7 Maryland Rivalries Locals Take Seriously That Out-of-Staters Never Notice

On Thanksgiving, Calvert Hall and Loyola Blakefield meet in the Turkey Bowl.

Out-of-staters driving through Maryland would never guess how seriously locals take games like that.

Here are the Maryland rivalries locals take seriously that out-of-staters never notice.

1. Annapolis Cup

The Annapolis Cup is a croquet rivalry between St. John’s College and the U.S. Naval Academy.

You might not expect croquet to draw a crowd, but St. John’s expected about 4,000 people for the 42nd Annapolis Cup on April 18, 2026.

St. John’s leads the series 32-10, so you’d usually bet on the Johnnies, though the Midshipmen won the 2026 match.

According to college legend, it started in 1982, when a Naval Academy commandant told a St. John’s freshman that Midshipmen could beat the Johnnies in any sport.

The freshman answered by asking about croquet, and the first match followed in 1983.

St. John’s says the Cup has been housed everywhere from the Little Campus, now Galway Bay, to a storage closet to the front window of 49 West in Annapolis.

The winners keep it now.

2. City College vs. Poly

City College and Poly, short for Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, play a football rivalry that dates to the late 1880s.

A researcher at the Baltimore Sun found clippings in the paper’s archive that list two different years for the first game, 1888 and 1889.

Poly’s website listed 1888 in 2018, while a 1943 Sun article used 1889.

In 2013, sports historian Mike Klingaman wrote that it is believed to be the second-longest continual public school football rivalry in the country, after Boston Latin and Boston English.

The game left its Thanksgiving Day slot in 1993.

The Maryland Center for History and Culture put the series at 62-55-6 in Poly’s favor in 2013, so you’d call it close.

You can tell the schools apart by their specialties.

In 2013, City was Baltimore’s magnet liberal arts school and Poly was the region’s math and science magnet.

3. Eastport Tug of War

Eastport’s rivalry with downtown Annapolis started with a bridge closure and a declaration of independence.

After the Spa Creek Bridge closed temporarily in 1997, Eastport residents humorously declared independence from the city.

Visit Annapolis says the Maritime Republic of Eastport is a registered nonprofit that has raised more than $500,000 for charity.

The rope has traditionally crossed Spa Creek, but the 2025 pull moved to Second Street in Eastport because of City Dock construction, Eye on Annapolis reported.

The event began in 1998.

This year’s pull is set for Nov. 7.

Teams come from businesses and service groups, and if you don’t have a team, someone will find you one.

A 2023 guide in Chesapeake Bay Magazine listed 18 as the minimum age.

4. Gilman vs. McDonogh

Gilman School dates its football rivalry with McDonogh to the fall of 1914.

The schools had met 109 times through the 2025 season.

Gilman led the series 61-43-5 after McDonogh won the 109th game on Nov. 1, 2025.

You'd have found 6,000 fans in the stands in both 1938 and 2011.

The 110th game is set for Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, at 2 p.m.

Gilman's 42nd Bull & Oyster Roast is the night before.

That's the same date the Maritime Republic of Eastport lists for its tug-of-war, so your Nov. 7 has two rivalries on it.

5. Hopkins vs. Loyola

Johns Hopkins and Loyola meet in men's lacrosse in a series called the Battle of Charles Street.

You'd go less than 1.5 miles down Charles Street to get from Loyola to Hopkins.

Hopkins beat Loyola 13-7 at Homewood Field on Feb. 14, 2026, in what Hopkins called the 62nd renewal of the series.

The Greyhound, Loyola's student newspaper, reported that Loyola students walked down Charles Street to Homewood Field.

The crowd was 3,098.

That was Hopkins' third straight win over Loyola.

6. Turkey Bowl

The Turkey Bowl is a Thanksgiving rivalry between Calvert Hall and Loyola Blakefield, two Catholic high schools.

The Catholic Review reports that it's believed to be the oldest continual football rivalry between Catholic high schools in the United States.

The teams first met on Nov. 12, 1920.

They've played every year since except 2020, when the pandemic canceled the game.

So 2020 is the only year you couldn't have gone.

Calvert Hall won the 105th game, 28-24, on Nov. 27, 2025.

Loyola Blakefield still leads the series 52-45-8.

Nearly 8,000 fans attended that game.

You could buy a ticket for $12, according to Calvert Hall.

7. Towson vs. Morgan State

Towson and Morgan State play a football rivalry called the Battle for Greater Baltimore.

Towson Athletics says the two schools are the closest pair of teams in the Football Championship Subdivision.

You won't have to travel far to find the rival, since the schools are less than five miles apart.

Morgan State beat Towson 41-26 on Sept. 19, 2026, at Johnny Unitas Stadium.

The win was Morgan State's first over Towson since 2009, according to WMAR2.

The crowd of 10,900 was the largest regular season crowd in Towson football history.