Happy Thanksgiving Eve.
For high school football, this is as good as it gets. Thanksgiving games are often the memories players hold onto throughout their years, harkening back on a big play, a big hit or a game-winning touchdown to put an exclamation mark on their gridiron careers.
There’s plenty to talk about for Turkey Day 2018 edition. Some players are chasing milestones, others are looking to finish undefeated on Thanksgiving. Above all else, rivalries are renewed.
One thing’s for certain, the weather is going to be chilly. Potential record-lows are on the docket for Thanksgiving morning, and that blast of Mother Nature forced at least one game in western Mass. to move as Franklin Tech’s inaugural game with Smith Voke will now be played tonight at 6.
There are a few questions still to be answered with games today and Thursday. Here’s what we’re looking at:
1. Who wins the scoring title?
We’re down to three players with a shot at winning the season scoring title.
Greenfield senior tailback RJ Byrd has the inside edge, entering Thanksgiving as the No. 1 scorer with 152 points. Byrd has 21 touchdowns and 13 2-point conversions, giving him a 13-point cushion over second-place Wyatt Keith of Turners Falls. Keith has 23 touchdowns and an extra point, totaling 139 points. Rounding out the top three is Frontier’s Garrett DeForest, who has 134 points behind 22 touchdowns and a 2-point conversion. If DeForest can have a big night against Mohawk, he’ll put the pressure on Byrd and Keith when they meet head-to-head Thanksgiving morning in Greenfield.
In fantasy terms, Keith holds a slight lead over Byrd for the overall No. 1 spot. He sits with 339.6 points on the year, just 3.6 points ahead of Byrd. DeForest (291.5), Mason Barrieau (220.9) and Kyle Dodge (204.1) round out the top five fantasy scorers.
2. Can Bailey Young hit the 1,000 mark?
The Franklin Tech junior reached the 1,000-yard mark last year with a big performance on Turkey Day, and he’ll look to make it two years in a row tonight against Smith Voke.
Young enters the contest with 912 yards on the ground to go with 11 touchdowns, meaning he needs 88 yards to re-join the club. He’s topped that mark in five of the team’s 10 games. Expect the Eagles to feed him the rock early and often, however, in hopes of extending the program’s run of 1,000-yard rushers.
3. Will Mahar or Mohawk halt streaks?
Both teams have found themselves on the wrong end the past few years in their respective Thanksgiving contests.
Mahar has lost four in a row to rival Athol, including a wild 24-22 defeat a year ago. The Senators have won three in a row, though, saving their season after an 0-7 start.
Mohawk hasn’t beaten Frontier since 2014 when it did so in quadruple overtime. It’s a tall task, but can the Warriors pull off what would be one of the bigger upsets in Thanksgiving history?
4. Who will be the receiving leader?
It’s a two-man race between Greenfield’s Danny Vega and Turners’ Andy Craver. Vega has 471 yards and eight touchdowns, while Craver sits at 425 yards and seven TDs. Greenfield and Turners play each other, so keep an eye on the receiving tussle.
Enjoy the games, folks. Stay warm.
QB: 1. Dodge, Turners — 204.1 points; 2. Phelps, Greenfield — 133; 3. Hildreth, Frontier — 125.7; 4. Davenport, Mohawk — 116.3; 5. Cox, Athol — 111.4.
RB: 1. Keith, Turners — 339.6; 2. Byrd, Greenfield — 336; 3. DeForest, Frontier — 291.5; 4. Barrieau, Athol — 220.9; 5. Young, FC Tech — 172.3.
WR: 1. Vega, Greenfield — 129.7; 2. Craver, Turners — 108.2; 3. Barnes, Mahar — 84.4; 4. Whiting, Turners — 84.7; 5. Cam Lococo, Mohawk — 56.3.
QB: 1. Dodge, Turners; 2. Hildreth, Frontier; 3. Phelps, Greenfield; 4. Cox, Athol; 5. Davenport, Mohawk.
RB: 1. DeForest, Frontier; 2. Keith, Turners; 3. Byrd, Greenfield; 4. Gariepy, Mahar; 5. Young, FC Tech; 6. Barrieau, Athol; 7. Castine, Athol; 8. Semaski, Frontier; 9. Bergmann, FC Tech; 10. Seney, Mahar.
WR: 1. Vega, Greenfield; 2. Craver, Turners; 3. Barnes, Mahar; 4. Whiting, Turners; 5. Lococo, Mohawk.
For the last three weeks of the season, we’re starting from scratch. We will each pick two quarterbacks, three running backs and two receivers for the final three weeks and see who will prevail in the “second season.”
JEFF LAJOIE (Total: 74.3 points)
QBs — Kyle Dodge, Turners; Matt Hildreth, Frontier
RBs — Wyatt Keith, Turners; Garrett DeForest, Frontier; Bailey Young, FC Tech
WRs — Danny Vega, Greenfield; Andy Craver, Turners
JAY BUTYNSKI (Total: 159.8)
QBs — Kyle Dodge, Turners; Owen Phelps, Greenfield
RBs — Wyatt Keith, Turners; RJ Byrd, Greenfield; Garrett DeForest, Frontier
WRs — Danny Vega, Greenfield; Jaden Whiting, Turners
Jeff Lajoie is a Recorder sportswriter ready for his impending food coma. Email him at jlajoie@recorder.com.