ROCKINGHAM — The 47-year-old football rivalry between the Richmond Raiders and Scotland Fighting Scots is in the spotlight this summer.
Announced Monday on Twitter, the longstanding rivalry between the two Sandhills Athletic Conference programs has been cast as part of the “Rep Your Rivalry” contest hosted by The Great American Rivalry Series.
The Raiders and Fighting Scots are no strangers to rivalry challenges, having been voted the best duo in the state in 2019 by Friday Nights in North Carolina.
While Richmond and Scotland will be competing to take the crown in North Carolina, The Great American Rivalry Series is also holding similar online voting contests in Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
According to its website, the Series was started in 2004 and was created to “celebrate the uniquely American sport and the cultural phenomenon of ‘Friday Night in America.’ The Series shines the spotlight on top high school football rivalries across the nation, where long-standing traditions are valued, expectations are sky high, and followers are committed.”
Selected schools and rivalries are chosen based on the annual game being one “the whole community embraces, looks forward to and talks about all year long.”
Since the first meeting in 1972, Richmond’s inaugural season as a school, the Raiders have historically held the edge in the rivalry with a 37-15-1 record. They’ve played 50 regular season games, having played each other twice during the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
In the postseason, with the last playoff meeting coming in 1998, Richmond holds a 3-0 record.
The Raiders won nine of the first 10 meetings, and collected a 17-game winning streak over Scotland between the 1995 and 2010 seasons (including two playoff wins).
Scotland’s best run during the rivalry was a seven-year span from 2011-2017, but the Raiders have rebounded and won the Sandhills Athletic Conference championship each of the past two seasons.
Aside from being named the “best rivalry in North Carolina,” should the Richmond-Scotland pairing win, the following benefits will be given by the Great American Rivalry Series, per its website:
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The winning team is presented with the Great American Rivalry Series Championship Trophy.
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One player is selected as the game’s “Most Valuable Player” and awarded a trophy and medal.
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The top senior student-athlete from each school receives the Rivalry Scholar Student-Athlete Scholarship Award.
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Public address announcements are made noting each school’s involvement in this nationwide program.
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If available, local (audio) game broadcasts are streamed and archived.
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The schools and game are recognized on the iHigh.com and GreatAmericanRivarly.com national websites.
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The host school receives a donation to their athletic program for participating in the Series.
VOTE NOW: To vote for the Richmond-Scotland rivalry, fans can click here. Part of the voting process allows fans to submit a written explanation as to what makes the rivalry “the best.”
Deon Cranford contributed to this article.
