Absegami, Oakcrest Continue Thanksgiving Day Rivalry

Thanksgiving Day football is a time for alumni to reunite before, during and after the game.

Parents, friends and former students will tailgate hours before the game on Thursday to catch up, celebrate and socialize for the holiday.

For the Braves' football players, it's simply about beating district rival Oakcrest.

The rivalry continues 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 24 in Galloway with the winner playing for the Joe Mohr Trophy, bragging rights, and the lead in the all-time series.

Oakcrest won last year’s meeting, 14-13, to even the series at 17-17. The Braves (4-5) plan on registering win No. 18 over the Falcons (5-4) on Thursday.

"It means a lot to me because the season didn't go as planned and my whole career has been about beating Oakcrest," Absegami senior lineman Mike Ottaviano said. "Last year they beat us and I felt so horrible after that game I can't imagine how it will feel if it happens again. It means a whole lot."

Absegami enters the game on a two-game losing streak including a loss to Cherokee on Nov. 11, and Oakcrest is coming off a playoff loss to Moorestown on the same night.

Both teams are expecting an inspired performance on Thursday to end the season with a win. The seniors want a win to end their careers with a feeling of accomplishment.

"The key for us is to play to our potential and not take any plays off," Ottaviano said. "When we play as good as we can play we are hard to stop. Sometimes we have taken plays off and we can't do that. All the players have to play better, including me, and come out with a victory."

Absegami will rely on running backs Tyler Bing and David Hood, who both rushed for more than 150 yards against Cherokee.

"It's fun blocking for them," Ottaviano said. "Sometimes you don't even know where they are and that helps us block until the whistle blows. They will sprint one way and then come out of nowhere and make plays. They run hard and it makes it a lot of fun, especially when we score."

The Falcons' defense poses plenty of problems, especially since they play a 3-5 defense. Absegami hasn't played that type of defense since the Holy Spirit game in early September.

"Offensively we have done a good job moving the ball," Absegami coach Dennis Scuderi Jr. said. "We have to make sure we are assimilated to the 3-5. We have to use some misdirection and get them out of space and let our backs create. They have the ability to make plays and they need to continue to do that.

On defense, the Braves will have to stop running back Brandon Bell and quarterback Dan Smith. The Falcons like to throw more than they have in the past.

Bell is a bruising running back who sets up the pass.

"We have to limit the amount of mistakes and play a sound game defensively," Scuderi said.

"Everybody has to know their adjustments," Absegami senior Nate Ross said. "It's the seniors' last game and we want it to make it our best game."