We've come to the end, at least, for most of the high school football teams.
The final games of the season begin tonight with Montville playing host to St. Bernard in the precursor to a Thanksgiving morning full of football.
The Saints and Indians play tonight at 6:30 p.m. on the turf and it will be the last chance to cheer on seniors like Taylor Lewis of Montville, the area's leading rusher, who has opted to go to college and play baseball at the University of Maine.
The New London Whalers will have another game beyond their showdown with Norwich Free Academy Thursday morning as that old rivalry continues. The Whalers have assured themselves a playoff berth in Class S. Ledyard needs to beat Fitch just to be sure it has a playoff game in hand. A win for the Colonels also gives them the ECC Large Division crown.
The other games on the schedule don't have that kind of impact as all the titles will have been decided but the fun of two generally close, geographically, schools playing one another is the drawing card.
That's true in Griswold where the Plainfield Panthers meet the Wolverines and in Killingly where Putnam comes to town. Can Tourtellotte/Ellis Tech and its new-fangled double wing offense pick up its first win of the season against Woodstock? The Windham Whippets need a win over E.O. Smith and a little divine intervention for them to make the state playoffs, Stonington caps off its season with Westerly and East Lyme tackles Waterford.
Take it from me, what's Thanksgiving without a little football as an appetizer and a good afternoon nap after Thanksgiving Dinner.
See you on the sidelines!