Thanksgiving week football is here!

We have reached one of the most fun, and most stressful weeks of the high school football season. It is Thanksgiving week, and many teams will take the field against a big rival in front of a good crowd in what will be the final game of the season.
It’s no different in the Route 69 area with several games happening on Wednesday and Thursday. Here’s a look at each of them:

WEDNESDAY
Sacred Heart/Kaynor Tech at Wilby, 6 p.m., Ray Snyder Sr. Field (Municipal Stadium), Waterbury
Records: Both 0-9 (0-3 NVL Brass)
What’s at stake: The first win of the season is up for grabs for both teams in the finale. SH/KT is looking for its first win over Wilby in four years. The last victory for the co-op came on Nov. 23, 39-34 at Snyder Field.
What happened last year: Wilby won 28-18 at Snyder Field on Nov. 29 in a game that was moved to Saturday due to inclement weather. 
SH/KT seniors (according to CIAC roster): Donald Streater, Rashaun Ivester, Jurrel Racine, Brennan Sanders, Trevi Alickolli, David Lavigne, Calvin Ferguson Jr., Adam Perrault, Fran Fahy, Brett Blanc, Ashunte McFadden,
Wilby seniors (according to CIAC roster): Malik Allen, Christopher Albert, Darrien Bell, Kyrie Thomas, Raymond Young, Abraham Padila, Angel Lauriano, Terrence Thomas, Richard Feliciano, Nestor Mejia-Giron, Daniel Spears, Marquez Ebron, Carlos Arroyo

Oxford at St. Paul, 6 p.m., McPhee Field at St. Paul Catholic High School, Bristol
Records: St. Paul 4-5 (0-3 NVL Copper), Oxford 3-6 (0-3 NVL Copper)
What’s at stake: The Falcons can achieve a .500 record for the third straight season with a win over the Wolverines. It’s the first time the game has been played at St. Paul after debuting at Oxford High School last year. A win would also be the first for the Falcons in the NVL Copper Division.
What happened last year: St. Paul won 35-13 on the turf of Wolverine Field to cap a 6-5 season. The Falcons won five of their last six games.
Keys to the game: If St. Paul can get its running game going, it could be a rough night for Oxford. The Falcons average 303.2 yards per game on the ground, led by a season total of 1,464 and 25 touchdowns from senior Ben Pryor. Transfer Pierce Piana has contributed 505 yards in just four games. If Oxford is to have a chance, it needs to slow down St. Paul’s rushing attack.
The Falcons must also limit the Wolverine run game, which is predicated on being balanced between several different ball carriers.
St. Paul seniors (according to CIAC roster): Manager Seamus Keane, Kyle DeForge, Wayne Sharp, Ben Pryor, Joseph Ricciuti, Alejandro Cervantes Segura, Chadd Richardson, Lucas McPhee, Sam McPhee, Alex Gentile

Crosby at Kennedy, 10 a.m., Ray Snyder Sr. Field (Municipal Stadium), Waterbury
Records: Both 3-6 overall, both 3-0 in the NVL Brass Division
What’s at stake: Simply put, a NVL Brass Division title. Both teams come into the contest with 3-0 records in a division. A win here means a title.
What happened last year: Kennedy won going away, 55-20 on Friday morning at Snyder Field. The game was played on Friday because of inclement weather.
Key to the game: Ball control is paramount for the Eagles, who will be trying to slow down a potent Bulldog attack. Junior quarterback Mike Marshall can throw the ball, and senior running back MC Henry has been good at running it. If Kennedy allows Crosby too many chances on offense, it could be a long day.
Crosby seniors (according to CIAC roster): Anastacio Acevedo, Emmanuel Camacho-Roman, Jermaine Coggins, Safet Daliposki, Jonathan Diaz, Rodney Eason, MC Henry, Aaron Hills, Devonte Hope, Blake Ireland, Wykeam Jackson, Matthew Jaffer, Isaiah Lilley, Alvin Lopes, James Maldonado, Anthony Mancini, Jovani Mercado-Rios, Troy Nixon, Leonard Ortiz, Jonathan Serrano
Kennedy seniors (according to CIAC roster): Jose Cardona, Jordan Crosby-Williams, Christian Curry, Bryan Garcia-Medina, Justin Gopie, Al Jean-Baptiste, Jameel Norwood, Joshua Rivera

