Football rivalries steeped in tradition across S. Jersey

At 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving, when many South Jersey residents are asleep, cafeteria workers at Haddonfield Memorial High School will be preparing breakfast for about 150 people - senior football players, marching band members, cheerleaders, the color guard, and their parents - before the showdown with longtime gridiron rival Haddon Heights.

Later, as his wife and children head to Philadelphia for the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Haddonfield band director Christopher Janney will be at his school's Stadium Field, where the band will perform at halftime before thousands of cheering fans.

Haddon Heights High band director Rob Renninger, in his 41st year at the school, will direct his group's pregame show and greet the band alumni, who seek him out each year to share memories.

There are often so many, "it's hard for me to get away after the game," Renninger said.

In dozens of South Jersey high schools, similar scenes take place as traditional rivalries play out on the field.

Attendance is not what it was decades ago, and some games - like Cherry Hill East vs. West and Camden Catholic vs. Paul VI - have switched to Thanksgiving Eve. But Turkey Day contests such as Haddonfield and Haddon Heights in Camden County, Burlington City at Palmyra in Burlington County, and Kingsway at Clearview in Gloucester County, still draw crowds and evoke strong emotions.

"This is the Super Bowl for these two teams," said Haddonfield athletic director Lefteris Banos. The rivalry, he said, dates to 1902.

Haddonfield and Heights "are playing not only for their coaches and themselves, they're playing for the uncles and cousins that played prior to them - and for their fathers and grandfathers," Banos said.

Plus, he added, "the turkey tastes better when you win the Thanksgiving game."

A host of people, from band parents to maintenance workers and referees, delay their holiday gatherings to help the games come off as planned. And tens of thousands come to watch and support their children, or reconnect with chums and teachers from their glory days.

Since 1959, except for two years in Vietnam, "I've always spent Thanksgiving at football games," Renninger said.

The rivalry between Palmyra and Burlington City goes back more than 100 years. Former Palmyra coach and athletic director Bud Maurer has witnessed a big chunk of that: From 1973 to 2010, he worked with the school's sports programs in various capacities.

"Win, lose, or draw, it's a great way to spend Thanksgiving," he said. "Pride is the name of the game."

This is the first time in three years that Clearview and Kingsway are scheduled to play on Thanksgiving. Clearview football coach Mark Deal won't have to leave the stadium to be with his family. His son, Zach, is on the team, daughter Marisa is a senior at the school, daughter Tiffany will be home from college, and wife Paula is president of the football boosters club. She will be staffing the concession stand or selling programs.

"It's fun to have the whole family there," Mark Deal said. "It has special meaning."

Paula Deal agreed: "We're a football family. It's been wonderful - it's brought us together."

Bob and Amy Stanton - she is president of the Clearview Band Parents group - also will man the concession stand, and watch their mellophone-player daughter Abby perform.

"We're really excited to be part of what she's doing, and the kids really appreciate" their parents' help with the band program, Amy Stanton said.

Mark Fanelli has officiated for 32 years. For most of the last 25 Thanksgivings, he's been a referee at the Haddon Heights-Haddonfield games.

"Some of the fans know us on a first-name basis," said Fanelli, whose regular job is as an insurance salesman. "It's a great, great place to be."

Since 1980, Robert Stagliano, a 1968 Heights graduate, has been the doctor for his alma mater's football team.

"I don't think I missed a game" since then, he said. "It's a commitment to the students who make the game happen."

After the final whistle, Stagliano said, players and fans from both sides gather on the field and, as a trophy is presented, they start to talk and the rivalry is put aside.

"They have different-color uniforms, but they suddenly realize that we're all Americans, we're all winners," he said. "It's always a memorable moment."