Petitioners Want Toms River South-Lakewood Game Restored

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The decision to discontinue the Toms River South-Lakewood Thanksgiving rivalry football game after 98 years has been met with a variety of reactions.

Some are disappointed. Some are saying it's time to move on. Some, however, are not giving up without a fight: A petition has been started by a Toms River South alumnus seeking to get the game reinstated.

The decision to end the game, the longest-running Thanksgiving high school football rivalry in the Shore Conference, was first reported by the Asbury Park Press on Saturday, after the conference released the 2018 schedule on Friday night.

A realignment of the divisions and an adjustment for the additional round of playoffs left teams with eight scheduled regular-season games.

Nick Pizzulli, the Shore Conference president, told the Asbury Park Press that any school can request a Labor Day weekend game or a Thanksgiving Day game. Those who don't request those games had one crossover game. Toms River South chose the Toms River North matchup for that crossover.

Pizzulli told the Asbury Park Press that he would honor a request from Toms River South and Lakewood to schedule the game if they change their minds.

The response on social media has been mixed, but some of the most vocal comments have been from those who want to see the game continued. A petition started Monday evening had garnered nearly 300 signatures by late Monday night.

Renee Godino, a Toms River South graduate, started the petition after posting a lengthy commentary on the tradition of the game on a few Facebook pages.

"Traditions. There are some that are silly, some that are serious and some that bring people together and show their passion for local community. One of these traditions we celebrate here in Toms River is the annual Thanksgiving game against Lakewood. When I heard today that it was coming to an end I was stunned. Ok maybe it’s just a football game, maybe it affects playoffs and maybe we’re not in the same conference anymore but that’s not what it’s about," she wrote.

"I grew up in Beachwood and when you were a kid you saw the high school kids in their letterman jackets and you couldn’t wait to get there. You wanted to be a part of the Maroon and White, hear the voice of Mr. (Dave) Correll, Detweiler Stadium and the spirit that would come alive in the stands. Going to the Friday night games was incredible and the North/South game was the biggest game of the season, Godino wrote.

"But there was a tradition that meant more than that. Getting up early on Thanksgiving morning, table was set, turkey was cooking you put on your scarf, South hat and gloves and headed over to Detweiler to embrace the tradition you’ve known your whole life. Thanksgiving Football. It was the unspoken reunion every year. Even if you had to travel over to the Piners, the South contingent was strong and LOUD. When South played at home last, a bunch of us met up like old times, this time our kids in tow. Maybe the press box changed and the bleachers were new but the same feeling overtakes you. The bells, the voice of the Indian, the mascots, the mini footballs and the band. Seeing people you haven’t seen in years, cheering the old cheers and singing 'Old Indian Tom.' It’s no accident that Lakewood is in our school’s song," she wrote.

"It’s a long standing tradition that apparently the Shore Conference doesn’t care to honor. It’s about playoffs and scheduling and no longer about community. How can an Indian himself, head coach Signorino, say 'it's run its course'?"

"Instead of taking my kids again this year and having them sing the songs and understand that in this day and age where things are taken for granted and everything seems disposable the South/Lakewood Thanksgiving Day could continue, it won’t. The game will be a 'remember when,' something we will just talk about instead of holding onto. 98? Who stops at 98? I implore the powers that be to make a change," she wrote.

The petition can be found here.

Photo from the Toms River South-Lakewood Thanksgiving game in 2014 by Karen Wall, Patch staff