When high schools coexist within the same city limits, rivalries inherently spawn from proximity alone. As neighbors separated by just a few blocks square off against one another - many of whom have grown up playing on the same youth teams - competition is at its best.

The rivalry between Ann Arbor’s two largest high schools - Pioneer and Huron - is no exception.

Ann Arbor’s biggest intra-city rivalry will be on prominent display Tuesday night at Huron High School as the Huron versus Pioneer matchup happens to pit teams with, historically, the best programs in their respective sports in the state against one another.

In water polo, top ranked Huron will try to improve on its perfect 18-0 record in a rematch of the 2008 state finals against the sixth-ranked Pioneers. Both programs are tied for the most state championships in the state with 11 apiece since 1972.

“It’s a great rivalry,” said Huron coach Justin Thorenson. “The guys seem to put an extra amount of emphasis on this more than any other game.”

Though this will be Thorenson’s first year as head coach of Huron, it’s far from his first time being involved in the rivalry. A 2002 Huron graduate, Thorenson played for the River Rats for four years, but never once got the best of the Pioneers during a stint when Pioneer won three-of-four state titles.

“I never looked forward to playing anyone more than I did Pioneer,” said Thorenson. “It’s not just the players and coaches, but the fans and parents always seem to enjoy this game more than any other and really get into it.”

In field hockey, Pioneer and Huron both bring undefeated records into a matchup that for the last two years has been a preview of the state finals.

Though Pioneer has traditionally dominated the rivalry, Huron twice came painfully close to knocking off the Pioneers in 2009, outshooting the Pioneers 13-4 in a 2-0 loss in last year’s state finals and conceding a second half equalizer in a 1-1 regular season tie.

For two programs that consistently produce Division 1 talent, Tuesday’s game will undoubtedly be the latest chapter in a classic rivalry.

Both the water polo and field hockey games will be tonight at Huron High School with 7 p.m. scheduled start times.

LOOKING AHEAD

Check back Thursday, Sept. 23 for a preview of the matchup between the Pioneer and Huron’s boys tennis teams, currently ranked No. 1 (Pioneer) and No. 2 (Huron) by the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association.

Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at petercunningham@annarbor.com or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.