Thanksgiving Football in the East Bay Through the Decades

Ah, the Thanksgiving Day game. Stands around the state will be filled with the current student body, families and alumni, all bundled against the November morning chill to cheer on their home team. In the East Bay there are two major rivalries that reach back decades, bringing high stakes and a lot of history to a contest that, regardless of the current season’s standings, is always one of the year’s biggest games.

Take the Barrington versus Mt. Hope rivalry, for example. In the modern era of Thanksgiving games, Barrington is up 15 games to seven since 1993, and have taken the last eight matches. But their Turkey Day battles have roots going all the way back to 1941. For 52 seasons, Barrington and Bristol clashed on the gridiron, bringing their longstanding rivalry to a close on Thanksgiving of 1992 with, of all things, a tie. After the Bristol and Warren school systems merged in ‘93, the standings (which ended at 29-22-1 in Barrington’s favor) were reset for the current Barrington/Mt. Hope matchup. This year, the Barrington Eagles take on the Mt. Hope Huskies at home. 10am, 220 Lincoln Avenue, Barrington.

Middletown and Portsmouth don’t have as long a gameday rapport, but 50 years of heated contest isn’t anything to take lightly. Since 1965 these two rival schools have been duking it out on Aquidneck Island. Currently the standings are 30-18-2 in Portsmouth’s favor, though last year Middletown was able to come out on top to block what would have been a five-year winning streak. This year the Middletown Islanders will take the fight to the Patriots’ door in Portsmouth. 10am, 120 Education Lane, Portsmouth.