By Michael Letendre   

The final twelve Thanksgiving Day football games between Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern have been decided by several split decisions. 

Over that stretch, the Lancers won its first five games over Rams.

Soon after, in 2015, the first Central win of the decade led to seven straight victories – a streak that continues to this very day. 

It started with Eastern’s Dylan Ouellette running for 200 yards in the 2010 classic but by the start of the 2020s, Central’s Victor Rosa and Tre Blair changed those fortunes. 

The Rams only won two of those seven games via blowout as five of those contests since 2015 were decided by one possession or less. 

And the year before the pandemic, there was even an overtime game between the programs. 

To conclude this series, let’s take a look at the final 12 games between BC/BE, starting with Eastern’s shutout victory in 2010:    

Year – Winner, Score   

2010 – Bristol Eastern, 35-0: Eastern’s Dylan Ouellette rushed for 208 yards – on 18 carries – and a touchdown as the Lancers posted a rare shutout against the Rams.    

2011 – Bristol Eastern, 21-14: The Lancers led 21-0 but had to hang on to dear life as Eastern grabbed a seven-point decision for its fifth straight victory over the Rams. Eastern running back Jahmil Effend collected 118 yards on 22 carries.    

2012 – Bristol Eastern 17-6: Eastern won for the sixth consecutive time over Central, this time picking up an 11-point victory. A 49-yard pass by quarterback Tommy Curtin to Sean Aiudi in the third period gave the Lancers an insurance score. Eastern’s Nick Crowley rushed for 201 yards on 37 carries while kicker Jeremy Meccariello dropped in a 25-yard field goal – the longest ever on Thanksgiving. Central’s defense collected seven sacks over the losing effort.    

2013 – Bristol Eastern 21-18: Gerry Ouellette scooped up 211 yards on 26 carries as Eastern was a winner over Central for the seventh time in a row, holding on to win by three. The 211 yards by Ouellette was the sixth best Thanksgiving Day performance in school history to that point of the series. Central back Tyler Burrow worked hard as he scooped in 125 yards on 21 carries.    

2014 – Bristol Eastern, 20-18: Eastern won by two points, capturing a school record eighth straight victory over Central. The Lancers were penalized 187 yards in the showdown, but Gerry Ouellette managed 144 yards on 27 carries. Central’s D’Andre Conaway added 128 yards on 28 rushes over the losing effort.    

2015 – Bristol Central, 12-4: The Rams finally got the better of the Lancers – withstanding a series record two safeties by Eastern – to grab an eight-point win. Noah Cruz rushed for 122 yards on 19 carries to help Central secure its first Thanksgiving victory since 2005.    

2016 – Bristol Central 30-12: It was two in a row for Central as Eastern was held to negative yardage totals in the 18-point defeat. Luis Medina rushed for 233 yards on 27 carries while quarterback Isaiah Miller added 102 yards on 19 carries for the Rams. Eastern’s Edgar Hernandez made a 70-yard fumble return which is a record on Thanksgiving.    

2017 – Bristol Central 33-27: Dathan Hickey went wild for four touchdowns and 333 yards on 28 carries as Central won the showdown. The game was tied at 21-21 before two tremendous 75-yard touchdowns rushes from Hickey put the Rams up for good. Central scooped up 437 rushing yards with Hickey’s 333 yards the second highest rushing total on Thanksgiving Day ever.    

2018 – Bristol Central 24-19: Justus Fitzpatrick scored the game-winner, a one-yard touchdown with 7:17 to play, as Central came from behind to beat Eastern by five. Fitzpatrick was exceptional as he tallied 171 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. He also went 5-of-6 throwing the football for 65 yards. The Rams outgained the Lancers 318-231 overall.   

2019 – Bristol Central 34-32 (OT): In what became an instant classic, the team’s battled into overtime for the first time ever on Thanksgiving. And on Central’s first possession in overtime, Central’s Victor Rosa sprinted 10 yards into the Eastern goal to knot the score at 32-32 before the speedster rushed the ball in for a two-point conversion to salt the event away. Rosa ended the day with 31 rushes for 171 yards and five touchdowns – tied for the most TDs scored in a Thanksgiving Day game along with Washington (2000). Eastern’s Elijah Gagliardo made a Thanksgiving Day-tying eight receptions while Alex Marshall had 37 carries for 159 yards.    

2020 – No Game held due to the pandemic   

2021 – Bristol Central 38-8: On his way to UConn, Rosa busted the Lancers for 282 yards on 28 carries – actually leaping over an Eastern defender on one play in a stunning visual – as the Rams won by thirty points. Rosa’s yardage was the third highest total ever on Thanksgiving. Eastern’s Alex Marshall, switching to quarterback that day, made four passes for 44 yards while scooping in 90 yards on 31 carries and a TD. Central moved to 9-1 with the win, qualifying for the state tournament for the third time in program history.   

2022 – Bristol Central 13-6: Tre Blair ran wild, capturing 209 yards on 35 blistering carries for a touchdown as Central won by seven. Anthony Paulino nabbed a late inception for an insurance score while Eastern’s Jaiden Fore made 15 rushes for 93 yards. It was the eighth straight ‘W’ for the Rams on Thanksgiving. 

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