Peter's Pigskin Picks

There is something about the week before Thanksgiving Day that is very special in high school athletics. With the exception of football, all the other sports and their athletes just finished the District E playoffs. Whether it was soccer, field hockey, girls’ volleyball, boys’ golf, or cross country, congratulations go out to all the local athletes who dedicated themselves to their respective sports and school colors. The school year has flown by and the first quarter report cards that were given out last week is a true indication that Thanksgiving is upon us and the winter season sports tryouts begin on Monday, November 26th.

Back to the local football scene. Bay Path (9-1) and Shepherd Hill (8-2) have played up to their pre-season billing and both programs will return to the playoffs as advertised the Tuesday after Thanksgiving Day. Bay Path will play Worcester Tech on Mugget Hill this Saturday at 11 a.m in the Oxford Insurance Agency Game of the Week on WGFP AM 940. You can listen to all the action and join Matt Morway and Pete Geanis for the pre game show at 10:45 a.m. The Bay Path-WT game is long on tradition as the best game in these parts on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

Shepherd Hill will travel to the reservation in Sturbridge on Thanksgiving morning to battle their rival Tantasqua. Upset is the thought in Sturbridge already as I have heard from quite a few Warrior fans who are saying "mild upset" at the very least. They believe the home team will win this year.

The Bartlett Indians (5-5) are right where they should be and all things considered, the entire program has done a great job. The only "if" the Indians get this year is Nipmuc. Coulda, woulda, shoulda, maybe and all that stuff that goes with what if might have happened against Nipmuc.Anyway, the Nipmuc game did not prevent Bartlett from going undefeated. The Indians are having a great season and they can belt Southbridge on Thanksgiving Day and realize that Southbridge is the biggest game to the Webster faithful. Beating Southbridge is a real life changer for this current group of Indians because the community needs a shot in the arm. Once Bartlett beats Southbridge, the players will know what it means to Webster. Oxford will host the best team in Central Mass on Thanksgiving in the name of Auburn. The Pirates will finish their initial rebuilding phase and look to improve in the off season.

Don’t forget "Tradition Night" at Coaches Corner in Dudley on Thanksgiving Eve. Old school Thanksgiving Day films from the Bartlett-Southbridge and the Shepherd Hill -Tantasqua series will be shown on the big screen at Coaches Corner. If you have an old school film, please let me know at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can also fill out the Beat Pete Thanksgiving Day contest sheet, printed here, at Coaches Corner, the Patriot Newspaper, and the Oxford Insurance Agency. ‘Tis the season for a lot of fun with the holiday games. Coaches Corner will also be the home of the past Sabatanelli award winners from the past Bartlett-Southbridge games and the Anthony "Tony" Vegnone MVP award winners from past Shepherd Hill-Tantasqua games.

The Oxford Insurance Agency Player of the week last week was Bartlett running back Alex Givins-Perry for his efforts against South High in Bartlett’s win in Worcester as he rushed for 216 yards on 12 carries and scored 3 touchdowns.

The Oxford Insurance Agency Lineman of the week was Bartlett’s Jacob Mailloux who was outstanding against Worcester South last Saturday.

The Oxford Insurance Agency Game of the Week

Bay Path (9-1) over Worcester Tech (3-7) Saturday on Mugget Hill 11 a.m.

Always my favorite game before Thanksgiving. Bay Path once again leads the local area in victories for the regular season and will end at 10-1 before the playoffs begin.WT (3-7) is having a down year and senior day on Mugget Hill should be a positive way to end the regular season. It looks like Bay Path will face Balckstone Valley Tech on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to defend their Division six Super Bowl. Good Luck to the Minutemen.

Last week: 3-1 Overall 2012 season : 45-10