By Michael Letendre   

After leaving the decade of the 1970s, the Bristol Eastern football team was still facing a ton of misery during its annual Thanksgiving Day battles against Bristol Central when the 1980s rolled around. 

Central’s Billy Parks was still causing havoc on the gridiron when the 80s opened up but by the time the 1990s were approaching, Eastern had something Central has never been able to win to this very day: a state championship.  

But after that title win in 1988, the final BC/BE clash of the 80s was a certifiable nightmare because of grade book confusion between the schools. 

With Central still dominating the holiday games to start the 1980s, here’s the next 10 pack of games in this tremendous series:    

Year – Winner, Score   

1980 – Bristol Central, 12-0: Billy Parks made a 10-yard touchdown rush while Vin Jennetta picked off a pass by Eastern’s fill-in quarterback Mike Tucker (9-of-20, 143 yards) for a 48-yard touchdown as Central won it again – picking up its final Colonial Conference title. The Lancers’ 8-2 record was the best in school history to that point, but the program was knocked out of playoff contention due to the Thanksgiving Day defeat.   

1981 – Bristol Central, 13-8: Central once again forced Eastern out of the playoff picture. Billy Parks was at it again, making touchdown carries of five and 55 yards to propel the Rams to the victory. The Lancers would have played Newtown in the state tournament with a Thanksgiving Day win but instead, lost to the Rams by five points. Central’s Gene Mitchell made a 60-yard punt, still a Thanksgiving Day record, while Parks collected 133 yards on 23 carries.    

1982 – Bristol Central, 18-13: Eastern netted the first points in the game as Brian Rooney scored on a 57-yard run while the team scooped up more than 400 total yards of offense but still lost by five points for the second consecutive year. Central’s Gregg Vontell made scoring runs of 87, 80 and 24 yards – gaining 235 yards overall on 20 carries. Vontell’s 87-yard TD was the longest run from scrimmage ever on Thanksgiving between the teams. Rooney roped up 128 yards on 20 carries to pace the Lancers. With the win, Central seized its eighth consecutive triumph over the Eastern program.    

1983 – Bristol Central, 6-0: For the third straight encounter, the Rams defeated the Lancers by a single touchdown. Central quarterback Mike Carlson scored 6:48 into the contest on a one-yard plunge into the end zone. The squads combined for six interceptions while the six points scored in the game was also a series record for the fewest scored. It was the final Colonial Conference showdown between the schools as both programs linked up with the Central Connecticut Conference the following year – still competing in the CCC to this day.    

1984 – Bristol Central, 33-8: Gerry Ouellette paced the Rams with 189 yards on 18 carries as Central soundly defeated Eastern once again. Overall, the rushers for the Rams combined for 338 total yards. Central’s Jere Merriam made a 95-yard interception return – a Thanksgiving Day record. Eastern’s Rich Musumano carried the ball 18 times for 141 yards. The Lancers were winless against Central since picking up a 7-6 victory over the Rams back in 1974.    

1985 – Bristol Eastern, 14-8: “Yes, We Can” was the phrase Eastern lived by in 1985. And it worked as Mike Minella caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Julio Maisonet, leading to a six-point victory for the Lancers. Eastern led 14-0 at one point, holding off a pesky Central effort in the end. The contest was postponed and eventually played at night because of inclement weather.    

1986 – Bristol Central, 31-0: Central quarterback Steve Lowe collected 79 yards on 15 carries for two touchdowns over the winning effort for the Rams. The game is the first of two straight shutouts over the Lancers.  

1987 – Bristol Central, 22-0: On the cusp of a Class MM berth, Central blanked Eastern as Kiernan Thurston ran 30 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns to propel the Rams to the Class MM championship game as the Lancers were shutout. Central lost that title contest to Middletown, 27-0.   

1988 – Bristol Eastern, 14-12: The soon to be Class MM champions slipped past Central by two points, advancing to the state tournament over the winning effort. On a Central fumble, Eastern’s Craig Ciquera netted a two-yard rushing touchdown to put the Lancers up for good with 7:00 left in the first half. Eastern’s Timmy Gunn (13 carries, 109 yards) paced the offense. Thurston had 21 carries for 146 yards for the Rams. And then in the Class MM title showdown, Eastern defeated South Windsor by three (22-19) for Bristol’s only state championship in football to date.    

1989 – Bristol Central, 20-13: Central’s Ken Fort busted Eastern for 168 yards on 20 carries as the Rams won the contest in controversial fashion. Grades became an issue as both school’s student handbooks had two different eligibility requirements. The rules forced critical Eastern players (three in all) to sit out the showdown while Fort from Central – who was ineligible per Eastern’s student handbook – ended up playing, and dominating, under the Rams’ guidelines. Over the following week, meetings were held at BEHS but the game decision was never overturned. The situation prompted several students to walkout at Bristol Eastern in protest days after the final score was upheld and the student handbooks were finally aligned to fend off another possible situation like that from ever occurring again. 

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