The Danvers-Gloucester Thanksgiving battle is as much a part of the local holiday tradition as turkey and mashed potatoes. The annual contest dates back over 100 years, and while the lengthy rivalry still exists today, the Fishermen have been the dominant force of the Northeastern Conference for seemingly as long.Gloucester will enter Thursday’s game with a 10-0 record and the NEC Large title in hand following a 14-7 victory over Lynn Classical more than two weeks ago. Should the Fishermen also defeat their final regular season opponent, it will be the team’s third undefeated regular season in the last four years as they make a bid for their third state title since 2007.”A lot of these kids played last year, and they knew expectations would by high, but they had high expectations, as well,” said Gloucester coach Paul Ingram. “There was a lot of pressure on them every night, and they worked hard. They took nothing for granted.”As is the case with the majority of Fishermen campaigns, the team won and did so convincingly. They outscored their adversaries by a combined score of 343-117 or by an average of 23 points per game. Gloucester shutout Winthrop and Peabody, won by more than 20 in half its game, won by less than double-digits once (Classical), and only twice allowed more than 18 points (Swampscott, Lynn English).Regardless of the outcome versus the Falcons, the Fishermen will play Lincoln-Sudbury in the opening round of the postseason (TBD). Many would be quick to think Gloucester may look passed Danvers, but Ingram remains confident his team will be focused.”I don’t have to worry about that,” Ingram said. “I don’t think they look passed anything. They enjoy being out there. I can’t remember the last time anyone said the team didn’t play hard. Actually, the hardest thing to do is to tone them down. We’ll be focused whenever we play.”The Falcons, who will play host this holiday, have compiled a 1-8 (1-4 NEC Small) record after failing to build upon any potential momentum created by its 6-5 finish in 2009. Coached by first-year man, Sean Rogers, Danvers has not allowed itself to be intimidated.”(Gloucester is) a team full of high school kids,” Rogers said. “Yeah, they’ve had a great year, and yeah, they have a great history, but if you enter confident, if you don’t beat yourself, anything can happen. It’s Thanksgiving Day.”Senior quarterback Greg Little leads the Falcons, and while he has been hobbled by an injury that prevented him from playing defense, he is approaching 1,000 total yards of offense and leads his team in all of its major offensive categories.According to his coach, Little is the spark and soul of a young squad that lost 23 seniors in the offseason, but defeated Saugus 20-14, and scored double-digits in every game this season.”We all hoped the record would be better, but all my other expectations were exceeded,” Rogers said. “I’m very happy with the team’s competitiveness, dedication to the program and their overall lack of quit. We had success that didn’t show up in wins and losses, but you could see it on the tapes.”Rogers is aware of the mammoth obstacle the Fishermen present – especially considering their always impressive rushing attack – and knows if his defense loads the box in hopes of slowing the run, Gloucester will undoubtedly go to the air.Only the opposite sideline, and despite his team’s favorable odds, Ingram acknowledges his team will need to play its best to finish the regular without a loss.”We have to be careful of the flukes that can happen on Thanksgiving,” Ingram said. “Anything can happen, but I don’t see my kids letting down.”Danvers won the pair’s first meeting 108 years ago with an 18-0 shutout, but the Fishermen hold the overall advantage at 33-21-2 and plan on building upon that lead as they march towards perfection and another Super Bowl appearance. The Falcons are the obvious underdogs, but as every coach admits come the end of November and another season, it’s Thanksgiving, and