Desire To Start Winter Sports May Cancel T-Giving Football Game

The Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pa.), Joby Fawcett

http://thetimes-tribune.com/sports/h-s-football-thanksgiving-day-game-on-verge-of-being-canceled-1.1364730

Playing the Battle for the Bell on Thanksgiving may not happen now or any time soon.

After a meeting of the athletic and stadium council, the Scranton School Board members said they would likely cancel this year’s scheduled game, and may not visit the idea again.

A formal vote will be taken next week at the board’s regular monthly meeting.

“Parents came to me, players came to me, coaches came to me all expressing concern,” Scranton athletic director Ted Anderson said. “If they all come to me and express those views, even if I am 100 percent for it, I have to represent what they want.

“It was easy in this case because they were all against playing the game.”

Having the rivalry played on Thanksgiving was an attempt to bring back holiday football in the city. For years Scranton Central and Scranton Technical High Schools played, but that tradition ended in 1988.

There were several factors that had come to the forefront over the last eight months opposing the game.

Parents cited player safety and the possible long layoff between the final day of the regular season on Nov. 2 to the holiday game on Nov. 22.

Players expressed a desire to start their winter sports seasons. Official practice for those sports begin Nov. 16.

And the two teams are scheduled to play once in Week 6 of the regular season as part of the Lackawanna Football Conference schedule.

“Many of the seniors wanted to move on to the next sport,” West Scranton athletic director Rick Bresser said. “That would hurt your team and that could result in a junior varsity football game on Thanksgiving.

“Both players and parents approached me and did not want to play it. A lot of it was that they didn’t want to play it twice.”

In December, the board voted unanimously to the Battle for the Bell on Thanksgiving at Scranton Memorial Stadium after a push from then-West Scranton athletic director George Roskos.

At that time, the board required that different opponents within an hour and a half of travel time had to be found to replace the Week 6 league game. If not, the teams would play both that week and on Thanksgiving.

Despite efforts to find different opponents, the Lackawanna Interscholastic Athletic Association required the teams play in Week 6, forcing the game to be played twice.

“I support the decision that I expect the board to make next Tuesday,” Roskos said. “For West Scranton and Scranton to play twice in the same year would be anti-climactic.

“Looking toward 2014, I think the school district and the community could benefit from having the Bell game on Thanksgiving Day.”