Happy Thanksgiving.
This is one of those holidays steeped in tradition where you tend to do the same thing year after year and for the 33rd straight year I will be covering a high school football game. For the 22nd time it's the Northampton-Catasauqua game, but for the first time it's at Muhlenberg College.
And while I was just seven years old the last time the Konkrete Kids and Rough Riders played at Muhlenberg in 1968 and can't really remember whether I was at one of these games as I kid, I know my grandmother (Northampton, Class of 1934) definitely attended some games at Muhlenberg as did some of my other family members. So, there's a nostalgic boost to help get me through this very cold morning.
I list the games I've covered below and realize that clearly Northampton-Catty has become my tradition and while most of the buzz on this day is generated on College Hill in Easton, I am fine with doing this series. A couple of years ago, I thought that perhaps the rivalry could be nearing an end because of Northampton's dominance, but that perception has certainly changed in the last two years.
One thing to note is that my wife went with me to the first Thanksgiving game I covered at Upper Perk. That's when we were dating and students at Penn State. I was actually not an employee of The Morning Call at that point (the only nine-month period since Sept. 1979 that I wasn't an employee). But then sports editor Paul Reinhard used me as a freelancer while I was home on my break from Penn State.
By the time the next Thanksgiving rolled around, we were married and you know how things change when you're married. She has never gone to another Thanksgiving Day game with me, at least not that I can remember, although she does still go along on some of the longer trips I make to cover Lehigh, like the Colgate trip two weeks ago.
Here's my list:
1981 -- Souderton 34, Upper Perk 21.
1982: Souderton 7, Upper Perk 6.
1983: Pennridge 20, Quakertown 0.
1984: Catasauqua 21, Northampton 7
1985: Dieruff 12, Allen 0.
1986: Dieruff 12, Allen 6.
1987: Allen 9, Dieruff 7
1988: Allen 8, Dieruff 7
1989: Dieruff 14, Allen 6
1990: Allen 21, Dieruff 0
1991: Catasauqua 35, Northampton 7
1992: Emmaus 14, Whitehall 6
1993: Northampton 26, Catasauqua 13.
1994: Northampton 17, Catasauqua 7.
1995: Catasauqua 35, Northampton 0
1996: Catasauqua 19, Northampton 14
1997: Northampton 24, Catasauqua 6
1998: Northampton 41, Catasauqua 0
1999: Northampton 35, Catasauqua 13
2000: Catasauqua 28, Northampton 19
2001: Northampton 18, Catasauqua 12 (OT)
2002: Catasauqua 21, Northampton 6
2003: Northampton 34, Catasauqua 7
2004: Northampton 22, Catasauqua 6
2005: Northampton 21, Catasauqua 13
2006: Easton 21, Phillipsburg 7
2007: Northampton 41, Catasauqua 7
2008: Northampton 19, Catasauqua 0
2009: Northampton 28, Catasauqua 7
2010: Northampton 22, Catasauqua 17
2011: Catasauqua 20, Northampton 6
2012: Catasauqua 52, Northampton 21
As for predicting the games, I was 3-0 with the playoff predictions last weekend, bringing my record to 197-54 on the season.
Now today's predictions:
Catasauqua 48, Northampton 28 -- A lot of speculation about how Catty will approach this one. There's no doubt in my mind that the Roughies will go all-out even with Imhotep two days away, and there's no doubt that they will score a lot against a beleaguered Northampton defense. The K-Kids will score, too, but Catty will take advantage of the sure footing on the artificial turf at Scotty Wood Stadium and keep scoring thanks to their speed advantage.
Phillipsburg 27, Easton 21 -- The Red Rovers were embarrassed at Parkland last week and they will rebound with a lot of pride. But the Stateliners are on a roll.
Stroudsburg 20, ES South 17 -- Like Easton, South didn't look very good in its last outing, a 31-0 blanking by Easton. So, the Cavaliers will be playing for pride as much as anything else. The Mounties feel they should have won the first meeting between these two when quarterback Mike Nikorak wasn't healthy. Stroudsburg gets a chance to prove that even though it didn't three-peat as league champs, it's still a top program in the Mountain Valley Conference.
Pennridge 19, Quakertown 14 -- A pair of 7-4 teams, but teams seemingly headed in different directions. The Rams began 4-0, but went 3-4 over their last seven. The Panthers won three, lost four and then came back with four more wins. Neither has played in a long time, so this a version of the Hunger Games where the more motivated team will come out on top. Still think Pennridge has the better resume.
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