There were no big neighborhood-rivalry football games during the opening two weeks of the 2023 high-school football season, but there are many such contests, which draw big crowds and much interest on the horizon in coming weeks.
A list is below.
• In Arlington, the first big all-county showdown will be a Friday night, Sept. 8, clash between the host Wakefield Warriors and Yorktown Patriots at 7 p.m. Then, the following week at the same time, but on a Thursday night on Sept. 14, Yorktown hosts the Washington-Liberty Generals at 7 p.m. in all-Arlington action.
In the last game of the regular season on Friday night, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m., Wakefield visits Washington-Liberty.
Arlington’s private-school Bishop O’Connell Knights don’t play their biggest Northern Virginia rival until a final regular-season meeting at 7 p.m. Friday night, Nov. 3 under lights in Loudoun County against the St. Paul VI Catholic Panthers in conference play.
O’Connell’s other local rival is the Bishop Ireton Cardinals. They visit Arlington for a Saturday, Oct. 28 meeting at 2 p.m.
• The big neighborhood showdown between the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference private-school rivals Flint Hill Huskies and host Potomac School Panthers is a noontime Saturday, Oct. 14 meeting in McLean.
• One of the biggest and longest running annual local neighborhood clashes each fall in Fairfax County is a season-ending Rotary Cup-tilt between the Langley Saxons and McLean Highlanders. This year’s game is Friday, Nov. 3 at Langley at 7 p.m.
• On Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. in Vienna, the Madison Warhawks host the Oakton Cougars in the yearly Route 123 matchup, a contest Madison has dominated in recent seasons. The Warhawks’ other local rival is the Marshall Statesmen. They meet Friday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at Marshall in another Rotary Cup game.
Oakton’s other big local rival in recent years has become the Chantilly Chargers. Those squads meet Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. at Chantilly in a final regular-season contest.
