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Roberta Romano admitted the offer was tempting.

Her sisters are hosting a family Thanksgiving party in Florida today.

They’re going to celebrate their mother’s birthday. The weather in Florida should be sunny and warm.

But Romano would miss her son, Bob, playing for the Vineland High School football team against Millville in those schools’ annual Thanksgiving rivalry game.

“I was torn,” she said.

In the end, football won out. Roberta planned to be at Millville’s Wheaton Field for the 10:30 a.m. kickoff.

The Thanksgiving plans of the Romanos and many other fans revolve around high school football. Bob is the fourth Romano boy to suit up for Vineland in the game. His older brothers, Ross (a 2005 graduate), Rex (2007) and Frank (2009), also played.

“I didn’t want to see the game on tape,” Roberta said. “You want to see it live.”

Today’s Thanksgiving games are steeped in history. Grandsons play for the same teams against the same opponents their grandfathers did.

Millville and Vineland first met in 1893. The rivalry is the nation’s 12th oldest. Atlantic City and Holy Spirit, Atlantic County’s oldest rivalry, began playing in 1926. Ocean City and Pleasantville first faced each other in 1917. Newer rivalries, such as Oakcrest vs. Absegami and Mainland Regional vs. Egg Harbor Township, don’t lack for intensity.

These games are seasons unto themselves. For many fans, these are the only contests they attend all year.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re 9-0 or 0-9, you really want to beat Millville,” said Bob Romano, a junior Vineland wide receiver.

Bob Romano got his first taste of Thanksgiving football when he served as the Vineland water boy in the sixth grade. He wore a Fighting Clan jersey and hustled water out to the team during timeouts.

“There was a lot more people there than on a normal Friday night game,” he said.

Plenty of people who don’t even have connections to the current teams attend the games.

Richard Young, 62, has been to 38 straight Atlantic City vs. Holy Spirit contests.

“I take claim to the title,” Young said. “Nobody has been to more games in a row than me.”

The Absecon resident wouldn’t think of missing a game.

“The streak is on now,” he said.

Young graduated from Atlantic City in 1965. His wife, Chrissie, graduated from Holy Spirit in 1967. His children, Chrissie McColl, 34, and Kevin, 32, also graduated from Holy Spirit.

Young doesn’t care who goes to the games with him. He’s gone with his own children, his grandchildren and even by himself. His wife is home preparing Thanksgiving dinner.

Whom does he root for, since his family has been involved with both Atlantic City and Holy Spirit?

“I claim loyalty to the team that’s in front at the end,” he said. “I’m the ultimate front runner.”

In addition to an exciting game, Thanksgiving contests are also social occasions. Today is homecoming for Atlantic City and Holy Spirit.

“You see people you haven’t seen all year,” Young said, “and you see people you haven’t seen in years.”

The games are also the culmination of a week of activities at most schools. Roberta and the rest of the Vineland football boosters held a team dinner for the Fighting Clan on Monday.

Vineland and Mainland Regional were scheduled to hold bonfires Wednesday night. Just about every school held a pep rally Wednesday.

These activities can make it tough for families of players to find time to purchase a turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pumpkin pie and the other essentials of a Thanksgiving dinner.

Roberta says she’s lucky because her sister-in-law takes care of that. But even then dinner must wait until after the game is played.

“We eat later in the day because of football,” Roberta said. “We have to give the football player time to come home, shower and get ready.”

Most high school football teams play 10 games in a season. Most of those contests fade from memory as time goes on.

But today’s games are the ones players remember. They are lining up against opponents from neighboring towns or even friends they grew up with.

Thirty years from now, they’ll bump into each other in the same restaurant.

“This for bragging rights for life,” Young said. “I still know people still talking about the 1965 Atlantic City vs. Holy Spirit game.”

By the way, Atlantic City won that contest 21-12.

Contact Michael McGarry:

609-272-7185

MMcGarry@pressofac.com

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