By Michael Letendre
Records are made to be broken.
And that’s especially true when it comes to Thanksgiving Day football from Muzzy Field – pitting Bristol Central against Bristol Eastern.
Tremendous athletes have sprinted up and down the historic venue at Muzzy and some of the records captured during the Battle for the Bell in Bristol have stood for decades.
What’s going to happen this time around in 2021?
Will Central’s Victor Rosa or Eastern’s Alex Marshall establish a new record or two?
Will the Rams win for the ninth consecutive time on their way to the Class L playoffs?
And who will step up to ring the brass bell by the completion of the contest?
Here’s a special look – via the Bristol Central website – of all the Thanksgiving Day records from the historic Battle for the Bell:
Thanksgiving Game Day Records: Individual
Most touchdowns – 5, Tim Washington (Bristol Central), 2000 & Victor Rosa (Bristol Central), 2019
*Washington made scoring runs of 40, 2, 4, 11 and 69 yards in the victory over Eastern. He ended the season tied for the state record in touchdowns scored in a single season with 42.
And then Rosa matched that feat in 2019 in the overtime win over the Lancers.
Most yards rushing – 353 yards, Tim Washington (Bristol Central), 2000
*Washington ended the year with 3,005 yards, a new state record.
Most yards passing – 308 yards, Dennis Schermerhorn (Bristol Eastern), 1970
*That season, the Central Connecticut State University bound Schermerhorn threw for over 1,700 yards for Eastern.
Most pass receptions – 8, Rick Schmaltz (Bristol Eastern), 1970 & Elijah Gagliardo (Bristol Eastern), 2017
*Schmaltz gathered up 161 yards off those eight catches and scored a touchdown.
*Gagliardo matched that same feat 47 years later.
Most receiving yards – 161 yards, Rick Schmaltz (Bristol Eastern), 1970
*Once again, Schmaltz caught those eight receptions for 161 yards.
Most TD passes – 3, Dennis Schermerhorn (Bristol Eastern), 1969 and 1970
*Eastern won those games by a combined 59-28 score, seizing victory in back-to-back campaigns.
Longest run from scrimmage – 87 yards, Gregg Vontell (Bristol Central), 1982
*The halfback made his historic rush in the second quarter; Vontell scored three times that day over runs of 87, 80 and 24 yards. Overall, he scooped up 235 yards on 20 carries for a big day.
Longest pass completion – 82 yards, Kiernan Thurston (Bristol Central) from Marvin Fitzpatrick, 1988
*The actual record was broken twice that day. Earlier in the contest, Fitzpatrick found John Laviero for an 81-yard reception. Records, obviously, are made to be broken.
Longest fumble return – 70 yards, Edgar Hernandez (Bristol Eastern), 2016
*Hernandez broke the old record held by Eastern’s Reinaldo Soto from 1996. He returned a fumble recovery for 65 yards.
Longest kick return – 95 yards, Garry Pearson (Bristol Central), 1977
*Central won the game 24-21 as Pearson, the former Bristol Eastern standout, accounted for 230 yards on the ground for the Rams on 36 carries.
Longest punt return – 64 yards, Ron Davis (Bristol Central), 2000
*Eastern’s Mel Davis dropped in a tremendous 40-yard punt, but Ronny Davis ran it in for a touchdown.
Longest return of interception – 95 yards, Jere Merriam (Bristol Central), 1984
*Merriam nabbed a pass by Eastern’s Julio Maisonet and ran it in for the game’s third score of the day. From 1975 through 1984, Central went undefeated against Eastern on T-Day.
Best pass percentage – 87.5 percent, Mike Hannon (Bristol Eastern), 1964
*Hannon connected on 7-of-8 passes for 87 yards in the 21-0 victory over Central. It was the Lancers second ever victory over the Rams.
