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8/19/07-Football

Oakland County's Top Rivalries

By JEFF KUEHN of The Oakland Press

Oakland County is full of great rivalries in football, but some stand out more than others based on tradition, championships, competitiveness and sheer dislike for one another.  Here is a list of the five that currently stand as the best football rivalries in Oakland County.

1. Birmingham Brother Rice vs. Novi Detroit Catholic Central

2. Birmingham Brother Rice vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary's
Why it's such a great rivalry -- It doesn't matter what the sport is, as these two always seems to play big games against each other. Obviously, everything is much more magnified in football between two tradition-rich powers which aren't located too far from each other. In the past three years, these teams have established themselves as two of the best Division 2 programs in the state, and have churned out countless big-time college prospects.

Recent history has favored -- Brother Rice. Granted, both had their fair share of success in what's been a plethora of meetings the last three years. The Warriors and Eaglets have met six times inthe last three years, twice in 2004, and three times in 2005. In 2004, Brother Rice earned a convincing 28-7 win during the regular season, but St. Mary's rebounded when it counted the most, upsetting the Warriors, 18-16, in a Division 2 state playoff district final. The Eaglets ended up making it to the state final that year.

A year later, St. Mary's beat Brother Rice not once, but twice during the regular season, including in the Catholic League's Prep Bowl. However, Brother Rice earned some playoff revenge, taking advantage of the fact that St. Mary's was without injured starting quarterback Justin Siller, beating St. Mary's, 17-8, in a Division 2 regional final.  Brother Rice went on to win the state title.

Last year, the teams met only once, during the regular season, Brother Rice prevailed, 14-7. In the decade, St. Mary's has won six times (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004 playoffs, 2005 twice), while Brother Rice has won four (2002, 2004, 2005 playoffs, 2006).

This year's battle -- Sept. 22 at St. Mary's. Get there early, because the stands at St. Mary's should be packed as ever for the latest installment. It will be the second Catholic League Central Division game of the year for both, and the winner will likely get the inside track for a berth in the Catholic League's Prep Bowl at Ford Field on Oct. 20.

3.Clarkston vs. Lake Orion
4. Novi vs. South Lyon
5. Walled Lake Central vs. Walled Lake Western

Prep Football

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