The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) has created a new proposal that could bring most Thanksgiving Day football games to an end.

The proposal – made by the state’s governing body for high school sports – suggests having nine regular-season games, as opposed to the current 10-game regular season. The proposal would also end the regular-season at an earlier date, and move Thanksgiving Day games to Columbus Day. Ansonia coach Tom Brockett opposes the possible change, and has been quoted in the press as saying “Play your Thanksgiving Day rival on Columbus Day? That’s like saying you’ll get some of your gifts for Christmas at Easter.”

The proposal would allow four more teams of each high school division (which are categorized by school enrollment numbers) into the CIAC Football Playoffs, and leave only the state championship games (in each division) scheduled for Thanksgiving week.

Not only would this proposal have a significant effect on high school football schedules across Connecticut, but it would also bring changes to the oldest high school rivalry in the country, potentially moving NFA and New London’s traditional Thanksgiving game to Columbus Day. NFA and New London are currently among thirty-six schools around the state that usually play on Thanksgiving Day. Though NFA and New London meeting on Thanksgiving Day only goes back as far as 2000, the rivalry was started in 1875, making it the oldest high school football rivalry in the country, spanning 148 years. 

This year’s NFA-New London Thanksgiving Matchup received the usual fan support, but interested parties left the game unsure what the next rivalry game would look like.

Jason Bakoulis, Head of NFA Physical Education Department, was the Head Coach of NFA Football from 2017 to 2021. He served a head coach, defensive coordinator, and positional coach for a combined 13 seasons at NFA, so he not only holds a strong passion for NFA itself but also for the rivalry. He also played for the NFA football team himself from 2000 to 2004. Bakoulis accepted his first coaching position, as a positional coach, after he graduated from Springfield College in 2008.

Bakoulis’ most memorable Thanksgiving game came in his junior year with the Wildcats, “We [NFA] needed to beat [New London] to have a perfect season…we needed to be able to make it to the playoffs,” said Bakoulis. The game was unlike any other in Bakoulis’ memory because it occurred in the midst of a snow storm, with piles of snow – removed from the playing surface – rising high into the air on the sidelines. Bakoulis recalls every tackle in that game feeling like “falling on an ice rink.” NFA went on to win the game and qualify for the state playoffs.

Though he is no longer coaching the NFA football team, Bakoulis continues to put in the work with the players, but at a lower amount than he did when he was the Head Coach. He still provides advice and is always going to support the team. “Out of respect for Coach [Erik] Larka…it’s his ship, his own show now. For me I still stay involved with those guys talking with them in class. We definitely talk about football, we talk about that game, we talk about anything they need. I am always there for them.”

Preparation for the future starts as soon as the off-season hits, and Bakoulis helps players to make the most out of the upcoming season by running strength and conditioning sessions. The NFA-New London rivalry is always circled on the calendar, bringing not only the NFA community together but also the Norwich community at large. 

Bakoulis doesn’t have a strong opinion on whether the game happens on Thanksgiving Day or is switched to a different day. He cares that the rivalry still happens so it can stand as a strong legacy for the community.

He feels that the game could be moved to another day (before Thanksgiving) without much of a problem, as Thanksgiving rivalry games in Eastern Connecticut are less common than they are for Western Connecticut schools. Teams from Western Connecticut usually play their rivalry games on Wednesday nights, as more people come out and show their support for the game. However, Eastern Connecticut schools like Waterford and East Lyme still hold their rivalry game on Thanksgiving Day.

The CIAC has not made their final decision on whether or not to continue games on Thanksgiving Day. The game will still be played on Thanksgiving Day until an executive decision is made by the CIAC.

Regardless if the CIAC passes this decision for the 2024 season, NFA versus New London rivalry will continue – it just might not be played on Thanksgiving Day. Whether the NFA versus New London rivalry game is played on Thanksgiving, Columbus Day, or some other day, the mentality will remain the same, Bakoulis said: “Beat ‘em!”