Schools
Turkey Day Tradition Continues in Newton with Two Football Rivalries
The Newton North and Newton South football teams will face Brookline and Lincoln-Sudbury, respectively, for the traditional Thanksgiving Day football game.
For one Newton school, it's a rivalry that has spanned 118 years. For another, it's a tradition the teams are still forging into the history books.
The annual Thanksgiving Day football games are scheduled for this Thursday, Nov. 22 at 10 a.m., with Newton North and Newton South taking on familiar foes Brookline and Lincoln-Sudbury.
The Newton North-Brookline rivalry, which started back in 1894, includes an annual luncheon where the Newton and Brookline Rotary clubs bring the rival athletes together to shake hands and break bread two days before the big day.
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That meeting will take place today, Nov. 20, at the Holiday Inn in Brookline at noon.
"It's like a work of art in some ways," Newton North football coach Peter Capodilupo said last year of the Newton-Brookline Thanksgiving game. "It transcends time . . . It cuts through generations on that day."
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Take a look at the YouTube video to the right to see what the rivalry looked like in 1930.
The Tigers and the Warriors tend to switch up the Turkey Day title from year to year. and the year before, Newton was victorious.
This year, the Tigers are entering the Thanksgiving game 4-6 on the season and ranked third in the Bay State Conference. Brookline is coming in 1-9 overall and ranked last in the league, according to Boston.com sports.
As for Newton South, the rivalry between Lincoln-Sudbury may not be as heated or well known as the Newton North-Brookline game, but the matchup has been a tradition for the last four decades.
As one of the powerhouses in the league, Lincoln-Sudbury has had the majority of the victories in the Thanksgiving Day game. This year, L-S enters the Turkey Day match as the No. 1 team in the Dual-County (Large) League with a 9-1 record on the season. Newton South, ranked last in the league, is 3-7 on the season, according to Boston.com sports.
The Newton South Thanksgiving Day game will take place at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, 390 Lincoln Road Sudbury, MA. Kickoff is 10 a.m.
Here in Newton, the Newton North Tigers will take on Brookline at home in Dickinson Stadium. Game time is also 10 a.m.
Planning to attend the Turkey Day football games? Taking photos? Email your pictures to Melanie.Graham@patch.com
or upload them to our community photo gallery.
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