Holy Cross at Wolcott, 10:30 a.m. at Joe Monroe Field, Wolcott
Records: Wolcott 6-3, Holy Cross 2-7
What’s at stake: The host Eagles want to end their season on a positive note after being eliminated from the Class S state playoff picture following back-to-back losses to Seymour and Ansonia.
The same goes for the Crusaders, who have had a rough season. Holy Cross has lost six straight games.
It has been a much rougher season of late off the field for the Crusaders. They lost a teammate, a classmate and a friend when Hunter Albee passed away at his home on Nov. 16. Albee was a senior on the football team and was just 17 years old. Here is a moving tribute to Albee by two of his classmates.
For Holy Cross, there’s much more going on right now than football. If anything, the game could prove to be a good distraction for the Crusaders during a time of unimaginable grief.
What happened last year: Wolcott won 28-21 at Snyder Field on its way to the Class M-Small Division playoffs. The Eagles were eliminated in the semifinals by Ledyard.
Keys to the game: The last three games have been tough for the Wolcott defense. The Eagles must not let a struggling Crusader offense gain any momentum in this game.
For Holy Cross, it’s attempting to slow down Wolcott’s attack. The Eagles have run the ball very well at times this season with senior Nate Filippone (89 rushes, 1,048 yards, 14 TD) behind a strong offensive line. Wolcott is sure to try to establish the run again. Also look out for senior quarterback Rocky Griffin, who has been efficient this season when he has been asked to throw the ball (60.7 percent completions, 1,442 yards, 16 TD, 4 INT).
Holy Cross seniors (according to CIAC roster): Justin Witherspoon, Zach Mason, Ryan Pierce, Andrew Dzinski, Austin Callaway, Nick Lomando, Aaron Velasquez, Tyler Cremin, Jonathan Buscarello, Mason Wickline, Jeff Nobrega
Wolcott seniors (according to CIAC roster): Jacob Ramos, Anthony Mennillo, Damon Stefko, Robert “Rocky” Griffin, Jacob Gabriel, Brad Grasso, Nate Fillipone, Matthew DeFazio, Christopher Giuggio, Alexander Tapley, Jase Trelli, Phil Olmstead, Robert Pisani, Brendan Brown, Kyle Dunn, Cole Phelps, Christopher Spring, Justin Nadeau, Ryan Pawlak, Christopher Maisto, Brandon Romano

Bristol Central at Bristol Eastern, 10:30 a.m., Muzzy Field, Bristol
Records: Bristol Central 6-3 (2-2 CCC Division II-West), Bristol Eastern 1-8 (1-3 CCC Division II-West)
What’s at stake: A second straight 7-3 season for the Rams. A win would also be for the first for Central over Eastern since 2005. After tying at 14-14 in 2006, the Lancers have claimed victory in the last eight meetings. The Rams lead the all-time series 31-23-2.
What happened last year: Eastern won 20-18 in a game played Saturday because of inclement weather during the week. It was the final game for Lancer head coach Mike Archangelo.
Keys to the game: The Rams need to stop the double-wing offense of the Lancers, but also be weary of trick plays. Eastern has run a few for some huge gains this season.
For Eastern, it’s slow down whatever combination of Noah Cruz/Isaiah Miller and Luis Medina that Central throws at it. Miller has stepped in for Cruz at quarterback while the senior has dealt with an injury, and the sophomore has acquitted himself pretty well. Medina is a a threat to put up a big game as well.
Emotions always run high in this game. Central wants to end its long losing streak to Eastern, but it must keeps its emotions in check, play its game, and avoid costly penalties and turnovers.
Bristol Central seniors (according to Central Connecticut Conference website roster): Denzel Davis, J.J. Quiles, Noah Cruz, Tyshaun Rodriguez, Shane Oxton, Kesean Milward, Deion Francis, Josh Moxam, Kevin Hanning, Krzysztof Nizielski, Brandon Serrano, Tyler Boi, Brad Burney
Bristol Eastern seniors (according to CCC website roster): Willie Bonaparte, Anthony Circosta, Joey Colangelo, Dante Collins, Ronte Cooper, Josh DiMattia, Alex Hunter, Riley Mason, Garrett McCarthy, Reese McGowan, Josh O’Keefe, Danny Portal, Luis Rivera, Kerion Rogers, Josh Sampson, Darieyn Tate, Zach Thompson