Giving Thanks for High School Football

By Rick Eggleston
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Two days from now the annual tradition that is Thanksgiving Day high school football in New England kicks off in all of its glory. Yes, there’s just something inherently special and enchanting about playing high school football games on Thanksgiving that to this day remains almost exclusively a regional phenomenon.

Sure, you’ve got the NFL’s Lions and Cowboys facing their respective foes every Turkey Day, but that’s the pros. The schoolboy gridiron is what truly embodies what it is to play on Thanksgiving, the ultimate family holiday when generations gather around the same table to give thanks, eat and reminisce.

But before they dive into the butterball it’s all about the football. Fathers, sons, brothers, grandfathers and uncles are taken back to their Thanksgiving Day game when they faced their school’s rival for the final time. Moms, grandmas, daughters and aunts, too, are reminded of their days cheering or playing in the band for arguably the biggest game of the year.

Of course, Thanksgiving is when the biggest game of the season always takes place, as oftentimes it pits two rival schools against one another for the umpteenth time. Fitchburg–Leominster, Barnstable–Falmouth, Boston English–Boston Latin to name a few, are some of the oldest Turkey Day rivalries in the country.

What makes Thanksgiving Day high school football unique is the fact each individual team’s record means nothing heading in. One team could be unbeaten and the other winless, and both will claw, scrap and fight on every down as if it’s their last. And for many of the seniors who buckle their chinstrap on Thanksgiving morning at 10 o’clock sharp, it will be their final game.

Fortunately, they’ll have next Thanksgiving to look forward to, and a story to tell of the greatest game they ever played.