After the Peabody-Malden Catholic high school football game on Thanksgiving Day, Coley Lee Field looked like Coley Lee Swamp. The ground felt like quicksand, players’ footprints covered the field surface, and as the postgame handshakes revealed, quite a few members of both teams got a complimentary mud bath during the game.In other words, this was football at its finest.Throughout its history, football has captured fans’ hearts because the sport presents itself as a test of endurance. It is no surprise that football became popular in rough, tough industrial cities like Green Bay, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. It is no surprise that the players who flourished did so through a hard-nosed style, overcoming hits from 300-pound defensive linemen. And part of flourishing in football involves overcoming the elements.Think back to the best moments in New England Patriots history, and two games will appear on your list: The “Snow Bowl” playoff game of 2002, when Adam Vinatieri’s 23-yard field goal on a snow-covered surface pushed the Pats past the Oakland Raiders, and the “Snowplow Game” of 1982, when Mark Henderson, a convict on work release, used a snowplow to clear the way for John Smith’s game-winning field goal against the Miami Dolphins. In a sport played during the fall and winter, it stands to reason that the teams that succeed will do so by prevailing against both the opponent and inclement weather.At Coley Lee Swamp on Thanksgiving, Peabody and MC each responded admirably to the muddy field conditions caused by recent rain. MC coach Bob Almeida, whose team is more run-oriented, decided to adapt to the terrain and throw the ball.”We haven’t thrown really well this year,” Almeida said. “We just couldn’t run the ball (Thursday).”The move succeeded, as Lancers quarterback Andrew Desimone repeatedly found his receivers during two second-half scoring drives that produced a 14-12 MC victory. And while only one team could win, both squads distinguished themselves by playing through difficult conditions.Unfortunately, this is something that well-meaning designers are taking away by installing synthetic surfaces on playing fields. Had Peabody traveled to MC’s Donovan Field at Bro. Gilbert Stadium, the teams would have played on artificial turf. This was the case for all four Lynn schools – Lynn Classical, Lynn English, St. Mary’s, and Lynn Tech – that played their season finales on the artificial surface at Manning Field.It is admirable for schools on the North Shore to want state-of-the-art athletic facilities, and it is admirable for cities, towns, and the state to help provide them. Yet they must realize that change comes at a cost, and that current changes to football are costing it character. We see these changes in both high school and the pros. The New York Times informs us that the new Meadowlands stadium will have 200 suites and “will be twice as large as the current stadium to accommodate wide concourses and clubs within.” Gee, with all these changes, there’s hardly room for a game.After the Tanners’ Turkey Day loss, a reporter told Peabody coach Scott Wlasuk that Almeida said he almost lost his shoe multiple times in the mud. Wlasuk quipped, “I wish his quarterback lost his shoe.” But maybe it’s better to keep your grit in a loss on a mud-covered field than to win on a synthetic, sanitized surface.Rich Tenorio is an Item sports copy editor.