By Michael Letendre
Who won more of the Thanksgiving Day games between the football programs between Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern in the decade of the 1980s?
You’ve got a 50-50 chance on the answer but if you said Central, that would be the correct answer.
The Rams won the first five slowdowns – allowing the Lancers just 29 total points over the first five games.
But Eastern made a comeback, took the Turkey Day game on its way to a Class MM title in 1988, before a controversial contest in 1989 swung the momentum back into Central’s favor.
Let’s look at all ten games from the 1980s:
1980 – Bristol Central, 12-0: Once again, Billy Parks was involved in the scoring, making a 10-yard touchdown rush, while Vin Jennetta picked off a pass by Eastern’s fill-in quarterback Mike Tucker (9-of-20, 143 yards) for a 48-yard touchdown as Central won it again – picking up its final Colonial Conference title. The Lancers’ 8-2 record was the best in school history to that point but the program was knocked out of playoff contention over the losing effort to the Rams.
1981 – Bristol Central, 13-8: Eastern, again, was forced out of the playoff picture due to Central as Parks made touchdown rushes of five and 55 yards to propel the Rams to the victory. The Lancers would have played Newtown in the state tournament with a Thanksgiving Day win but instead, lost against the Rams by just five points. Central’s Gene Mitchell made a 60-yard punt, still a Thanksgiving Day record, while Parks nabbed 133 yards on 23 carries.
1982 – Bristol Central, 18-13: Eastern netted the first points in the game as Brian Rooney scored on a 57-yard run while the team scooped up more than 400 total yards of offense but still lost by five points for the second consecutive year. Central’s Gregg Vontell made scoring rushes of 87, 80 and 24 yards – gaining 235 yards overall on 20 carries. Vontell’s 87-yard TD was the longest run from scrimmage ever on Thanksgiving between the teams. Rooney roped up 128 yards on 20 carries to pace the Lancers. Central won its eighth consecutive game over the Eastern program.
1983 – Bristol Central, 6-0: Once again, the Rams defeated the Lancers by a touchdown. Central quarterback Mike Carlson scored 6:48 into the contest on a one-yard plunge into the end zone. The squads combined for six interceptions while the six points scored in the game was also a series record for fewest points scored on T-Day. It was the final Colonial Conference showdown between the schools as both programs joined up with the Central Connecticut Conference the following year – remaining there to this day.
1984 – Bristol Central, 33-8: Gerry Ouellette paced the Rams with 189 yards on 18 carries and Central soundly defeated Eastern once again. Overall, the rushers for the Rams combined for 338 total yards. Central’s Jere Merriam made a 95-yard interception return – a Thanksgiving Day record. Eastern’s Rich Musumano carried the ball 18 times for 141 yards. The Lancers were winless against Central since picking up a 7-6 victory over the Rams back in 1974.
1985 – Bristol Eastern, 14-8: “Yes, We Can” was the phrase Eastern cried as Mike Minella hauled in a 28-yard touchdown pass from Julio Maisonet, leading to a six-point victory for the Lancers. Eastern’s 14-0 cushion in the second half held off a pesky Central aggression. The contest was postponed and eventually played at night because of rotten weather.
1986 – Bristol Central, 31-0: Central quarterback Steve Lowe collected 79 yards on 15 carries for two touchdowns in the winning effort by the Rams. What more can be said about one of the rivalries largest shutout wins?
1987 – Bristol Central, 22-0: On the cusp of a Class MM berth, Central blanked Eastern as Kiernan Thurston ran 30 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns to propel the Rams to the Class MM championship game. Central lost that title contest to Middletown, 27-0.
1988 – Bristol Eastern, 14-12: The Class MM champs slipped past Central by two points, advancing to the state tournament with the win. On a Central fumble, Eastern’s Craig Ciquera netted a two-yard rushing touchdown to put the Lancers up for good with 7:00 left in the first half. Eastern’s Timmy Gunn (13 carries, 109 yards) paced the offense. Thurston had 21 carries for 146 yards for the Rams. And then in the Class MM title showdown, Eastern defeated South Windsor by three (22-19) for Bristol’s only state championship in football to date.
1989 – Bristol Central, 20-13: Central’s Ken Fort busted Eastern for 168 yards on 20 carries as the Rams won the contest in controversial fashion. Grades became an issue as both school’s student handbooks had two different eligibility requirements. The rules forced critical Eastern players (three in all) to sit out the showdown while Fort from Central – who was ineligible per Eastern’s student handbook – ended up playing under the Rams’ guidelines. Over the following week, meetings were held at BE but the game decision was never overturned. The situation prompted several students to walkout at Bristol Eastern in protest days after the game score was upheld.
