The Egg Bowl rivalry never takes a break in the Magnolia State, but lately there’s been an unusual amount of discussion about the rivalry for July. The latest events involving a high school coach ensures the chatter won’t be dying down any time soon.

Lee Wooldridge was hired Wednesday as an assistant coach at South Panola high school, less than 25 miles from Ole Miss campus in Oxford, Miss. Wooldridge is known on Mississippi State websites and message boards, such as Elite Dawgs, as Coach 34, a poster who doesn’t hide his hate for all things Ole Miss. By the end of the day Wednesday, Wooldridge no longer had a job at South Panola once the Coach 34 connection had come to light.

Yancy Porter, a reporter with the Ole Miss Scout affiliate, shared a screenshot on Twitter of one of his posts for Scout readers offering South Panola coach Lance Pogue:

The debate on whether the rivalry has gone too far has seems to be split, judging by recent headlines. Rebels coach Hugh Freeze agreed with the original column by Hugh Kellenberger at the Clarion-Ledger that the rivalry has gotten too toxic. Mississippi State reporter David Murray called the debate a waste of time and a desperate attempt to fill space in the papers during the offseason.

It will be interesting to watch if Freeze and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen address the state of the rivalry at the upcoming SEC Media Days.

[H/T: Maroon and White Nation]