Annual Football Luncheon

Our program featured the annual Thanksgiving Day Football Kickoff. The Rovers and Stateliners will play for the 118th time at Fisher Field on the Lafayette College campus. The winner will receive the Terry Pundiak-crafted Rotary Trophy. The series began in 1905 and is the country’s oldest interstate Thanksgiving Day rivalry. The 1988 contest was the first game to be featured on a national broadcast.

Easton Head Coach Matt Seneca is feeling more comfortable in his third year. He understands now when people say from the outside looking in, you can’t understand the tradition, and from the inside looking out you can’t explain it. The actual game is only part of the traditions that have come down through the generations. Turkey week is a busy time featuring dinners, pep rallies, powder puff football, and house decorating. The cheerleaders have food drives and the food collected is distributed to families from the opposing town.

The players were urged to take a moment and appreciate the atmosphere as they step onto the field. The memories will last a lifetime and the tradition bridges the gap between past and current generations. Perhaps the best example is the emptiness  that was felt in 2020 when COVID wiped out the game. Sometimes things aren’t truly appreciated until they are gone. Thanksgiving Day football is disappearing in many areas but Easton vs. Phillipsburg is alive and well.