Over the past few days, people across Massachusetts have been discussing how strange it is that there isn’t any high school football on Thanksgiving morning this year. We’ve written a number of stories about it here, we’ve reminisced on great games of the past and we’ve tried to look ahead to Thanksgiving games in the future.
But I must say, waking up on Thanksgiving morning this year with nowhere to go and no game to cover was incredibly strange.
Now, I’m not exactly the most veteran high school sports writer. I’ve been covering Thanksgiving games for seven years now, four of those years for The Item (this year would’ve been my fifth). But, like others in my field, Thanksgiving morning has become a routine. Wake up early in the morning to get ready. Drive to the field to try and find a parking spot at the packed stadium. Wrestle for a space in the press box on a chilly November morning. Talk to players and coaches after the game. Try to get your story written as quickly as possible so you can go home and get some Thanksgiving dinner.
It might sound strange, but I actually woke up on Thursday morning feeling like I was running late or that I was missing out on something. I jumped out of bed when I saw that it was already 8 a.m., then I realized that there was nowhere I had to be.
Then I started thinking back to the last Thanksgiving game I covered — Revere-Winthrop back in 2019. One of my favorite football guys anywhere, Revere coach Lou Cicatelli, had his team riled up from start to finish in a strong 46-31 win at Winthrop’s newly opened Miller Field. The Patriots’ stud running back at the time was Joe Llanos, and he put together the single most dominant rushing performances I’ve ever seen with 389 yards and six touchdowns. He seemed absolutely untouchable out there.
And while Llanos’ massive day was the top story out of the game, the back-and-forth nature that makes rivalry games so great was a close second. The two teams traded blows back and forth for the entire first half, and even after Revere took a commanding lead in the second half Winthrop kept fighting. Bobby Hubert led the attack from the quarterback position, while Julian Osorio returned a kick 101 yards for a touchdown.
But one of the other things I remember about that game was how things went right after play concluded. Players from both teams were joined on the field by their families and everyone just basked in the afterglow of another great Thanksgiving Day battle. Then I drove home as fast as I could so I could get my story filed.
Here’s hoping we can get back out on the field for Thanksgiving Day 2021.