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It will be the start of something new at the Bentley Athletic Complex in Woodstock at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 23.
The Woodstock Academy Centaurs will host the Killingly Redmen in the first Thanksgiving Day football game between the two.
“We know what we’re facing, but it doesn’t take away from the excitement of Thanksgiving Day. High school football on Thanksgiving Day is something that is important in this area and we’re excited about that,” Woodstock Academy coach Sean Saucier said.
Both teams could have easily been idle.
The Centaurs had played the Thames River Cooperative for the last two years on Thanksgiving.
That matchup ended when the Crusaders opted to play Quinebaug Valley in a Connecticut Technical Conference game.
That also left the Redmen without a Thanksgiving Day game since they had been playing the Pride.
Neither school wanted to be on the sidelines on Thursday.
In January, the two schools met to make sure that didn’t happen, signing a four-year agreement to play on Thanksgiving Day.
Saucier said he knows it will be important to a lot of people especially those who consider it tradition to attend a high school football game on the holiday. With Quinebaug Valley and Plainfield on the road this season, it will be the only game played in Northeastern Connecticut.
Saucier was last involved in a Thanksgiving Day game when he was a member of the Putnam Clippers. He and Killingly coach Chad Neal were Putnam teammates in 1993.
“I look forward to playing on Thanksgiving a lot. It means a lot. It’s tradition that day in Eastern Connecticut and in Connecticut in general. I think the Thanksgiving Day game is special,” Neal said.
Neal has been involved in many, this will be a first for Saucier as a coach.
The Woodstock Academy coach had been at the helm of the Hyde School and prep football teams don’t play on Thanksgiving.
“I haven’t been a part of a program that has gone this far into the fall. A couple of times we played in the (prep bowl games which were held this past weekend), but we were done after that. It’s neat. It’s new for me and anything new is exciting to go through it for a first time. I’m happy to be a part of it,” Saucier said.
It was decided to play the first game at Woodstock Academy.
“It’s the 125th anniversary of our first Thanksgiving Day football game. We played Putnam. Then we stopped playing. So it was important to us and Killingly was very nice to allow us to host the first game,” Academy headmaster Chris Sandford said when the contract between the two schools was signed in January. Since then, the two schools have met several times to make sure the game is more of an “event” than just a football game.
Neal said that professional approach, by both schools, should result in a successful venture even if the product on the field may not be even.
The odds are stacked against the Centaurs.
Killingly comes in with a 9-0 record and a chance to be the first Redmen team since 1953 to finish undefeated. It has already guaranteed itself a Class M playoff berth for a third consecutive year and a home playoff game.
The Centaurs come in with a 4-5 record and this will be their final game of the season.
The game does feature two of the top running backs in Eastern Connecticut with Killingly’s Spencer Lockwood and Woodstock Academy’s Kameron Janice each having accounted for over 2,000 yards this season.
“It’s a tall order,” Saucier said of the defensive task ahead, trying to stop both Lockwood and backfield mate Zach Caffrey. “(Lockwood) and Zach are formidable runners and they have a big, strong formidable line. Our theme is compete, do the best you can,” Saucier said.
Neal expects that will be the case.
“Sean will have his guys ready. Watching their film, he’s done a great job, they have been competitive. The scores of the games they have played (in the Eastern Connecticut Conference) are not indicative of the game. We will have to be prepared,” Neal said.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director