These two old rivals have been facing each other in football since 1969. Friday, they will meet for the 39th time - this time at Death Valley. Rocky Mount holds the series lead at 21-17 and has won the last four meetings.
The Gryphons can tie a record in the series with a win Friday. RMHS can win for the fifth straight meeting - something Northern did from 1985 to 1989.
Rocky Mount has posted five shutouts in the series - including the last three contests. The Knights have never recorded one.
Strangely, no one in the series scored 30 points or more for the first 17 meetings until Northern did the trick with a 34-14 victory in 1986.
And in case you're wondering who has scored the most points in the series, Rocky Mount leads 763 points to Northern's 634.
Here's all the games. I will try to add a significant fact about some of the games!
- 2006 - RM won 54-0 - (NN only picked up three first downs in this one)
- 2005 - RM won 21-0 - (Kendrick Dean's fake handoff fooled NN on an 86-yd. KO)
- 2004 - RM won 40-0
- 2003 - RM won 21-14 - (Stephon Virgil's 90-yard punt return for a TD was big)
- 2002 - NN won 47-6 - (NN won this one going away - played at Nash Central)
- 2001 - NN won 48-13 - (RM led 13-0, but NN took over in the second period)
- 2000 - NN won 48-28 - (NN piles up 23 first downs en route to the victory)
- 1999 - NN won 21-20 - (NN racked up 455 total yds. in the win)
- 1998 - RM won 21-7 - (RM's Gary Cobb returned an INT for a TD)
- 1997 - RM won 28-12 - (Linwood Silver's 99-yd. KO return broke this one open)
- 1996 - RM won 39-12 - (RM's Roman Kelley tosses four TD passes)
- 1995 - RM won 14-12 - (RM recorded two safeties in this contest)
- 1994 - NN won 54-31 - (RM gave up a record 523 yards rushing to NN)
- 1993 - NN won 28-12
- 1992 - RM won 13-7 OT
- 1991 - NN won 21-19
- 1990 - RM won 35-7
- 1989 - NN won 20-18
- 1988 - NN won 21-6
- 1987 - NN won 13-10 OT
- 1986 - NN won 34-14 - (NN picked off six Tim Kilpatrick passes in this one)
- 1985 - NN won 14-12
- 1984 - RM won 20-7
- 1983 - RM won 21-14
- 1982 - NN won 21-13
- 1981 - NN won 21-16
- 1980 - RM won 21-18
- 1979 - RM won 21-14
- 1978 - RM won 22-0
- 1977 - RM won 23-6
- 1976 - NN won 20-6
- 1975 - NN won 18-6 - (Craig Smith led NN to a win - the coldest NN-RM game ever!)
- 1974 - RM won 21-7
- 1973 - RM won 28-16
- 1972 - RM won 21-6
- 1971 - NN won 14-8
- 1970 - RM won 21-12
- 1969 - RM won 20-0