2023 Brings New Thanksgiving Day Tradition to Atlantis
Atlantis athletic director Chad Gormly, left, Case athletic director Anthony Palladino, and Atlantis co-op head coach Kazeem Adediran pose for Herald News photo.
Thanksgiving Day football will return to Atlantis this year after a three-year hiatus. The Tritons will face the Joseph Case High School Cardinals on Thanksgiving morning, in what school leaders hope is the start of a long-standing tradition.
Atlantis has not played a Thanksgiving Day game since 2019 when the Tritons lost to Randolph 41-0. There was no Thanksgiving Day game the following year due to COVID.
Randolph was a larger school with a larger football team, and Atlantis Athletic Director Chad Gormly knew it was not the right matchup for the school. He spent the next three years looking for a new opponent to play on Thanksgiving. Last month, he heard Case was looking for a new opponent after making the difficult decision to end a 90-year Thanksgiving Day football rivalry with Somerset Berkley High School. Like Atlantis, Case was looking for a better matchup having only won two games on Thanksgiving in the past 20 years.
“Our students deserve the opportunity to play in fair and competitive games, and of course, safety is our top priority,” Gormly said. “This new matchup will be fair for both teams. Both schools plan on making this the best experience for our student-athletes.”
Atlantis played the past season as part of a co-op with Bishop Connolly and Westport High School and had its best season in school history with a 5-4 record.
“Our athletes are excited about this opportunity,” said Atlantis football head coach Kazeem Adedirian. “Case has a good football program, they will challenge us on the field, but the team is up for the challenge.”
Gormly says the game will be called the ‘Battle of the Bridge,’ as Atlantis and Case are on opposite sides of the Braga Bridge.