There have been plenty of times where the Thanksgiving morning football showdown between Holy Cross and Wolcott has had playoff implications. This year will be no exception.
The Crusaders made sure of that with an impressive 27-0 shutout of Naugatuck on Saturday night at Jimmy Lee Stadium. The Holy Cross defense forced a pair of turnovers and held Naugatuck under 200 yards of total offense. On offense, the Crusaders got a rushing touchdown and passing touchdown from Drevon Yeldell, who threw the scoring pass to Rashaun Mitchell. Chase Tyson ran for two touchdowns in the second half for Holy Cross, which rushed for 194 yards.
The Crusaders will enter the 10 a.m. kickoff in Wolcott on Nov. 28 with a record of 7-2. Holy Cross has ripped off five straight wins to get to that 7-2 record. The Crusaders are ranked sixth in the latest Class S playoff standings. The five teams ahead them– Bullard-Havens Tech-Bridgeport, Ansonia, Bloomfield, Woodland Regional and Plainfield – have also completed nine games. Holy Cross will know where three of those teams stand by the time it walks onto Joe Monroe Field on Thanksgiving morning. Bullard Havens faces O’Brien Tech-Ansonia on Nov. 23, Bloomfield plays Glastonbury on Nov. 26, and Woodland takes on Seymour on Nov. 27. Taking care of business against the rival Eagles, however, is an important step for the Crusaders.
The Eagles will come into the Thanksgiving game with a record of 6-3. Wolcott has also won five straight games, including a 54-12 victory over Sacred Heart/Kaynor Tech on Thursday at Municipal Stadium. Joe Fontano had a solid night running the ball against the co-op, and Kyle Hensel returned a block punt 50 yards for a touchdown. The Eagles are 13th in the Class M state playoff standings and will need help to get in. The good news for Wolcott is that several of those teams have only played eight games, which means they have two remaining. That leaves the potential for some loses and adjustments in the standings. The Eagles need to take care of business against the Crusaders before they can worry about any of that.
Here’s how the series has gone recently:
2018 – Wolcott 30, Holy Cross 26 (Municipal Stadium)
2017 – Holy Cross 42, Wolcott 28 (Monroe Field)
2016 – Wolcott 47, Holy Cross 28 (Alumni Field)
2015 – Wolcott 42, Holy Cross 0 (Monroe Field)
2014 – Wolcott 28, Holy Cross 21 (Municipal Stadium)
2013 – Holy Cross 39, Wolcott 38 (Monroe Field)
2012 – Wolcott 21, Holy Cross 14 (Municipal Stadium)
2011 – Holy Cross 35, Wolcott 20 (Monroe Field)
2010 – Holy Cross 28, Wolcott 14 (Municipal Stadium)
2009 – Holy Cross 28, Wolcott 9 (Monroe Field)
