Five feet.That’s all that separated the Lynn Classical football team from taking the field tomorrow (10) against Lynn English with a chance to claim the Northeastern Conference’s North division title.But when Quivari Jackson was stopped on fourth and two with just under two minutes left against Gloucester, it resulted in the Fishermen driving for the winning score and the playoff berth that goes to the North champion.Despite the heartbreaking loss to the Fishermen, which saw Classical take a 22-6 lead into the fourth quarter, this season still has been a successful one for Classical, which comes into their annual Thanksgiving Day game with the Bulldogs sporting a 7-2 record and a 3-1 mark in NEC North play.Classical also is looking for its second straight win over their cross-town rivals following a 26-0 win last season in the rain.And the Rams would like nothing better than to continue that trend on Thursday.”It’s a great tradition and it brings out the best in both teams,” Classical coach Matt Durgin said. “We are going to have to come out and be at our best because English is a very physical team and are better than their record shows.”The Classical offense has been one of the most prolific in the NEC this season, averaging 30.1 points per game, and has been held under 20 points on only two occasions (18 in a win over Beverly and 14 in a win against Salem).Leading the attack has been a brutally effective ground game headed by Jackson.Jackson has rushed for eight touchdowns and has caught seven others from Alex Watler for a total of 15, ranking him second in the conference behind the 24 of Gloucester’s Andrew Fulford.”Quivari is just an excellent athlete and he has the ability to have big plays when he touches the ball,” Durgin said. “And he’s done it both running and catching.”Another weapon that emerged during the midpoint of the season was junior Cam Smith, who had his coming out party with two scores against Beverly. He also had a 186 yard, two touchdown game vs. Danvers and added three more in a win over Revere.Bryndyn Primus and Chad Quintana also have helped to power the ground game.”A lot of kids have stepped up and the more unselfish we are, the better we are,” Durgin said. “Cam has been stellar all year on both sides of the ball and has improved each week.”Senior quarterback Alex Watler had to wait for his turn under center. But he has certainly been able to take over for his predecessor, Michael Quintana.Watler has thrown a touchdown pass in seven of nine games and has 10 touchdowns and only four interceptions, two of them coming in the fog during a 35-25 loss at Winthrop in week three.”Alex has been a great leader for us and he’s had a nice year. He got his opportunity and has done a nice job,” Durgin said.Providing the power up front has been the offensive line of Brian Kolodziej, Sam Smith, Dillon O’Toole, Chris Nassor and Sebastian Bejin.”We wouldn’t have been successful without them,” Durgin said.The Classical defense also has done the job this season, allowing a total of 120 points in nine games, an average of 13.3 per game. Only Winthrop (35) and Gloucester (26) have gone over the 20 point mark, and the Rams threw a shutout against Peabody in week six.The defense also came up huge at Salem following the Gloucester loss when there were a lot of questions about the Rams’ mental state of affairs. It was that defense which picked off a Colby Boulay pass in the final moments to thwart a potential game-tying drive.It also has performed well against the conference’s top rushers, holding Fulford, Salem’s Melikke Van Alstyne and Winthrop’s Joe McDermott in check.”Coach (Derek) Dana has done a nice job with them. They have improved each week,” Durgin said. “We’re very fortunate to have some very good athletes.”Also playing well on that side have been linebackers Stanley Sam and Quintana along with defensive back Tony Johnson, one of the best in the NEC.After a 40-6 win over St. Mary’s to open the season, Classical ha