Seminole High School considers two schools to be their football rivals. Historically, DeLand High School has been considered to be Seminole’s rival; however, Lake Mary High School is their hometown rival.

Seminole’s rivalry with DeLand dates back to the 1920’s and is one of Florida’s longest-standing rivalries. The rivalry is known as the Battle of the Bridge in reference to the annual football game that the schools participate in. In order for the teams to play, they have to cross the St.Johns river at the mouth of Lake Monroe. The St. Johns River Veteran Memorial Bridge connects Sanford to Debary and allows the teams to get to one another’s schools, inspiring the name “Battle of the Bridge.” 

This rivalry is well-known in Central Florida and has made its way into the Orlando Sentinel as one of the top 5 high school football rivalries, alongside Oviedo and Hagerty, Jones and Evans, and Dr. Phillips and Olympia.

This year, the “Battle of the Bridge” entailed Seminoles’ landslide win over the Bulldogs with a 35-0 victory. Each year, a trophy that has been used for decades is passed to the winning team, and Seminole has had the trophy for the past two years.

However, the most widely-known rivalry at Seminole High  is the Lake Mary Rams. Only 6 miles separate the schools, making it a true hometown high school football rivalry.

“It feels like Lake Mary is more our present day rival than DeLand because it is closer to our school and the students seem to look forward to that game more,” says Junior Jonathan Gray.

Students that attend Lake Mary and Seminole High have grown up together, attended the same schools, and are connected to the same people. Their affinities raise the stakes.

“It means so much to the students mainly because we all live so close together and go to schools so close to each other, so we all know each other,” said  mascot Jabari Kelly. “I have good friends at Lake Mary and it’s just fun to be competitive with each other because they love their school and I love mine!”

Pep rallies for the Lake Mary-Seminole game are held each year to produce more hype around the game. Students go all out: making signs, dressing up, and chanting against the Rams. This year, the game fell on October 28th, resulting in a 45-24 victory for Seminole.