Bay County football rivalries run deep, with the area's oldest schools only separated by three miles. Football is huge in this area, and with the establishment of new schools in the early 2000s bad blood arose and new rivalries were created.
We are going to take a close glance at some of the top rivalries in the county, and we want to know which football rivalry our readers believe is the top one in Bay County.
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Rutherford vs. Bay
The two oldest schools in the county have faced each other since the inaugural game in 1963, which ended in a 0-0 tie. This rivalry has seen plenty of jaw-dropping moments ,such as in 1971, when Rutherford's live mascot "Rambunctious" mysteriously disappeared before the game as the Rams shut out the Tornadoes 21-0.
The mascot was later found, but unfortunately was deceased and painted red, leaving many to question the school up the street.
In the historic 1976 season, Bay downed Rutherford 21-14 on the way to its first and the county's only state title.
In 1999, former Bay High receiver Robert Thompson declared that Rutherford simply, "aren't that good" and was met with a soundly 56-0 Rams victory, the largest margin of victory in the series.
Since 2004, Bay has led the series 11-8, with the most recent win in an 18-15 slugfest last season.
Mosley-Bay
Established in the winter of 1974, Mosley quickly made itself known as the school capable of competing with the previously established Bay and Rutherford. The 1990s saw the Dolphins' dominance in full effect as they won consecutive county championships in 1992 and '93.
When Mosley and Bay met in the early years, it was typically a hard-fought, one-possession game. In the past 20 seasons, Mosley has bested the Tornadoes 13 times, highlighted by a dominating 62-7 victory last season.
North Bay Haven-Bozeman
The two younger siblings in the county may have only squared off against one another seven times, but the Bucks have been in the driver's seat of the rivalry with six straight victories from 2013-2019.
The Buccaneers defeated the Bucks for the first time in 2020, with big performances from Demount Epps (two interceptions), Reggie Stanley (three sacks) and Declan Houchins (11 carries, 77 yards, touchdown).
The two teams face each other for the first time in four years this upcoming season.
Bay-Arnold
Arnold opened its doors in 2000 and took a portion of Bay High's student body and athletes with it. Across two decades both teams have battled in several tight matchups, with the Tornadoes besting the Marlins 12 times, most recently a 49-0 victory last season. .
Arnold will look for its first win against Bay since 2019, when the Marlins won 45-12.
Rutherford-Mosley
It has been a pretty much one-sided rivalry as of late for two of the county's old guard. Mosley has had Rutherford's number for nearly 20 years with the Dolphins boasting a 16-1 record over its cross-town rival. The Rams' lone win in the past two decades came in a 31-23 victory in 2012.
The Dolphins won 36-7 last season, and it will be worth watching the two teams face off once again to open up this upcoming season.
Banji Bamidele is a sports reporter for the Panama City News Herald. He can be reached at abamidele@gannett.com or through X, formerly known as Twitter, @AdebanjiBamide1 .
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Bay County football: Vote for the best county rivalry
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