lifetime.

I think it will be a fun and competitive series!

[efarns]

My hope is that NY and Fort Frye keep playing for many years after this home and home and it develops into a rivalry.

Be careful what you wish for. The once proud Frontier Cougars have dropped off the face of the earth. Waterford hasn't won a football game with us since The Bush administration. I don't know why you would want to be rivals with Fort Frye. There will probably be rivers of brimstone running the streets of Nelsonville in your lifetime.

I think it will be a fun and competitive series!

I think the last time we played, you went from undefeated to getting blown off the field and dropping out of the playoffs altogether. You must hate Nelsonville if you want this to keep going.

[Orange and Brown]

Be careful what you wish for. The once proud Frontier Cougars have dropped off the face of the earth. Waterford hasn't won a football game with us since The Bush administration. I don't know why you would want to be rivals with Fort Frye. There will probably be rivers of brimstone running the streets of Nelsonville in your lifetime.

I think it will be a fun and competitive series!

I think the last time we played, you went from undefeated to getting blown off the field and dropping out of the playoffs altogether. You must hate Nelsonville if you want this to keep going.

The last time we played you we beat you on our way to a regional championship..

[Orange and Brown]

I think it will be a fun and competitive series!

I think the last time we played, you went from undefeated to getting blown off the field and dropping out of the playoffs altogether. You must hate Nelsonville if you want this to keep going.

The last time we played you we beat you on our way to a regional championship..

It's was 2017, I can't imagine you've forgotten by now

[Pa Trojan]

Like most of us, probably looking forward, not behind

[efarns]

I think the last time we played, you went from undefeated to getting blown off the field and dropping out of the playoffs altogether. You must hate Nelsonville if you want this to keep going.

The last time we played you we beat you on our way to a regional championship..

It's was 2017, I can't imagine you've forgotten by now

That is the kind of shortsighted thinking I would expect to find. Before that game, your program was rolling everybody in Southeastern Ohio. After that game, you're a losing team. Clearly, the tipping point was getting involved with Fort Frye at all. It isn't too late to back out while Nelsonville still has buidings standing.

[OSU22]

The last time we played you we beat you on our way to a regional championship..

It's was 2017, I can't imagine you've forgotten by now

That is the kind of shortsighted thinking I would expect to find. Before that game, your program was rolling everybody in Southeastern Ohio. After that game, you're a losing team. Clearly, the tipping point was getting involved with Fort Frye at all. It isn't too late to back out while Nelsonville still has buidings standing.

ACTUALLY, after that game NY went on to play and beat Coal Grove for a Regional Title. I don't know what you consider a "losing team." but there was no tipping point. Kirtland was a great team and displayed it by being in the State Championship the last two years, winning it all this year, FF should know that as well. So saying that Nelsonville should back out and does not want any part of FF is extremely ignorant on your part lol You don't even know where Nelsonville is apparently as you assume all of the buildings are falling down