Bitter rivals Bisbee and Douglas need your vote for $10,000

December 5, 2012 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Bisbee and Douglas have been football rivals since 1906. And now -- over a century later -- they need each other's help and the rest of the state's for that matter for shot at $10,000.

The schools received word on Monday their rivalry was voted Arizona's best, receiving a bit more than 52,000 votes in USA TODAY High School Sport contest. The contest is in search of the country's top rivalry. Bisbee-Douglas is now on to regional competition (there are four regions) among 50 states and Washington D.C. That voting begins today (Wednesday Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. Arizona time) and continues through Wednesday Dec. 12 at 9 a.m. Arizona time. Bisbee and Douglas need your vote. To help guide them to a final-four berth come Dec. 13 go to http://contest.usatodayhss.com/  and cast a vote.

"To the best of my understanding, our rivalry is the second oldest in the country next to one in Connecticut," Bisbee athletic director Darin Giltner said. "We played for the 144th time this year. We've played since 1906 and played two times a year some years with a regular game and one at Thanksgiving. We play for the (Copper) Pick, which is made of copper mined in Bisbee and smelted in Douglas."  The longer continuous rivalry is from Connecticut that has matched New London vs. Norwich Academy since 1875.

Douglas athletic director Stephanie Phillipsaccrued bragging rights this year as Douglas won the latest game between the schools, 31-14, on Oct. 19. Overall since the Copper Pick was first awarded in 1944, Douglas leads the series 45-20. National competition begins on Thursday Dec. 13 and continues through Wednesday Dec. 19 when the nation's best high school rivalry will be crowned. Vote as many times as you want. The winning schools will split the $10,000.