[Walt Longmire]

Since 1999 Danville is 9-7 agains Somerset, with Somerset winning the last 6 contests. Until 2009 the numbers were very lopsided. Since 1999 Danville has out scored Shs 474 to 334, once again most of the points coming in the last 6 contests for Somerset and most of danvilles coming in the previous 11. If anyone has the complete history of Danville v Somerset in terms of win loss I would love to see it. Once again, I can't reiterate enough my healthy respect/disdain for the admirals

Here's an article from the Commonwealth Journal that was written before the renewal of the rivalry in the 2009 season. According to it the Admirals led the series 43-13-2 then so it should now be 43-19-2.

September 10, 2009 Somerset-Danville rivalry a century old The rivalry is the longest and most-storied series in Kentucky prep football history By STEVE CORNELIUS, CJ Sports Editor The Commonwealth Journal Thu Sep 10, 2009, 09:37 PM EDT Somerset — There has been the legendary feuds between the families of the Hatfields and the McCoys. There has been college gridiron rivalries such as Army vs. Navy, Michigan vs. Ohio State and even Kentucky vs. Tennessee. But all these rivalries and feuds pale in comparison to the 100 year-old rivalry between Somerset High School and Danville High School. The clash between the two central Kentucky high school football teams first took place back in 1909 when the Admirals downed Somerset 21-5. However, it was not until 1922 that the two teams met again and the Somerset-Danville rivalry began. “Back in the 20’s, the Southern Railroad gave a trophy to the winning team, and that’s when the rivalry got started,” the late William M. Clark (Somerset coach from 1938-1957) said in a 1985 interview. “Before long, it turned into quite a festival. We always had capacity crowds.” Over the 100-year span of this storied high school gridiron rivalry, which for the most part has been dominated by Danville (43-13-2), the significance of this game has had a far-reaching impact on many in the community. At times, the rivalry became so intense and bitter that violence ensued and the series was halted on two sperate occasions — 1946 through 1958 and 1974 through 1985. Ironically, the end of the first series suspension and the beginning of the second suspension has produced, arguably, two of the greatest Briar Jumper football games in the program’s history. In 1946, after Danville barely eked out a 7-6 win over the Briar Jumpers, a fight between Somerset fans and Danville fans followed at the Bluebird Inn near Science Hill — halting the rivalry for 12 years. “Back then, everyone knew that the Danville team would stop and eat at the Bluebird Inn after the game,” said retired Judge Bill Cain (Briar Jumper 1958 center). “Almost every year, you would hear about some kind of fight or argument break out at the Bluebird Inn after the Danville game, and I guess the fight in 1946 was the fight to end all.” It wasn’t until 1958 that Danville and Somerset locked horns again with the Ads coming out on top 26-12. But it was the following year’s match-up with Danville that made Somerset gridiron history as the Jumpers won their first football regional championship with a 13-6 win over Danville. Played before a packed house at Clara Morrow Field, both teams had to endure 25-degree temperatures, snow and gusting winds. But for 1959 Somerset High School center Bill Cain, the sweet taste of victory over rival Danville stands out in his mind the most. “That game was played 50 years ago and I can remember that game as vivid as if it had happened yesterday,” the 67-year-old Cain stated. “Growing up, I knew that the Danville game was it.” Cain will be reunite with his 1959 Briar Jumper teammates tonight when they are honored at halftime of tonight’s Danville game. Somerset claimed its second Class AA regional championship the following year in 1960 with a 20-0 win over Danville. However, from 1961 to 1970, Somerset lost 9 of their next 10 meetings with Danville. Then, along came Ron Cain, Max Messamore and the second series suspension. The Briar Jumpers, under the guidance of Coach Ron Cain, dominated the Danville series by winning all four games from 1971 to 1974 — which included a 54-6 pounding of the Ads in ‘72 and a Briar Jumper 26-0 win in ‘73. But it was the 1974 Somerset-Danville game that many call the greatest high school football game in school history. Former Jumper head coach John Cain — then an assistant to his brother