LYNN — The annual battle between Classical and English, which normally takes place on Thanksgiving Day, commenced its 107th iteration Friday night at Manning Field.
And boy, was it a taste of some real normalcy.
In what was the most well-attended game of any sport I’ve seen in nearly a year and a half — there were 820 paid ticket stubs but closer to 1,000 people in the building — the rivalry clash gave a sweet reminder of what attending a high school football game was like before the pandemic.
The concession stand was open. The parking lot and bleachers were full. The energy was high on the field, in the stands and even in the press box. When I remarked to someone in the booth that I was expecting to write a somber column about how this game just didn’t feel the same, he quipped back, “this is Classical-English, it’s always going to be packed.”
This is a rivalry that has seen some true classics over the years. The most recent one that comes to mind is 2016, when the Rams stunned English with no time on the clock via an 83-yard kick return touchdown from Marcus Rivera. But let’s not forget 1986 when English snapped a seven-year winless drought with a 16-14 win or the memorable 0-0 tie in 1970, along with countless other memorable moments throughout the rivalry’s history.
Looking out onto the field, you could tell this game means a lot to everyone involved. It might even mean more than it usually does this year since these kids probably didn’t even think they’d have a season.
Hearing the stories from former Item sports editors like Steve Krause, Paul Halloran and Ted Grant, this game was the be-all-end-all of every single year. Maybe it’s because those guys were witness to the golden years of seeing players like Harry Agganis, Tony Thurman, Boley Dancewicz for Classical and Peter, Paul and Mark Holey, Dick Newton, Matt Curtis for English. No matter how bad the two teams were (and there were a fair amount of times when two 1-9 teams were playing), the place was always packed. It wasn’t standing room only, but it was packed.
So I guess I shouldn’t have doubted that this game was going to be a packed house and the closest thing to normal we’ve seen in forever.
After last night, I now have no doubts that come Thanksgiving 2021, we’ll be back into the groove of a normal (whatever that means) fall season. That means that the stands will be full again, the atmosphere will be as electric as ever and the Classical-English football game will once again be the main attraction.
Here’s to hoping that comes true in six months’ time.
Mike Alongi can be reached at [email protected].