PIAA ruling won’t stop six local teams from continuing long-standing tradition
There aren’t many left, and the roadblocks put in front of them keep coming, but Thanksgiving football will continue for the six local teams that still keep the tradition alive.
“This obviously doesn’t help, but Morrisville and Bristol will keep playing football on Thanksgiving morning,” Morrisville athletic director John Hubiak said. “The game means so much to both communities in so many ways and you don’t want to see that end.”
What doesn’t help the teams that still play on Turkey Day — Bristol/Morrisville, Upper Moreland/Hatboro-Horsham and Pennridge/Quakertown — is the latest ruling from the PIAA that says teams can no longer play contingency games, games played after the regular season ends and before Thanksgiving.
“Look at our situation,” Quakertown head coach George Banas said. “We’re scheduled to play Springfield (Montco) in our last game. That game is a forfeit for us because Springfield is trying to rebuild their program.
“It means that if we don’t make the (PIAA District One Class 6A) playoffs, we’ll have five weeks between our last game and when we play Pennridge on Thanksgiving. It’s really hard to keep the kids engaged that long with just practicing all the time. Having a contingency game gives them something to look forward to.
“The PIAA is saying it’s unsafe to play the contingency games, but look at the teams that go far in the (PIAA) state playoffs. How safe is that for them?”
Case in point:
Still playing on Thanksgiving
Bristol vs. Morrisville
Pennridge vs. Quakertown
Upper Moreland vs. Hatboro-Horsham
Pine Richland, which defeated Saint Joseph’s Prep in the Class 6A state title game last month, finished 16-0. Now, under the new PIAA edict, a team that doesn’t make the playoffs, but plays on Thanksgiving, would be limited to just 11 games.
“It’s baffling to me,” Hubiak said. “You have teams playing 16 games, but that’s not a safety risk, but it is a safety risk for our kids playing 10 or 11 games? Does having a contingency game really hurt anybody? No, it doesn’t.”
Banas concurred.
“If they really were concerned about the safety issue then just have us play eight regular-season games and then have the playoffs,” Banas said.
The PIAA, though, feels the contingency games do present a risk.
“As we’ve seen with other rules that have come into play recently with football, limited contact during the regular season, reduction (of games) in season, and the elimination of (using) shoulder pads outside of the season, this was a safety issue,” said PIAA Associate Executive Director Melissa Mertz.
“There was a feeling that games that were not needed to be played for playoff purposes should be limited, so teams are permitted to schedule that one extra game with district committee approval. They can make that their Thanksgiving Day game if they so choose. Even when there is a gap between the end of the regular season and Thanksgiving, schools can either continue to practice and then have the game or they can even take a few weeks off, then, during the week of Thanksgiving, they can get three practice days in and have a Thanksgiving Day game.”
Because of the new rule, Banas hopes to try a new tact.
“When Pennridge gets a new coach I’m hoping to talk to them and see if we can work something out like not having both teams practice until the week of Thanksgiving,” he said.
“Let the kids go to practice for the winter sports or just take the time off. You could have three practices before Thanksgiving to get ready. How much would the kids forget and how many trick plays can you put in? Everybody would benefit from it.
“The PIAA feels that Thanksgiving games take away from the Friday and Saturday state playoff games, but that’s not the case. You have a lot of non-boundary schools that go deep in the playoffs and the fans of those teams don’t travel. Look at the attendance in Hershey (site of the six state title games), it was just atrocious.
“And then look at the crowd we get for Thanksgiving, not to mention all the alumni that come back, and how both communities are so into it. It’s a big deal and that’s why we’ll still keep playing it.”
