Turkey and football... it has a pretty nice ring to it this time of year.

Next Thursday, around these parts, the two will take center stage, one occurring at the dining room table, and the other at Mt. Hope High School’s Dietz Field, where the host Huskies will welcome arch-rival Barrington for the annual Thanksgiving Day football shootout.

This will be the 24th meeting between the two schools, with Barrington owning a comfortable 15-8 series lead. Last year at Victory Field in Barrington, the Huskies whipped the Eagles, 35-0 (the team’s largest margin of victory), ending an eight-game Turkey Day losing streak. Since 2000, the Eagles have had their way with the Huskies, winning 14 of the last 16 games. Mt. Hope’s last victory against the Eagles at home was in 2006. So, there’s plenty for both schools to chew on.

Eagles’ head coach Sandy Gorham knows his players will have their work cut out if they have any chance of derailing the 7-3 Huskies this year.

“Mt. Hope has a really good football team,” he said. “They have a great offense led by some good running backs and a feisty little quarterback. They will be favored, and they will be tough, but we should be ready to go.”

Barrington improved dramatically from last year’s 0-8 Division 1 finish, placing fourth in Division I-B this season with a 3-4 record and a berth in the playoffs. They surprised a lot of people with their aggressiveness and hard work.

“We have improved,” said the coach. “That was our main goal when the season began. This year, we stayed relatively healthy and the kids found their identity. That helped out a lot.”
One of the big reasons for the Eagles’ noticeable improvement was the steady play of junior quarterback/free safety Liam McManus.

“He made great progress this year,” said Coach Gorham, “and led the team in touchdowns. (Sophomore quarterback/middle linebacker) Nick Roach also played well for us.”

On the defense side of the ball, the Eagles were as competitive as anyone in the division, led by 6-4, 225 pound senior linebacker/defensive end David Kelley. Senior Lucas Dillon also helped solidify the defense.

“The defense settled in on things,” noted the coach. “They played hard and gave it everything they had.”

Mt. Hope had a more successful season, advancing to the Division II semifinal round of the playoffs last Friday, falling to Moses Brown and falling just short of the Division II Super Bowl (see coverage of that game on Page XX). The Huskies won’t be facing the same team they crushed last year at Victory Field.

“I think we will be better than last year,” said Coach Gorham. “Our kids will be pumped up and ready for the challenge.”

Like Barrington, the Huskies should be in pretty good physical shape for Thursday’s showdown.

“We’re all healthy,” said Huskies’ coach T.J. DelSanto. “The kids are really looking forward to this game.”

The Huskies had a balanced scoring attack this season, led by senior co-captain running back Corey Cardoso, and senior co-captain quarterback Vincent Berretto. Brothers Jay (CB/WR) and Josh Pompey (RB/DB) have also excelled this year.

“Vinny Berretto has really come a long way,” said Coach DelSanto. “He had a great game against Barrington last year, and he’s really done the job for us this season. He’s also our second leading rusher.”

As the coach indicated, Mt. Hope is a veteran team with solid talent, both offensively and defensively. He mentioned senior co-captain placekicker/left tackle Josh Canario as a solid contributor, along with fellow offensive linemen senior Neil Thibaudeau, junior Caden Cabral, sophomore Michael Trexler, and junior Connor McKenna.

Defensively, the Huskies are bolstered by junior Max Moskala, senior Devon Lancaster, and senior Coby Castriotta.

“Our strength is our running game and offensive line,” said Coach DelSanto. “I know Barrington will come to town well-prepared.”

Coach DelSanto had high praise for Eagles’ boss Sandy Gorham.

“Sandy is an excellent coach, and Barrington is always physical and competitive,” he said. “They’re playing well right now. They’ll be prepared.

“This is also a rivalry game where you can throw the records right out the window,” he concluded.

So, the Eagles and Huskies will duke it out once again. Although it’s classified as a non-conference battle, you can bet it’ll take on a Super bowl sense of appeal when these two cross-county foes square off. Emotions are sure to run high with a great deal of pride squarely on the line.