Carson-Douglas 100: Senators vs. Tigers leads list of state’s best rivalries

The Carson-Douglas football rivalry is one of the state’s oldest, most-often played, and most meaningful.

Poor record-keeping in the state — particularly in the pre-WWII era — makes it difficult to compare teams and games on a pure apples-to-apples level. But there’s no doubt at all that the Senators and Tigers can make a case for having Nevada’s single best rivalry game.

Here’s how it compares to other notable rivalries around the state:

Basic-Green Valley: The “Henderson Bowl” got going after Green Valley became Henderson’s second high school in the 1990s. In the meantime, though, Liberty has zoomed past both of them. Green Valley has dominated of late, going 13-5 against Basic since 2004.

This year: Oct. 13 at Green Valley.

Bishop Manogue-Damonte Ranch-Galena: Beginning in the 1990s, south Reno went from zero high schools to three fairly quickly, so the schools have grown up together. It helps that all three are basically within rock-throwing distance of each other. Each team has had its share of success, with Manogue having the most (26-14 against the others since 2004).

This year: The three-game series wraps up with Manogue hosting Damonte Ranch on Oct. 20.

Chaparral-Eldorado: The “Cleat Game” has some history behind it — both schools opened in 1973 and began playing right away — and also a cool trophy. Former Los Angeles Rams lineman Merlin Olsen donated one of his old cleats in the 1970s, which has bronzed and placed atop a base. Chaparral leads the series, 32-18.

This year: Chaparral 32, Eldorado 18 (Sept. 22)

Elko-Spring Creek: The addition of Spring Creek in 1993 gave Elko County two high schools of fairly similar size. It also helps that they are only eight miles apart, which is very close for a rural rivalry. The Indians and Spartans have played evenly over the past 20 years, each winning 10 times.

This year: Oct. 20 at Elko.

Fallon-Fernley-Lowry-Elko: There’s more similarities than differences between the four Interstate 80-based rivals. In recent history, three of them ended up spending time at Nevada’s large-school level, but all are now back at their more natural 3A level. Between them, there are 20 state titles won between 1923 and 2019.

This year: The six-game series will be played between Sept. 8 and Oct. 20.

Hug-North Valleys: With the creation of North Valleys in 2001, north Reno had two high schools for the first time, giving rise to the “Valleys Cup.” The rivalry has been evenly fought, too — the teams are 8-8 in their last 16 meetings.

This year: Oct. 20 at Hug.

Las Vegas-Rancho: The “Bone Game” features Las Vegas’ two oldest high schools and has plenty of history — it’s been played since 1957 — and will sometimes be mentioned as the state’s most meaningful rivalry. It is not. For one thing, Las Vegas utterly dominates the series, having won 26 straight.

This year: Las Vegas 44, Rancho 0 (Sept. 1)

Moapa Valley-Virgin Valley: The longtime southern Nevada 3A and 4A rivals are about 35 miles apart and both often field championship-caliber teams, making this a healthy southern rivalry that is not Las Vegas-based. Between them, they’ve won 28 state titles (17 for Moapa Valley).

This year: Oct. 20 at Moapa Valley.