Most pass completions – 20, Matt Coyne (Bristol Central), 2007
*Coyne tossed 38 attempts that day but the Rams still lost, 42-14 – a score that was predicted on the money by then Bristol Press correspondent Michael Letendre (boy, that guy has been around…).
Most carries – 43 rushes, Jeff Castolene (Bristol Central), 1971
*Castolene zipped in 153 yards and four TDs to help the Rams secure the victory. He had 1,223 yards on the year to go along with 10 touchdowns.
Longest punt – 60 yards, Gene Mitchell (Bristol Central), 1981
*For the day, the Rams averaged 44 yards-per-punt in the 13-8 win over Eastern
Best punt average – 4-for-50, Dave Cichon (Bristol Eastern), 1965
*Cichon zipped out kicks of 46, 55, 57 and 42 yards (which adds up to 50 yards-per-punt)
Most extra points – 6 PATs, Chris Hazelton (Bristol Eastern), 2007
*The future Southern Connecticut University kicker went 6-for-6 on the day for the Lancers. In 2011, Hazelton kicked in 10-of-14 field goals for Southern Connecticut State University football program – tied for second all-time in program history.
Most field goals – 1, Bill Woods (Bristol Eastern), 1996, Jeremy Meccariello (Bristol Eastern), 2012
*The Woods field goal was a 22 yard make, the first in Turkey Day history, while Meccariello’s boot was a 25-yard shot – the longest on Thanksgiving.
Longest field goal – 25, Jeremy Meccariello (Bristol Eastern), 2012
*See above. The kicker managed to go 3-for-4 on attempts the following year.
Most interceptions – 3, Gordon Sargent (Bristol Eastern), 1963
*Fun fact: Sargent also ran in a 79-yard kickoff return for a score as Eastern won by a 16-0 tally – the program’s first ever victory on Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Day, Single Game Records:
Most points – 46 (Bristol Eastern), 2009
*Tyrell Holmes scored 18 points in the second half to lead the Lancers over a 46-13 romp.
Most first downs – 20 (Bristol Central), 1972 and 2005
*In 2005, Matt Coyne and Dustin Tucker helped Central snare a 20-7 victory as the program won its seventh consecutive game over the Lancers.
Most yards rushing – 437 (Bristol Central), 2017
*Central broke the old Eastern record as Soto, Pat Brookman, and Ryan Forcier nearly all rushed for 100 yards that day. Forcier ended the contest with 96 yards.
Most yards passing – 308 yards (Bristol Eastern), 1970
*Eastern quarterback Dennis Schermerhorn threw for all 308 of those yards in the team’s 33-22 win – the program’s third straight over Central.
Most total yards – 463 (Bristol Eastern), 1970
*When Schermerhorn wasn’t throwing the ball, the Lancers rushed for 155 yards over a balanced offensive attack.
Most pass attempts – 38 (Bristol Central), 2007
*Matt Coyne connected on 20 of those 38 passes in the program’s 42-14 loss.
Most pass completions – 20 (Bristol Central), 2007
*Coyne passed for 2,516 yards that season which is still a school record today.
Most yards penalized – 187 (Bristol Eastern), 2014
*Despite the tomfoolery, Eastern held on to win, 20-18 – its eighth straight triumph over Central.
Most penalties – 22 (Bristol Central), 2019
*The Rams still won the game, 34-32, in overtime.
Most fumbles – 10 (Bristol Eastern), 2006
*In a snow/rain battle, the teams finished the contest in a 14-14 stalemate when overtime play was not permitted. A victory by Central would have sent the squad to its third ever postseason game.
Most fumbles lost – 6 (Bristol Central), 1996
*In all, the Rams made a total of nine fumbles as Soto and company cruised to a 29-14 win.
Most QB sacks – 7 (Bristol Eastern), 2012
*Eastern’s Harrison Sacharko led the defense that day over a 17-6 victory.
Most Safeties – 2 (Bristol Eastern), 2015
*Eastern could not score on either of the free kicks, resulting in a 12-4 loss as the Rams started a five-game winning streak over the Lancers.
