High school football tradition, pride tied to Thanksgiving practice, Black Friday games

Tomorrow is one of the most celebrated holidays in our nation, and a day that we’ll all gather with friends and family to give thanks for all the that we have. Like images from a Norman Rockwell painting, Thanksgiving celebrations are woven deep into the fabric of Americana, and the memories made with one another are cherished for a lifetime.

If you follow my weekly column, you’ll know that I always like to write about traditions. It’s often those age-old traditions that help pass down stories from our older generations to our younger ones.

It’s also those traditions that bond us and bring us closer together as family, friends, and neighbors, and it’s the glue that keeps communities together.

Just like the Thanksgiving holiday, nothing is more American in small-town communities than high school football. It’s more than just a sport played between young boys on the local gridiron, at its core, it is a vehicle that brings families, communities, and everyone together to cheer for a common cause.

Realizing goals

You can ask anyone associated with the game, whether it is players, coaches, students, or fans, but back in August, everyone had the goal of advancing to the state championship games and hanging a banner in the gymnasium.

Championships are always the ultimate goal of any school, but they are almost always the most unrealistic, and most unattainable as well. Not only do you have to be immensely talented as a team, but the ball also must bounce your way, and sometimes luck and untimely turnovers play a large role in it.

However, in the eyes of most coaches, the true definition of a successful season is being able to practice on Thanksgiving morning. As a former coach who was able to participate in two of these practices, I can attest that it is among the most special feelings that you’ll ever experience as a coach.

This week, 32 teams across the state will have that opportunity to not only practice on Thanksgiving, but to advance one step closer in their quest to hoist a state championship trophy.

In talking with coaches across the state this week, the underlying tone of the conversations was thankfulness and appreciation for the moment.

Reidsville tradition

In Reidsville, the Football Capital of North Carolina, a team and town that is no stranger to deep playoff runs, the community always gets excited about Thanksgiving practices and comes out in large numbers to support their team.

Friday night they’ll travel to Shelby in a game that pits the two most successful programs in state history against one another for the right to advance to the 2A West regional finals.

“Thanksgiving is the one traditional holiday that involves football, and it’s a blessing to be involved in it,” says Reidsville head football coach Jim Teauge. “It’s become a special event for our local community, every year at 9:00 a.m., folks come out with their coffee, a biscuit, and come to the morning practice to support our players.”

Known for their passion and support of the Reidsville football team, the game on Friday is expected to be among the biggest all season in the state and the fans are eager to make the near three-hour trip to Cleveland County.

“We’re excited about the matchup, they (Shelby) do a great job through the course of the year and are a great program,” Teague adds. “It’s a big deal for our fans, it’s Shelby-Reidsville, it’s a big rivalry between the two towns.”

Wake County matchups

Over in Raleigh, Cardinal Gibbons has weathered the storm of some of the fiercest competition in the state. The Crusaders played a very aggressive schedule and was able to contain one of the best running backs in state history in Omarion Hampton when they escaped Cleveland with a 29-21 victory.

When I asked head coach Steven Wright about how he feels about practicing on one of the biggest holidays of the year, he had a huge feeling of appreciation and respect for the moment.

“It’s an absolute privilege (To coach on Thanksgiving),” he states. “I think everybody sets the goal in some form or fashion to be practicing that morning, it means you’ve had quite a special season.”

His team will go through a short practice in the morning in preparation for their upcoming game against a tough Panther Creek team on Friday.

“We practice in the morning to knock it out so the kids can be with family and friends on Thanksgiving Day,” he says. “We don’t want to interrupt those activities too much, we try to keep our practice as quick as possible.

Cardinal Gibbons isn’t the only team in Wake County who is excited about the opportunity to practice on Thanksgiving morning.

After knocking off three higher seeded teams in a row, including an epic 54-48 overtime win over Millbrook on Friday, Rolesville will also be preparing for yet another big game this week.

“If you’re practicing on Thanksgiving, you’ve had a good year,” said Rolesville head football coach Martin Samek as his Rams prepare to battle with Leesville Road on Friday, a team that is steamrolling through the playoffs to this point.

Around the state

Statesville head coach Randall Gusler is excited about his opportunity on Friday as his team prepares to take on Greensboro Dudley, the top 3A team in the state.

“We’ve always told our kids in my 16 years at Statesville that our goal is to be playing the week of Thanksgiving,” says the veteran head coach. “If you’ve done that, it means that you’ve had a great year. That’s something that we’ve instilled in our players.”

By virtue of the higher seed, the Greyhounds will host Dudley in what could be one of the best games of the week.

Well, that’s about all the time I have with you this week, but there is no question that we’ve reached the critical point of the playoffs where every game is important, and when you make it this far, every team is very good and it’s often hard to predict a winner.

It doesn’t matter whether you are in the mountains, the Piedmont, or the coastal plains this week, there is fantastic football being played across the state this Friday so be sure to go out and support these student athletes and coaches as they try to take one step closer towards the goal of a state championship.

This story was originally published November 24, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "High school football tradition, pride tied to Thanksgiving practice, Black Friday games."