Ron — said in a 1985 interview, “Coming to Somerset, we heard so much about the great rivalry with Danville. Naturally, we got caught up on the festivities the week prior to the game. I remember a lot of townspeople coming to our practices to cheer us on. The rivalry was as big then as any I’d ever encountered at the high school level.” At the Jumper quarterback position, Messamore was well aware of the importance of the Danville game. “Growing up, I knew how important the Danville game was,” Messamore recalled. “There was a hatred of the Danville team by the alumni, the players and even the coaches.” “During my years as a junior high player and a varsity player, we never lost a game to Danville,” Messamore vaunted. “I remember every score of every game I ever played against Danville — that is how important the rivalry is to me.” In 1974, Messamore’s senior season, the Somerset-Danville rivalry was at its apex. Both teams entered the contest with undefeated records — Danville 10-0, Somerset 8-0. At stake was a district title and a state playoff berth. Back then, the game was billed as ‘the game of the year’. Thirty-five years later, the game is simply known to Somerset fans as ‘the greatest’. The game was played in Danville's’ brand new Admiral Stadium and over 6,000 spectators packed into the edifice for the heated rivalry. Somerset led 29-22 late in the contest when Danville scored with over four minutes left in the game to pull within one point of the Jumpers. But an Admiral two-point conversion attempt was stopped by Jumper defender Danny Floyd, thus sealing the Somerset 29-28 win. “In the last seconds of the game (with Somerset already in the lead), we got the ball inside to the one-yard line and we were threatening to score again,” Messamore recalled. “I went to the sidelines to talk it over with Coach (Ron) Cain and I told him I felt confident I could take it in for the score. The whole time, Coach Cain was not looking at me, but across the field at the opposing sideline. When I asked him what he was looking at, he responded, ‘I’m looking at (Danville coach) Duffy. I want to watch him suffer, knowing that we beat him, again. Max, just take a knee‚ I want to enjoy this win.’ Coach (Ron) Cain always had Danville’s number.” Not only did Coach Cain and his team enjoy a thrilling 29-28 win over Danville in 1974, but the whole Somerset community joined in on the celebration. “I can remember going to the Rotary Club meeting the following week with Coach Cain and he played the entire game film during their meeting,” Messamore stated. “Every year when the Danville game rolls around now, inevitably someone comes up to me to talk about that ‘74 game against Danville and they tell me it was the greatest high school game they ever watched.” But a pre-game rhubarb and allegations, brought the Danville-Somerset football rivalry to a halt for another 11 years. “Yeah, we waited outside of Danville's locker room before the game so that we could tell them how bad we were going to beat them,” Messamore admitted. “Tempers got a little heated and a fight did break out.” “Danville cancelled the rivalry after that game, they said because of the pre-game fight and they said we damaged their locker room — we never went in one of their locker rooms,” Messamore stated. “I think the real reason they wanted to end the rivalry was because we had beaten them four years in a row and they didn’t want anymore of us.” During the rivalry’s hiatus from 1974 to 1985, Somerset (under the guidance of John Cain) went to three Class 2A State Championship games, while Danville never made a state final game appearance during that same time period. However, the rivalry was renewed for the second time in 1985. Other than a 1988 win over Danville en route to the Jumpers’ (under John Cain) fourth Class AA State Championship game appearance and a 1999 playoff win (under Jay Cobb) en route to a Jumper semi-state appearance — Danville has won eight state championships, 3 runner-up titles (Class A and Class AA) and has beaten the Jumpers in 14 of their last 16 meetings. Messamore, now the Meece Middle School head football coach and a Jumper varsity assistant coach, still talks about the Danville rivalry to the kids he now coaches. “I tell my kids that you have not played in a football game nor have you won a game until you have beaten those guys over there in the blue and silver uniforms.” - See more at: http://somerset-kentucky.com/localsports...5xPFZ.dpuf