Highest punt average* – 50.0 (Bristol Eastern), 1965
*Dave Cichon punted for 200 yards in the game on four big kicks.
Fewest first downs – 2 (Bristol Eastern), 1959 & 1993
*In 1993, BE rushed for only 13 total yards in the game, dropping an 18-0 decision.
Fewest yards rushing – (-66, Bristol Eastern), 2016
*Mike Guzman helped Central’s defense limit the Lancers on the ground. The Rams’ won 30-12.
Fewest yards passing – (-3, Bristol Central), 2017
*Central still won the contest, 33-27, over a very close call.
Fewest total yards – minus-30 (Bristol Eastern), 2016
Fewest pass attempts, by Bristol Central – 2 (1981 & 1984)
Fewest pass attempts, by Bristol Eastern – 2 (1994 & 1998)
Fewest pass completions, by Bristol Central – None made (1959, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1993).
Fewest pass completions, by Bristol Eastern – None made (1994, 1998, 2003, 2013 & 2016).
Fewest yards penalized against Bristol Central – 5 (1970)
Fewest yards penalized against Bristol Eastern – 5 (2001)
Most consecutive scoreless periods – 18 (Bristol Eastern), 2001-2005
Most consecutive scoring periods – 15 (Bristol Central), 1998-2002
Most shutouts – 17 (Bristol Central), 1959, 1960, 1961, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003 & 2004
Fewest shutouts – 5 (Bristol Eastern), 1963, 1964, 1965, 1973, 2010
Thanksgiving Game Day Records: Combined Team
Most points by both teams – 62, 2008
*Eastern won the contest 34-28
Most rushing yards by both teams – 573 (2017)
Most passing yards by both teams – 452 (1970)
*Central’s Vic Luboyeski nailed 8-of-15 passes for 144 total yards while Schermerhorn threw for 308 over Eastern’s win.
Most total yards by both teams – 743 (2007)
Most pass attempts by both teams – 44 (2007)
Most pass completions by both teams – 25 (2007)
Most interceptions by both teams – 6 (1983)
Most yards penalized by both teams – 249 (2014)
Most fumbles by both teams – 14 (2006)
Most fumbles lost by both teams – 7 (1996)
*The Lancers lost just one ball in the contest won by Eastern in the end, 29-14.
Fewest points by both teams – 6 (1983)
Fewest yards rushing by both teams – 143 (1959)
Fewest yards passing by both teams – 5 (1994)
Fewest total yards by both teams – 162 (1959)
Fewest yards penalized by both teams – 30 (2001)
Fewest fumbles lost by both teams – 0 (1966, 1968, 1993, 2004 & 2017)
Thanksgiving Game Day Records: Individual Totals from Turkey Day
Most touchdowns – 12, Tim Washington (Bristol Central) 1999-2001
*He scored three TDs in 1999, five in 2000 and four in 2001 for a total of 12.
Most points – 80, Tim Washington (Bristol Central), 1999-2001
*Washington scored 21 points in 1999, added 31 in 2000, and collected in 28 during the 2001 contest.
Most touchdown passes – 6, Dennis Schermerhorn (Bristol Eastern), 1969-70
*Schermerhorn threw for three touchdowns in 1969. Two were caught by Al Johnston and one was thrown to Frank White in that 27-6 win. He then tossed another three in 1970. Lou Miller, Rick Schmaltz and Rich Lindquist all made touchdown receptions for a total of 535 passing yards over those two Turkey Day games victories.
Thanksgiving Day – 100-yard rushing games (Yards-per-carry), year
*Tim Washington (BC), 353 yards on 41 carries (8.6 yards-per-carry), 2000.
