Thanksgiving couldn’t have come quick enough for the Franklin Tech football team. The Eagles had a bitter taste in their mouths.
A 30-16 loss to Cape Cod Tech in the State Vocational Small School quarterfinal round was not how the Eagles envisioned their playoffs concluding.
“The loss hurt,” Maxon Brunette said. “All of our seniors really thought it was our year to go all the way.”
Wyatt Whitman agreed that the Thanksgiving matchup against Smith Vocational will set the stage for a successful end of the season. Even with the disappointment in the vocational playoffs.
“We are all hyped,” Whitman said. “We put a lot of work into it. We might not have made it as far as we wanted in the playoffs. But we all definitely want to win on Thanksgiving.”
The Eagles did not let the loss linger. They are laser focused on the Vikings. Especially after Smith Voc beat the Eagles in last year’s match up. Franklin Tech hosts Smith Voc on Thanksgiving at 10 a.m.
“After a couple days off they came back super focused,” Franklin Tech coach Joe Gamache said. “We’ve had good practice sessions. They seem pretty motivated. I don’t know there’s much else as coaches we can say or do to get them more ready. I think they are hungry to get back on the field.”
Hungry on Thanksgiving? Both literally and figuratively for the Eagles. The rivalry with Smith Voc dates back to 2018. The Eagles currently hold a 4-2 record over the visitors from Northampton. The Eagles played the Vikings another time during a spring football season.
“Thanksgiving football means a lot,” Brunette said. “The food tastes better after you win. But if you lose, you eat crow. It tastes bad.”
Brunette sets an early alarm for Thanksgiving. He will start with a good breakfast before coming to the field.
“Maybe a yogurt or fruit,” Brunette said.
Then it’s to the field for the business of playing football.
“This game means a lot,” Brunette said. “Especially senior year. I’ll come here and start stretching with the team. Hope [to] lead the team to a good win. They took the trophy last year. This year we are hoping to get it back. All the seniors are fighting to get that Thanksgiving MVP.”
For the third year, Whitman faces the Vikings on Thanksgiving. It’s feeling like a rivalry with the Vikings.
“I think they feel like a big rivalry to me,” Whitman said. “I don’t know about some of the younger guys. I definitely have a football hatred for them.”
During the morning before the game, Whitman’s father concocts a protein heavy breakfast with plenty of potatoes.
“After the game I go to a Thanksgiving party at my grandparents’ house. They make really good ham. I eat all that. Pass out from all the food,” Whitman said.
The Smith Voc victory snapped a four-game win streak last year.
“It has that rivalry feel,” Gamache said. “It’s still in the early stages. But it’s happened enough years that it feels like a real thing.”
