As the HS season has gotten longer, and playoffs going later, the tradition of Thanksgiving Day Turkey Bowl games have gone away. This is where I respect the CHSFL. They seem to really care about these rivalries, and as they have gone out of fashion for other programs, the CHSFL keeps them going. 

Historically, Iona Prep and Archbishop Stepinac would have Turkey Bowl Games. Iona Prep would face off against New Rochelle High School, and Archbishop Stepinac would face off against White Plains High School, which would be a good barometer at how the Catholic schools match up with Section 1 in Westchester. When this game was occurring, Iona and Stepinac were in different levels as well, so you could really gauge how good the AAA and AA was by looking at these games. There is also the community building, as Iona is located in New Rochelle, and Stepinac is located in White Plains. 

These games were discontinued due to the NY State Public School Championships being extended into December, and the fact that Stepinac opted to compete for the NY Catholic State title instead, very reasonable. 

The two games that are untouchable are the game between Fordham Prep and Xavier, and the game between Mount Saint Michael and Cardinal Hayes. Both games are non-negotiable for the CHSFL, and they have rearranged playoff schedules, adjusted seedings, and even last year, Cardinal Hayes pushed back the State Championship to accommodate their game against Mount. 

I will do a little synopsis of the rivalries up to this point, as well as providing context for both matchups. The two turkey bowls are old matchups, each having taken place for decades, and are mainstays for each school community. Now, onto the games:

Xavier vs Fordham Prep; This is the 101st edition of this game, with Fordham holding a 55-41-4 lead over Xavier. Last year, in the 100th game, played at Rose Hill in the Bronx, Fordham held on to win 21-14 off a goal line stand. The game propelled the Rams to a 6-5 finish, where it dropped Xavier to 7-5. The win last year is Fordham Prep’s 3rd win in a row, and 6th win in the past 7 meetings. In fact, the Rams really dominated this rivalry since 1990, with a 22-11 record from 1990 on. 

This year? The Rams travel to Floyd Bennett Field (Aviator) in Brooklyn to take on the Knights. Fordham has a good passing attack, and throwing at Aviator is no easy task. Xavier should come in, with their single wing attack and have the advantage. The weather forecast is for a lot of rain, which gives another advantage to the Knights. As someone who attends this game every year, I do not see Xavier winning until they abandon the Single Wing. Fordham Prep has it figured out, and they are too talented not to score 20+ points. I think Fordham Prep takes the Turkey Bowl for the 4th time in a row.

Mount Saint Michael vs Cardinal Hayes; This is the 81st edition of this game. I am unsure of the series record (I reached out to both schools before I started this blog), but I am pretty sure that Mount has the lead, maybe not as commanding anymore. The game is always held at Mount Saint Michael, at least for as long as I have been following it. For those of you too young, Mount Saint Michael used to be a perennial AAA powerhouse that competed for the title, and would beat down Cardinal Hayes. The Mount won 28 straight until Cardinal Hayes finally broke through and won 39-34 in 2008. Mount won from 2009-2012. In that time, Mount’s position in the AAA waned, and Cardinal Hayes improved. It really wasn’t until 2013 that Cardinal Hayes turned it around, becoming a AAA powerhouse. Cardinal Hayes has won every game since winning in 2013, with an average score of 39.8-13.8. 

With a new coach, Mount seems determined to climb back to a higher level of football, but I don’t see this game as particularly competitive this year. Cardinal Hayes should win their 11th in a row quite comfortably.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!