*Dathan Hickey (BC), 333 yards on 28 carries (11.9) in 2017
*Tim Washington (BC), 242 yards on 22 carries (11.0), 2001
*Micah Zabel (BC), 237 yards on 25 carries (9.5), 1992
*Gregg Vontell (BC), 235 yards on 20 carries (11.8), 1982
*Luis Medina (BC), 233 yards on 27 carries (8.6), 2016
*Garry Pearson (BC), 230 yards on 36 carries (6.4), 1977
*Gerry Ouellette (BE), 211 yards on 26 carries (8.1), 2013
*Dylon Ouellette (BE), 208 yards on 18 carries (11.6), 2010
*John Gagliardi (BC), 202 yards on 26 carries (7.7), 1994
*Nick Crowley (BE), 201 yards on 37 carries (5.4), 2012
*Gerry Ouellette (BC), 189 yards on 18 carries (10.5), 1984
*Garry Pearson, (BC), 185 yards on 42 carries (4.4), 1978
*Craig Capurso (BC), 183 yards on 29 carries (6.3), 1998
*Reinaldo Soto (BE), 183 yards on 32 carries (5.7), 1996
*Rich Godbout (BC), 182 yards on 42 carries (4.3), 1972
*David Casanova (BE), 181 yards on 14 carries (12.9), 2007
*Jon Petke (BE), exact yardage unavailable, 1964
*Victor Rosa (BC), 171 yards on 31 carries (5.5), 2019
*Justus Fitzpatrick (BC), 171 yards on 30 carries (5.7), 2018
*Ken Fort (BC), 168 yards on 20 carries (8.4), 1989
*Tim Washington (BC), 165 yards on 41 carries (4.0), 1999
*Alex Marshall (BE), 159 yards on 37 carries (4.3), 2019
*Jeff Castolene (BC), 153 yards on 43 carries (3.6), 1971
*Kiernan Thurston (BC), 146 yards on 21 carries (7.0), 1988
*D.J. Hernandez (BC), 145 on 15 carries (9.7), 2002
*Gerry Ouellette (BE), 144 yards on 27 carries (5.3), 2014
*D.J. Hernandez (BC), 142 yards on 29 carries (4.9), 2003
*Kiernan Thurston (BC), 142 yards on 30 carries (4.7), 1987
*Rich Musumano (BE), 141 yards on 18 carries (7.8), 1984
*Reinaldo Soto (BE), 137 yards on 20 carries (6.9), 1998
*Tim McHugh (BE), 135 yards on 20 carries (6.8), 1972
*Pat Brookman (BE), 134 yards on seven carries (19.1), 1998
*Billy Parks (BC), 133 yards on 23 carries (5.8), 1981
*Brian Rooney (BE), 128 yards on 20 carries (6.4), 1982
*D’Andre Conaway (BC), 128 yards on 28 carries (4.6), 2014
*Steve Ziogas (BC), 126 yards on 18 carries (7.0), 2004
*Tyler Burrow (BC), 125 on 21 carries (6.0), 2013
*Noah Cruz (BC), 122 yards on 19 carries (6.4), 2015
*Dymetric Maisonet (BC), 118 yards on 21 carries (5.6), 2008
*Jahmil Effend, (BE), 118 yards on 22 carries (5.4), 2011
*Dennis Hernandez (BC), 116 yards on 26 carries (4.5), 1973
*Craig Capurso (BC), 115 yards on 25 carries (4.6), 1997
*Reinaldo Soto (BE), 114 yards on 20 carries (5.7), 1997
*Ralph Milano (BC), 114 yards on 29 carries (3.9), 1976
*Breyone Evans (BC), 111 yards on 21 carries (5.3), 2002
*Tim Gunn (BE), 109 yards on 13 carries (8.4), 1988
*Mike Zeigler (BE), 109 yards on 27 carries (4.0), 2008
*Brian Walker (BE), 105 yards on 15 carries (7.0), 2001
*Dustin Tucker (BC), 102 on 20 carries (5.1), 2005
*Pat Brookman (BE), 101 on 10 carries (10.1), 1997
