Normally Thanksgiving Day football games are full of hype, energy and anticipation, especially among senior players, most of whom are playing football for the last time.
No matter what the teams’ records are, there’s just a lot on the line on Thanksgiving Day as players on both sides of the field will do just about anything to win.
Win, lose, or draw, years and years down the road, players will remember the thrills they experienced and the memories they made on Thanksgiving Day.
This year’s game – won by Lynnfield 32-6 – had great potential to be a classic. North Reading’s only loss had come at the hands of Amesbury, a team the Pioneers took down, 27-16.
On paper, the Hornets looked to be the hands-down favorites, coming into the game at 10-1 and riding a six-game Turkey Day winning streak while the Pioneers were 6-4 and coming off a disappointing loss to St. Mary’s in the Division 6 semifinals.
Unfortunately, this year’s game ended up being totally anticlimactic.
The battle for bragging rights never materialized after North Reading elected to bench its starters in preparation for Saturday’s Super Bowl. Many of North Reading’s key skill players were freshmen, including a 5-4, 135-pound quarterback whose primary wide receiver/running back target was also a freshman.
North Reading coach Eddie Blum said injuries were a key factor in the decision.
The decision didn’t sit well with Lynnfield coach Pat Lamusta, who said he knew there was a chance North Reading would go to the bench.
“I came in with an expectation of that, but I told our kids we had to focus on us. Whatever they do, they do. Our guys really wanted the challenge so we just had to get over that and just play. I don’t want to get too deep into it, but this is an issue. I’m coming from a time when the Thanksgiving game had big implications and playoff implications so even if I get into trouble for this, this is a plug for that eight-game playoff in each division so Thanksgiving will matter,” Lamusta said.
“Like I said, the weirdness of today isn’t necessarily Coach Blum’s fault. It’s not our fault, it’s not our seniors fault. It’s the current system.”
Lynnfield’s senior captain James Sharkey said the Pioneers were caught off guard. Despite being up at 13-0 at halftime, Sharkey said the team was flat.
“We just weren’t ready for that. No one likes to play against the JV guys, no one,” he said. “No one likes blowouts. We wanted it to be a competitive game and it wasn’t. At halftime we realized this is it. We had to control what we could control and make it memorable and end on a high note,” Sharkey said.
“If we had kept playing the way it was in the first half, we would have been sad and angry. All of us together were able to compete and get the energy level up so now we are all leaving with smiles on our faces.”
Lamusta said the issue of benching starters on Thanksgiving Day simply to seemingly improve the odds of winning the Super Bowl goes way beyond ensuring the Thanksgiving Day game is competitive and memorable – it’s about safety.
“The refs says it’s [playing the starters] better for player safety. The coaches association say it’s better for player safety,” Lamusta said.
“All you can say about today’s weirdness is that at the end of the day our guys played like maniacs. They played tough and I am proud of them.”
