By DREW GRANTHUM / Sports Writer

Well, soccer, softball and baseball are all done, at least as far as varsity sports in Shelby County are concerned, and this can mean only one thing:

It’s football season.

Actually, it never really stops being football season in this state. There are people in this state whose idea of “summer love” is being able to talk to their neighbor from March-August because there’s no football to hate each other over during that time.

I wish I was kidding.

Seriously, go to any part of the state, and battle lines are drawn over team support. And it’s not just a college thing, either. The pure bitterness that runs between some high school teams in Alabama has made members of the Hatfield and McCoy families shake their heads and mutter lines of “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”

Shelby County is no different; there are some old school, deep-seated rivalries that date back to the origins of high school football. I know the obvious ones: The Battle of 31, Shelby County vs. Chelsea, but what are some of the ones that might not get the same hype?

What’s your favorite rivalry? We’re working on a feature for this, and I want to know what the best rivalries in this county are.

You have a chance to have a voice, readers. Do you think you know what the best in-county rivalry is? Send it to me. Tell me what teams are involved, how you have been involved and why it’s the best. Is it the bitterness between the schools? The atmosphere? The closeness of the games?

A few rules: It must be an in-county game. It must pertain to two schools in the county squaring off with each other on a regular basis. I know Calera-Jemison is a great one, but it doesn’t count in this case. If I see anything about Auburn or Alabama, it’s thrown out immediately. Be clean. Be respectful. This is for fun, no hatred here. Send all responses to drew.granthum@shelbycountyreporter.com, with the subject “Rivalry.” Let the games begin, folks.