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Once a common occurrence in high school football, tie games have become a thing of the past. With the advent of overtime play, games that end in a tie during regulation are often played off in an extra period(s) until a winner is determined.
Case in point, of the top 1,000 teams in the 2018 MaxPreps football computer rankings, only three have played a tie game this year. That wasn't always the case. Consider that in 1945, Ohio powerhouse Washington (Massillon, Ohio) once went undefeated on the season, yet it finished 5-0-5.
So here's a salute to some of the great tie high school football games of the past.
Top 10 greatest tie games in high school football history
De La Salle hasn't lost to a Northern California team since 1991 and has been to the CIF state title game 12 years running. The Spartans, however, tied two games in 2004. Those games rank among the 10 greatest ties in high school football history.
File photo by David Hood
A book has been written about this game, which has been called the "greatest game ever played in Nebraska." Written by John Dechant, "Scoreless" details the events leading up to the game between two of the top football programs in the state. Creighton Prep has won more football state titles than any other school in state history, while Omaha Central was home to Gale Sayers, a future NFL Hall of Famer. Sayers appeared to have an 80-yard touchdown during the game, but the handoff to him was deemed an illegal forward lateral, thus negating the play. Over 15,000 fans, one of the largest crowds in state history, witnessed the game. Sayers, in the forward to Dechant's book, said that the game was the greatest high school game he ever played in.
2. Anaheim (Calif.) vs. Downey (Calif.), 13-13, 1956
In a battle for the Southern Section championship, Anaheim featured two-time CIF Southern Section Player of the Year Mickey Flynn, who is considered one of the greatest players ever to play in Orange County. He faced Randy Meadows of Downey, who shared the Player of the Year honor with Flynn in 1956 after averaging 15 yards per carry. Flynn finished with 134 yards and touchdown runs of 62 and one yard. Meadows countered with 114 yards and a 69-yard touchdown run. The game was played before 41,383 fans at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
3. Permian (Odessa, Texas) vs. Beaumont French, 21-21, 1984
Permian was ranked No. 1 in
the state with a 15-0 record, trying to become the first Class 5A team
to ever go 16-0. Permian was appearing in the state finals for the
seventh time, having won three state titles. French, meanwhile, lost
four times during the regular season and was the heavy underdog. French
took a 21-7 lead in the first half, but Permian tied the game at 21-21
in the third quarter. Permian had two touchdowns erased by penalties and
an interception with 31 seconds left preserved the tie. Permian
finished No. 6 in the USA Today national rankings.
4. Everett (Mass.) vs. Central (Detroit, Mich.), 0-0, 1915
One year after dominating the
competition by outscoring them 600-0 en route to a 13-0 season and a
national championship, Everett was in the national championship game
again in 1915, this time against Detroit Central. The Michigan team had
the upper hand on offense, gaining 355 yards (including 276 rushing) to
just 125 yards by Everett. The game was played in front of 15,000 fans
on a field that had been cleared of snow. Everett finished the season
11-0-1 (outscoring opponents 404-3) while Detroit Central was 10-0-1 and
(outscoring opponents 523-14).
5. Everett (Wash.) vs. Scott (Toledo, Ohio), 7-7, 1919
The
top team on the West Coast hosted the top team in the East when Everett
met Toledo Scott in 1919. Scott had defeated top teams from Washington
(Massillon) and Toledo Waite while Everett had knocked off Portland
Lincoln and had tied the University of Washington. Everett had to put
together a goal-line stand in the final seconds to preserve the tie.
Everett nearly held Scott scoreless in the game, but Toledo scored on a
short fourth-down run in the second quarter. Everett finished 8-0-2
while Toledo Scott end the year 8-0-1. The two teams played on New
Year's Day in front of 5,000 people.
6. Valdosta (Ga.) vs. Athens (Ga.), 26-26, 1969
The Valdosta Wildcats were
undefeated with 12 straight wins heading into their state championship
matchup with Athens. Valdosta had allowed just seven points all season
with a string of eight straight shutouts at one point. Andy Johnson led
Athens to the comeback, driving 79 yards in the final 59 seconds and
scoring on a 29-yard pass. Johnson then completed the two-point
conversion pass to tie the game. Johnson was later named the Class AAA Back of the Year. Valdosta still shared the national championship, as
determined by the National Sports News Service, with undefeated Coral
Gables (11-0). The game was the last one ever played by Athens. A white school in segregated Georgia, Athens combined with black school Burney-Harris in 1970 to form Clarke Central.
7. Chicago Austin vs. Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.), 19-19, 1936
A year before Austin went undefeated and won the national championship, it played Bishop Fenwick in a charity game known as the Mayor's Cup. Money raised from the game, which was a precursor to the Prep Bowl that is played today, was used to feed and clothe underprivileged children in Chicago. As a result, this game was well attended with over 75,000 viewing the game at Soldier Field (over 120,000 would attend the game in 1937). Fenwick held the late lead, but All-American Billy DeCorrevont threw a 43-yard pass to Gene Dennis that put the ball at the one. Dennis ran the ball over on third down to tie the game with three minutes remaining. The pass for extra point failed, leaving the contest in a tie.
8. Waco (Texas) vs. Highland Park (Dallas), 7-7, 1945
The last tie game in the largest
Texas classification prior to the Permian-Beaumont French tie, Waco and
Highland Park had decided before the game that if the game ended in a
tie, there would be a co-championship. In that era, tie games could be
decided by the number of penetrations into the opponent's territory.
That method was disregarded for the 1945 title game. Highland Park had
gone through the season undefeated with one tie while Waco had only one
loss — that coming against Highland Park early in the season. Waco had a
shot at the win in the closing minutes, but a field goal attempt was a
few feet wide of the mark. The game was played in front of 45,000
people, which was considered one of the largest crowds to ever see a
high school game in the South.
9. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) vs. Palma (Salinas, Calif.), 7-7; Clayton Valley Charter (Concord, Calif.), 17-17, 2004These two ties are grouped together because they represent the two games that a Northern California team has come closest to beating De La Salle since 1991. The Spartans lost the 1991 North Coast Section championship to Pittsburgh, but have not lost a game to a Northern California team (defined as teams from the Central Coast, Sac-Joaquin or North Coast sections) since. The 2004 season was the worst season during the 27-year stretch as De La Salle had its 151-game win streak snapped by Bellevue (Wash.) in the season opener. After losing to Clovis West the following week, DLS tied Palma 7-7 when the Chieftains scored in the final quarter. A month later, DLS tied Clayton Valley Charter. De La Salle is 159-0 since tying Clayton Valley Charter.
10. Easton (Pa.) vs. Phillipsburg (N.J.), 7-7, 1993
One of the longest rivalries in national history, this game was actually replayed 26 years later on ESPN as part of the Gatorade Replay. Phillipsburg won the rematch 27-12 in a game featuring many of the players from the 1993 contest. Phillipsburg had pulled off a bit of a stunner in the initial meeting as it came into the game with a 4-5-1 record while Easton was 11-1 and had won the District 11 AAAA title in Pennsylvania. The two teams played to a 7-7 tie on Thanksgiving Day in front of 15,000 fans.
