Massachusetts Thanksgiving High School Football Roundup
High school football dominated Boston sports on Thursday with some key games taking place across the state of Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day.
High School football rivals across the country played on Thanksgiving day. Many seniors played their final games, and there were plenty of close calls. Here’s how it all went down in some of the biggest games in Massachusetts.
Durfee 32, New Bedford 26
Nick Salmon had three touchdowns to lead the Durfee Hilltoppers, including the game-winning score with under a minute remaining, and a 75-yard kick off return.
Westford 30, Acton-Boxborough 28
A fumble recovery in Acton-Boxboro territory set up Eric Jacobsen’s field goal with five seconds left that propelled Westford to the win.
Lynn Classical 21, Lynn English 20
Marcus Rivera snatched victory away from the Bulldogs with a game ending kickoff return touchdown for Classical. The play even made Sport Center’s Top 10!
Revere 14, Winthrop 7
Anthony Destefano rushed for two touchdowns to lead the Patriots to the win.
Old Rochester 28, Apponequet 21
Harry Smith had a pair of short scoring runs while Cam Hamilton and Ryan McAllister also tallied a score for the Old Rochester Bulldogs.
Whitman-Hanson 29, Abington 28
Abington built a 21-0 halftime lead, but the Whitman-Hanson Panthers rode three second-half touchdowns from Ethan Phelps to the win.
Brighton 28, Latin Academy 20
Brighton’s Jerrod Clark hauled in a tipped pass with under a minute to play to secure a win and Boston North title.
Boston Latin 34, English 20
A three-touchdown performance from Griffin Li led the Wolfpack to a win in the 130th installment of the annual Thanksgiving showdown at Harvard Stadium.
Catholic Memorial 41, BC High 27
For the first time in 11 years, Catholic Memorial defeated BC High on Thanksgiving. Senior quarterback Matthew Marcantano was the star with 312 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Woburn 22, Winchester 21
In his final game on the Woburn sideline, head coach Rocky Nelson watched senior Tyler Hayden stuff Winchester’s potential go-ahead 2-point try with 33 seconds left.
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As the MIAA football structure has changed recently, Thanksgiving games are now meaningless. Up until 2013, Thanksgiving was game one on a three-games-in-10-days road to Gillette Stadium. There were league implications and playoff spots on the line. Now? Not so much. The games are meaningless, and Super Bowl bound coaches have to ponder the thought of playing starters or saving them for the big game.
With many teams fresh off state semifinal games this past Saturday, resting starters on Thanksgiving seems like a clear choice. However, many of the players grew up watching the Thanksgiving day rivalry games, anxiously awaiting their time in the city spotlight.
Former New England Patriots tight end Christian Fauria voiced the thoughts of many around the state recently on WEEI. Fauria said while having the discussion with OMF co-host Glenn Ordway, “I don’t like the way it’s set up. You’re playing a meaningless game, which isn’t a playoff game that catapults that puts you into the championship.”
He echoed the thoughts of high school coaches also, adding:
"“I would sit my players. I guess I would just not play my game because what’s more important, some silly cross-town rival, or the actual championship? So is bragging rights that important to you?”"
You can listen to the entire Fauria-Ordway clip here.
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Highlights from the days games can be found from WCVB Channel 5’s Mike Lynch here.