Your complete guide to Thanksgiving high school football on the SouthCoast

For some Thanksgiving rivals, it’s been 728 days since they’ve faced each other while others battled during the shortened Fall 2 season earlier this year.

Here’s a look at the seven games featuring SouthCoast football teams this week:

Tri-County at Old Colony

When: Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Records: Tri-County (2-8); Old Colony (6-4)

Last Games: Nashoba 27, Tri-County 6; Nashoba 34, Old Colony 30

Last Meeting: Tri-County 30, Old Colony 16 in Fall 2

Laurie’s Line: Old Colony 22, Tri-County 6

Outlook: Despite another monster game from junior quarterback Matt McGuiggan, the Cougars saw their run for a State Vocational Small School championship end against Nashoba in the semifinals last Friday. McGuiggan threw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a pair of scores, but it wasn’t enough as Elijah Murphy sealed the victory with his second touchdown of the game. McGuiggan leads all SouthCoast quarterbacks with eight touchdown passes this season. He also has six rushing touchdowns and a pick six on defense. Tri-County’s last game was a 21-point loss to Nashoba in the state vocational quarterfinals. Tri-County enters Wednesday’s rivalry game against Old Colony riding a five-game losing streak. The visiting Cougars’ wins this year came against South Shore Voc-Tech and Diman.

Old Rochester at Apponequet

When: Thursday at 10 a.m.

Records: Old Rochester (6-3); Apponequet (3-6)

Last Games: Pentucket 21, Old Rochester 14; Fairhaven 28, Apponequet 21

Last Meeting: Apponequet 42, Old Rochester 7 in Fall 2

Outlook: The Bulldogs have been looking forward to a rematch with the Lakers since walking off Griffith field following a 35-point loss to Apponequet in the South Coast Conference championship game in the Fall 2 season. Just like in the spring, this game is for the conference title. If ORR comes out on top, the Bulldogs win the championship outright. An Apponequet win would mean the teams share the SCC Blue Division crown. The Lakers have struggled as of late, having lost three straight to Dighton-Rehoboth, Swampscott and Fairhaven despite five combined touchdowns from Jackson Gagnier and Vinny Oliveiri over that stretch. Gagnier leads the Lakers in scoring with nine touchdowns while Oliveiri has eight. Apponequet quarterback Jack Mahan has thrown seven scoring strikes this year. Even though Apponequet swept Old Rochester in the Fall 2 and beat the Bulldogs once during the 2019 regular season, the Lakers haven’t won on Thanksgiving since 2014 (38-14). Old Rochester is coming off a playoff loss to Pentucket in which the Bulldogs were one-dimensional on offense without running back Harry Hughes. Hughes is healthy and should contribute offensively along with Jacksen Martin (10 touchdowns) and Noah Sommers (seven rushing touchdowns and five passing touchdowns).

Bourne at Wareham

When: Thursday at 10 a.m.

Records: Bourne (2-8); Wareham (4-4)

Last Games: St. John Paul II 22, Bourne 21; Wareham 8, Monomoy 6

Last Meeting: Bourne 47, Wareham 14 in Fall 2

Outlook: The Vikings bring a two-game win streak into their Thanksgiving rivalry matchup. Wareham has gotten balanced scoring with four touchdowns apiece from Chase Colon and Ajay Lopes and three apiece from Avyn Lopes and Andre Silva. Wareham is looking for its first win over Bourne since 2017 when the Vikings won 42-8. Wareham has failed to score in back-to-back matchups with Bourne on Thanksgiving, but appear to have more weapons this year than the Canalmen, who have struggled with their only wins coming against South Shore and Atlantis Charter. Bourne has been shut out four times and has scored 20 or more points just three times.

Fairhaven at Dartmouth

When: Thursday at 10 a.m.

Records: Fairhaven (7-3); Dartmouth (7-3)

