Holding on to Tradition

by Marc Narducci | Dec 4, 2024

Playing football on Thanksgiving may not be as outdated as many would suggest. It used to be one of the biggest days of the entire high school sports calendar, not just football.

Even with the advent of NJSIAA playoffs in 1974, Thanksgiving football in South Jersey was an extremely big deal and that continued to be the case until the playoffs began expanding.

It used to be that there were four playoff teams per Group, but that changed to eight in 1998.

That was the beginning of deemphasizing Thanksgiving because more teams were competing in the postseason and some of the playoff games occurred after Thanksgiving.

In 2022, the NJSIAA added public school state championship games. Teams that win a public school state title have to play five postseason games.

More and more schools over the last decade decided to cancel Thanksgiving football. What is ironic is that Thanksgiving games provide the biggest gate for schools to make money. The NJSIAA makes the majority of the money on playoff games.

Many schools have decided to play their Thanksgiving rivalries, just not on the holiday.

Anybody who attended a Thanksgiving game this year, despite the rainy weather, saw how much interest the games still have to the schools and the communities.

Here are the games that were played on the holiday this year (or the night before):

Thanksgiving Eve:

Article continues below

- A Show of Strength

With the state ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, South Jersey is proving there’s more ways than one to put up a fight.

- Shining Stars

Meet eight standout athletes who are taking South Jersey by storm this winter.

- Shining Stars

Game changers. Difference makers. Student athletes.
Meet the local high school kids poised for a big spring season.

Paul VI 42, Camden Catholic 16

Thanksgiving:
Holy Spirit 37, Atlantic City 8
Pitman 7, Clayton 0
Millville 42, Vineland 7
Camden 8, Camden Eastside 0
Gloucester 33, Gloucester Catholic 0
Haddonfield 23, Haddon Heights 20
Audubon 17, Haddon Township 7

For those keeping score, there were just eight Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving eve games in South Jersey.

Many of them have long traditions. Millville and Vineland began their series in 1893—the longest in the state. Haddonfield and Haddon Heights played their first game in 1902.

This year’s Haddonfield-Haddon Heights game was a classic. Host Haddonfield didn’t decide matters until a 20-yard Dan Keenan field goal with 7.8 seconds left gave the Bulldogs a 23-20 win.

The weather was terrible in the first half, rainy, a little on the cold side, but there was a big crowd, people willing to battle the elements to see such a special rivalry, one that has taken place 115 times.

“I love Thanksgiving football,” Haddonfield coach Fran DeLano said. “If people came today and saw how special it was to so many people, they might have a different opinion.”

Yet we are in modern times. Those schools that stopped playing on Thanksgiving are not likely to come back.

Some suggest that with the regular season over at the end of October, it’s too long of a wait to keep practicing, but the NJSIAA allows teams to schedule consolation games. That is what Haddon Heights did. The Garnets scheduled two consolation games after they competed in the Central Jersey Group 2 playoffs. After losing its first playoff game, Haddon Heights won both consolations, providing some late-season momentum.

The rivalries that are played on other dates than Thanksgiving just aren’t the same. There is something magic about playing on the holiday and here’s hoping the remaining eight rivalries continue being held on Thanksgiving to keep such a special element that is slowly been dwindling away.

Photo: No. 35 Haddon Heights' Robert Klaus carrying the ball against Haddonfield / Marc Narducci

Author: Marc Narducci

Holding on to Tradition

Related Articles

Archives