Series not over yet?

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Staff photo by JOE MARCHILENA Souhegan coach Mike Beliveau picks up the Milk Jug after the Sabers defeated Merrimack 48-21 Thursday in the Turkey Bowl. It was the 10th win for Souhegan in 15 games against the Tomahawks.

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Joe Marchilena photo Souhegan players, from left, Chris Chininis, Terry Dugdale, Alex Price and Tim Beliveau, close in on Merrimack's Jackson King.

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Staff photo by JOE MARCHILENA Souhegan coach Mike Beliveau picks up the Milk Jug after the Sabers defeated Merrimack 48-21 Thursday in the Turkey Bowl. It was the 10th win for Souhegan in 15 games against the Tomahawks.

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AMHERST – Call it a Thanksgiving miracle, but there may still be a Turkey Bowl beyond this season.

After initially calling off the state’s longest-running, holiday football game after this year, officials at Souhegan High School had a change of heart this week and will be discussing with counterparts at Merrimack about continuing the game, at least for one more year.

“The one thing (Merrimack coach) Joe (Battista) said, it’s been a 15-year tradition and that’s the longest running tradition in the state,” Souhegan coach Mike Beliveau said. “There’s something to that.”

The Sabers have now won 10 of the 15 games, following Thursday’s 48-21 win, but after playing in and winning three straight Division III titles, the Turkey Bowl had taken on a different feel at Souhegan. Never was that more apparent than last year, when Souhegan won its third title the Saturday before Thanksgiving and got blown out by Merrimack, 54-15, five days later

“Maybe our decision was tainted by winning a few championships and it being anti-climatic,” Beliveau said. “But you take this year, or most other years that you don’t win, you have one more time to play. We’d like to do it.”

Battista expressed his displeasure earlier in the week at the end of the series, calling the decision “disgusting,” but he was glad to hear of the possible continuation.

“We are going to keep this going,” he said. “It’s basically in their court right now and hopefully it does continue. Coach Beliveau and I did talk and there will be a decision made early next week.”

The series started in 1997 and is the oldest in the state that features the same two teams playing every Thanksgiving. Next year’s game would be the 16th time the schools from neighboring towns have met.