The annual Pennridge-Quakertown and Bristol-Morrisville matchups are the last two remaining Thanksgiving Day football games in Bucks County and Eastern Montgomery County.
There were three until five years ago as Hatboro-Horsham and Upper Moreland, whose rivalry began in 1935, played on Turkey Day through the 2019 holiday.
But the game between Bristol and Morrisville, who have been playing on Thanksgiving Day since 1928, won’t happen this year due to Morrisville being down to 13 or 14 available players. As a result, the Bulldogs are forfeiting.
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The Warriors hold a 59-33-2 advantage and Bristol has won the last 24 meetings (21 on Thanksgiving) between the two Bicentennial Athletic League rivals. Bristol (9-2) topped 9-4 Morrisville 25-14 during the regular season.
Pennridge and Quakertown started playing on Thanksgiving in 1930, when Pennridge was known as Sell-Perk.
Here is a closer look at this year’s Pennridge-Quakertown clash:
Pennridge leads the all-time series 58-31-5, though head coach George Banas and Quakertown have won the past three contests.
The Panthers are led by senior receivers Aiden Burgy and Matt Thomas. Burgy has 48 catches for 886 yards and a school-record 14 TDs, while Thomas has 46 receptions for 603 yards. Junior quarterback Brady Martin set single-season school records for completions (144) and passing yardage (1,929). Senior running back Gavin Carroll has rushed for 693 yards on 118 attempts with 10 touchdowns.
Junior linebacker Jackson Connelly leads the Quakertown defense with 66 tackles, including 13 for loss. Carroll is next at 61 tackles, 14 of them for loss to give him the school career record with 41 tackles for loss. Junior defensive tackle William Bowen and Connelly share the team lead with four sacks apiece. Martin has a team-high four interceptions.
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Banas can become the winningest Panthers coach on Thanksgiving with a victory Thursday, which would be his sixth. He is 5-9 going into the game, tying him with Joe Musso (5-0-1 from 1946-51) for the most wins. Pennridge’s Wayne Helman (18-8 from 1955-80) is the rivalry’s all-time leader. Banas is also the second Quakertown coach to win three in a row on Turkey Day (2021-23), joining Musso (five straight from 1947-51).
Second-year head coach Kyle Beller and the Rams feature junior running back William Dougherty (113 carries for 531 yards, five touchdowns), senior receiver Chase Marshall (35 catches for 361 yards and four TDs) and junior quarterback Noah Keating (99 of 168 passing for 1,093 yards, with 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions) on offense. Keating will be starting his third Thanksgiving game at QB.
Senior linebacker Trevor Fuhs (98 tackles, 17 for loss), junior LB Ryan Rowe (91 tackles, 8.5 for loss) and sophomore linebacker Brady Blomgren (62 tackles) lead the Pennridge defense. Dougerty, a linebacker, has a team-best 2.5 sacks and senior lineman Andrew Vollberg leads the Rams with three fumble recoveries.
Quakertown shared the Suburban One League Liberty Division title with Souderton and Upper Dublin, each of whom finished 6-1 in divisional play. The Panthers (6-5) qualified for the District One Class 6A playoffs, falling to Haverford in the opening round.
Pennridge went 4-6, highlighted by an 18-13 victory over district qualifier Pennsbury. The Rams were 2-5 in the SOL National, which produced three of the final four teams in 6A districts (finalist North Penn, top seed Central Bucks South and Central Bucks West).
To watch the game online Thursday, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=093QpfBp_hM.
Test your Pennridge-Quakertown history:Take your best shot at football questions on Thanksgiving Day game (for subscribers)
Last Quakertown win: 2023 (22-7)
Last Pennridge win: 2020 (21-14)
Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly is a sports columnist forPhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.