Last Games: Fairhaven 28, Apponequet 21; Dartmouth 26, Plymouth North 8

Last Meeting: Dartmouth 41, Fairhaven 0 in 2019

Outlook: Even though bragging rights are the only thing on the line in this non-league affair, it is expected to be the marquee matchup this Thanksgiving as both teams enter the contest with identical 7-3 records. Dartmouth got off to a hot start to the season, winning its first four games, but it has lost three of its last five, including a 45-21 defeat to Milton in the Div. 3 playoffs. Senior quarterback Will Kelly leads the team with 14 rushing touchdowns while senior running back Ethan Marques has 10 TDs. Kelly has also thrown six touchdown passes. A senior-laden Dartmouth team is looking to finish strong, but must find a way to stop Fairhaven senior Cadence Chase, a former player at Dartmouth for two years through school choice. A versatile Chase leads all SouthCoast football players with 19 touchdowns — a single-season record at Fairhaven High. He’s also a force on defense and contributes on special teams. Peter Joseph is second on the team with six touchdowns while freshman Justin Marques has found the end zone four times. In their second season under head coach Derek Almeida, the Blue Devils have won the SCC Gold Division title and knocked off both Apponequet and Old Rochester — the two teams playing for the SCC Blue Division championship on Thanksgiving. Fairhaven’s last win over Dartmouth came in 2011 by the score of 21-14.

Bishop Feehan at Bishop Stang

When: Thursday at 10 a.m.

Records: Bishop Feehan (7-3); Bishop Stang (2-8)

Last Games: Wellesley 28, Bishop Feehan 20; Bishop Stang 34, West Bridgewater 32

Last Meeting: Bishop Feehan 27, Bishop Stang 13 in Fall 2

Outlook: The Spartans are playing some of their best football as of late and have enjoyed a bunch of success on offense, surpassing 30 points in back-to-back games, but face a tough challenge in rival Bishop Feehan. The Shamrocks have a chance at capturing at least a share of the Catholic Central League championship with a win over Stang. If St. Mary’s loses to Austin Prep and Feehan beats Stang, the Shamrocks can win it outright. The Spartans must find a way to slow down Feehan quarterback Aidan Crump as well as receiver Connor McHale and running back Cam Burns. Running back Matt Golden has come on strong in recent weeks for Stang and leads the team in scoring with 10 touchdowns. Greg Morales and Nick Hyland have five touchdowns apiece while Noah Grigson has thrown six scoring strikes in addition to rushing for three scores. Bishop Stang, which beat Bishop Feehan during the 2015 regular season, has never won a Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Shamrocks since the series began in 2012.

GNB Voc-Tech at Diman

When: Thursday at 10 a.m.

Records: GNB Voc-Tech (6-4); Diman (4-5)

Last Games: GNB Voc-Tech 31, Assabet 6; Northeast 49, Diman 14

Last Meeting: GNB Voc-Tech 52, Diman 0 in 2019

Outlook: The Bears are coming together at just the right time as they enter this game riding back-to-back wins and have already locked up a spot in State Vocational Large School Championship the week after Thanksgiving against Northeast Metro. Over the past two weeks, the Bears have enjoyed a slew of success with their ground game, scoring nine rushing touchdowns with three from quarterback Cam Lynch and two each from running backs Rylan Rose, Elijah Raymond and Joe Brightman. Lynch leads Voc-Tech with 10 rushing touchdowns while also throwing seven TD passes. Raymond enjoyed a breakout game last week with 250 yards on six carries and a pair of touchdowns. Diman, which saw its three-game win streak come to an end against Northeast in the State Vocational Large School quarterfinals, is led offensively by senior quarterback Jacob Furtado, senior running back Jayden Massey and senior wide receiver Alex Rivest. Defensively, the Bengals are powered by Devin Senecal, Collin Rondeau and Massey.

New Bedford at Durfee

When: Thursday at 10:15 a.m.

Records: New Bedford (1-8); Durfee (1-8)

Last Games: New Bedford 7, Canton 3; Needham 28, Durfee 27

Last Meeting: Durfee 48, New Bedford 7 in Fall 2

Outlook: The Whalers carry some momentum into Thanksgiving as they got into the win column for the first time this season in their last game to end an eight-game losing streak. Ryan Dosenberg connected with Ranen Goodine for New Bedford’s lone touchdown in the win. Goodine and Jayden Frazier each have three touchdowns to lead the Whalers in scoring this season. Seven of New Bedford’s nine touchdowns this year have come through the air on six passes from Dosenberg and one from Amari Harris. The Hilltoppers have also struggled this year with Jason Hall leaving for Suffield Academy, a prep school. Durfee has lost six straight since its lone win over Somerset Berkley on Sept. 24. The Hilltoppers have scored more than 20 points three times this year while being shut out in back-to-back games against Bridgewater-Raynham and Dartmouth. Durfee’s players to watch are senior wide receiver/defensive back Jevon Holly, senior wide receiver/defensive back Jaden Lewis, senior quarterback Isaiyah Thomas, senior running back Mick Cornell and senior linebacker Brian Hayden.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: 2021 Thanksgiving preview for SouthCoast football