By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – In Bristol, we love our Thanksgiving Day football clash when the programs from Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern lock horns.
And it’s usually an exciting game and chance to see some of Bristol’s top athletes clash on the beautiful grass field over at Muzzy.
It’s always a treat on Turkey Day and a tradition unlike any others in the state.
We are fortunate to be able to witness such a rivalry game, year in and year out.
But what would happen if that series was taken away from us or moved to a date other than Thanksgiving?
Would the game mean the same if it were played on the Saturday before the holiday?
Or maybe pushed back a day to Wednesday like several other programs in the state have?
Here’s something to consider: If you have an exciting rivalry game, which is usually the biggest event of the season played at Muzzy Field, why would you mess up that historic contest?
That’s why the talk of expanded playoffs by the CIAC is always a threat to muck around the BC/BE clash on Thanksgiving.
So far, even as the playoff format has eight teams qualify over six divisions, starting the state tournament after the Thanksgiving Day holiday has worked out.
Sure, it’s cold in late November and early December to start those playoff quarterfinal rounds.
But what’s the alternative?
Not being able to see the Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern football teams duke it out on Thanksgiving would completely change the holiday for us in the Mum City.
And the excitement of Thanksgiving Day football in Bristol is a tradition all of its own.
Bristol Central coach Jeff Papazian does not want to see the Thanksgiving Day clash in the city moved or eliminated due to an expanded state tournament.
“There’s talk and it comes up every year,” said Papazian about Thanksgiving Day football and the playoffs. “[The CIAC] wants to expand the playoffs and get rid of Thanksgiving. But I speak for my own team. For a team like us, you get a Super Bowl [on Thanksgiving] every year.”
Tradition must stand for something and moving or not playing the Thanksgiving Day game in town – just to expand the playoffs – wouldn’t be something many people in Bristol would be in favor of.
First off, making the playoffs in football every season is not a given.
In Bristol for instance, the Central and Eastern programs have never been in the state tournament during the same school year.
In fact, the two squads have made the playoffs a combined six times while Eastern won the Class MM title back in 1988 and is Bristol’s only football championship to date.
That’s not a swipe against either program but it simply illustrates that giving away the game on Thanksgiving wouldn’t be such a great idea.
And how much further would the CIAC want to dilute the playoff pool?
Would the CIAC entertain a state tournament field of 12 (allowing for four first round byes) or 16 teams for all six classes?
What would that truly look like?
How about the postseason picture now, with eight teams in the mix over six divisions?
Is a .500 record, or something close to it in football, not worthy enough for a postseason bid?
On Tuesday, November 22, what was the record of the current eighth place program in all three divisions?
Here’s a quick look:
Class LL – Glastonbury (8-2 overall). But the ninth-place team, Ridgefield, was 4-5.
Class L – New Milford (6-3). One spot down was Shelton (5-4).
Class MM – Platt (6-3). The next three teams (Guilford, Wilton and Edwin O. Smith) all just had three losses apiece.
Class M – Branford (4-5). The four teams in back of Branford all had five losses as well, meaning (at least) one program with a .500 record will be competing over postseason play in 2022 with just five wins.
Class SS – Gilbert/Northwest/Housatonic (7-2). Ninth ranked Valley/Old Lyme was 8-1 and in good shape for a possible tournament bid.
Class S – Haddam Killingworth (6-3). North Branford (5-4) was just a spot behind in ninth place.
I’m not sure what the exact playoff expansion, if any, would look like but how many .500 and sub-.500 teams would the CIAC want in state tournament play?
The current set-up seems to be fair enough in terms of teams though a .500 record in football might be missing the mark for a postseason jaunt.
How about studying this latest format and see how it pans out before making a major overhaul which could include the elimination of Thanksgiving Day football in Connecticut?
Because ruining a football tradition in town, dating back to 1959, shouldn’t be on anyone’s docket in the first place.
If it ain’t broke, you know the rest.
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