Battle for the Bell: A history of the series (2000-2009) 

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Vector illustration of a turkey celebrating Thanksgiving by playing football.

Posted By: Michael Letendre November 23, 2022

By Michael Letendre 

The beginning of the 21st century saw the annual Thanksgiving Day football battles in the city belong to Bristol Central.

It started with a Washington, two Hernandez boys and a bright ‘Coyne.’

While that grouping sounds like it could be worth something at a casino, the Rams had tremendous success on T-Day with Timmy Washington, D.J. and Aaron Hernandez and Matt Coyne.

It was a dominant start by the Rams but just over halfway through the decade, the Lancers started to take charge.

In this edition, we’ll review all the games from 2000-2009 as Eastern eventually wrestled away control of the series:  

Year – Winner, Score 

2000 – Bristol Central, 39-0: Five touchdowns and 353 rushing yards by All-State talent Timmy Washington had Central winning easily over Eastern. The five Thanksgiving Day TD’s and 353 rushing yards were a holiday record in town. Central’s Ron Davis made a 64-yard punt return, another record on Thanksgiving, as the Rams dominated in all facets of the contest.  

2001 – Bristol Central, 36-12: Washington collected four touchdowns – going for 242 yards on 22 rushes – as the Rams won again. However, Central missed out on a playoff berth but came away with a share of the CCC South Championship as a consolation prize. Eastern’s Brian Walker had 105 yards on 15 carries.  

2002 – Bristol Central, 38-0: Eastern doesn’t generate a point over the next three Thanksgiving Day games as D.J. Hernandez and Breyone Evans combined for 256 yards on 36 carries over another blowout victory against the Kingstreeters.  

2003 – Bristol Central, 20-0: D.J. Hernandez was back at it as he rushed for 142 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns over another shutout victory for the Rams.  

2004 – Bristol Central, 20-0: Central quarterback Cory Brown (10 passes, 107 yards) found Sean Ware (four catches, 78 yards) for several big receptions. Steve Ziogas took in 126 yards on 18 carries for the Rams as the program tallied a third straight shutout over the Lancers.  

2005 – Bristol Central, 20-7: On an extremely cold evening, Aaron Hernandez had his finest Thanksgiving showing as he made seven catches for 112 yards and a touchdown – meaning Central won over Eastern again. Quarterback Matt Coyne made 20 passes for the Rams while Dustin Tucker had 20 rushes for 102 yards.  

2006 – Tie, 14-14: On a messy day with wind, snow, and rain – and Central needing a victory to qualify for the playoffs – Eastern held Aaron Hernandez in check as the teams drew a 14-14 stalemate and left the Rams hanging at 8-1-1 on the year – just out of the state tournament picture. The teams shared the bell as it was the first time since 1998 that the Lancers enjoyed their Turkey Day effort. Eastern committed 10 fumbles in the showdown but still managed to keep pace with Central.  

2007 – Bristol Eastern, 42-14: David Casanova racked up just under 200 total yards of offense as Eastern finished the regular season at 10-0 and easily picked off the Rams. The Lancers’ Chris Hazelton had six PATs while Casanova rushed for 181 yards on 14 carries. Eastern earned a Class M semifinal playoff berth, losing to Berlin by a 35-28 final from Muzzy Field at the end of the month. The Eastern squad was only the second public school team in Bristol scholastic history to finish undefeated during the regular season.  

2008 – Bristol Eastern, 34-28: With Central threatening, Eastern’s Tyrell Holmes made a late game pickoff as the Lancers hung on to win the contest by six points. Central’s Dymetric Maisonet added 118 yards on 21 rushes while Eastern’s Mike Zeigler went for 109 yards on 27 carries.  

2009 – Bristol Eastern, 46-13: Notching a series best 46 points against the Rams, Eastern easily downed Central as quarterback Mat Yopp zipped out 10-of-12 passes for 176 yards while Ray Ortiz had a career day (six catches, 127 yards) to lead the Lancers.  

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