Thanksgiving MA High School Games Rescheduled Due To Bitter Cold

Thanksgiving high school football is a tradition unlike any other. The Wednesday-before-Thanksgiving high school football is ... not.

Several schools have rescheduled their Thanksgiving Day games to Wednesday after forecasts warned of near-record cold Thursday morning. With wind chills straddling zero, officials thought it safer for players and fans to spend a couple hours at the football field a day earlier.

The National Weather Service is warning of heavy winds that will make being outside not just uncomfortable, but dangerous.

"It's a great idea [to move the game up,] smart decision," North Andover Coach John Dubzinksi told Patch. Dubzkinski took the big-picture approach, and not just because his undefeated Scarlet Knights are headed to the Super Bowl after their day-before-Thanksgiving game.

"I don't think it's in the best interest for the players to be playing in -5 degree conditions," he said. "We are talking about 16-18 year old kids here, not professional athletes."

Not everyone handled breaking with tradition so well. The Braintree-Milton game was one of the first to be rescheduled to Wednesday, only to be re-rescheduled to Thursday again. The Boston Herald's Danny Ventura said the people of Braintree didn't respond well to initial move.

Braintree Athletic Director Michael Denise did not immediately return a request for comment.

Thanksgiving Day football in Massachusetts goes back well over a century. Boston English and Boston Latin have played since 1887, and their Thanksgiving Day rivalry continues at Harvard Stadium Thursday. The Medford-Malden game is in its 131st year, one of the oldest continuous rivalries in America.

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, at least 15 games were rescheduled to Wednesday. Subscribe to your local Patch for the latest on your school's Thanksgiving game and other hyperlocal happenings.

Games rescheduled for Wednesday, as of 1 p.m.:

• Burncoat at Doherty, 3
• Newton South at Lincoln-Sudbury, 3:30
• Algonquin at Westborough, 5
• Dennis-Yarmouth at Nauset, 5
• Dracut at Methuen, 5
• North Andover at Andover, 5
• Uxbridge at Northbridge, 5
• Weston at Wayland, 5
• Melrose at Wakefield, 5:30
• Arlington Catholic at Arlington, 6
• Central Catholic at Lawrence, 6
• Fitchburg at Leominster, 6
• Gardner at Oakmont, 6
• Northeast Regional at Essex Tech, 6:30
• Greater New Bedford at Diman, 7

Photo by Mike Carraggi, Patch