Inaugural MaxPreps Rivalry Series presented by the National Guard Announced

It's a self-evident truth really. Rivalries take the sports experience to a whole new level. Perhaps what's most unique about rivalries is that they aren't unique at all. Virtually every sports team has one; a few teams even have more than one.

MaxPreps and the National Guard are pleased to announce a joint venture that will allow you to experience a variety of rivalry games up close and in person throughout the 2013 football season. While the level of national notoriety varies from game to game, one thing you'll find in common for every game in the Series is passion.

What makes these games really interesting isn't just the passion from players and coaches — it's how the entire student body is engaged, how teachers and faculty join in the fun and how entire communities come out and show their support.

Here are the 22 schools lucky enough to be involved in the first-ever MaxPreps Rivalry Series presented by the National Guard:

Sep 13: Game 1 -  Easley (S.C.) @ Wren (Piedmont, S.C.)
Sep 20: Game 2 -  Lugoff-Elgin (Lugoff, S.C.) @ Camden (S.C.)
Sep 27: Game 3 -  Beauregard (Opelika, Ala.) @ Smiths Station (Smiths, Ala.)
Oct 05: Game 4 -  Bowie (Md.) @ Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.)
Oct 11: Game 5 -  Spain Park (Hoover, Ala.) @ Oak Mountain (Birmingham, Ala.)
Oct 18: Game 6 -  Central Dauphin (Harrisburg, Pa.) @ Cumberland Valley (Mechanicsburg, Pa.)
Oct 25: Game 7 -  Brentwood (Tenn.) @ Ravenwood (Brentwood, Tenn.)
Nov 01: Game 8 -  Lakeside (Evans, Ga.) @ Evans (Ga.)
Nov 09: Game 9 -  West Potomac (Alexandria, Va.) @ T.C. Williams (Alexandria, Va.)
Nov 15: Game 10 - Bishop Hendricken (Warwick, R.I.) @ La Salle Academy (Providence, R.I.)
Nov 28: Game 11 -  Phillipsburg (N.J.) vs Easton (Pa.)

As a part of the Rivalry Series, MaxPreps' editorial team will spend the week visiting with both schools to share how they prepare for the big game through personal video interviews, candid photos and entertaining stories of how these rivalries got started and how important it is for each team to earn irrevocable bragging rights for the next 364 days.

Additionally, special game-day coverage will bring you inside the student rallies, tailgate parties, locker rooms and sidelines to experience a high school rivalry like you've never been able to before.

Fortunately, the action isn't just reserved for the players; join the MaxPreps and the National Guard inside the stadium for free prizes and fan activities before the game and during half time. At the conclusion of each game, the winner will be presented with the perpetual National Guard Rivalry Trophy. This unique trophy displays both school's logos and a place to engrave the final score of the rivalry game for the next decade.

To follow the Rivalry Series, visit MaxPreps.com/Rivals and click on the "Experience The Rivalry" button.

Would you like your school to be a part of the next Rivalry Series? Let us know what makes your rivalry unique by sending an email to RivalrySeries@MaxPreps.com. Be sure to include the name, city and state of your school.