By Ella Franzman – Sports Editor & Maya Rosado – Editor-in-Chief

The annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Jonathan Law and Foran drew a huge crowd for the showdown between the two talented teams.  

Foran came into the game with a record of 9-0 and Law entered 8-1. Law came out on top beating Foran 60-29 for the Mayor’s Trophy at at Law on Thanksgiving morning.

Head coach Chris Haley said he was proud of the way the team handled themselves in the much-anticipated game.

“It’s not pressure to me; it’s a platform, 5 or 5,000, we’re expected to play and perform the same way,” Haley said. “This is our community, there’s no pressure, it’s simply an obligation to perform at the level of their expectation, not necessarily deliver a result.”

The game was back and forth for the first half with Law consistently leading till they eventually were able to pull away in the second half. 

“Going into the game I felt really confident that my team would be able to hang in with Foran and I knew it would be a good game,” sophomore Michael Merchant said. 

Senior quarterback John Neider, the SCC Tier III Player of the Year and the game’s MVP, accounted for 377 yards and six touchdowns.

Neider threw for 236 yards and two scores and added 141 rushing yards. 

The two teams came into the game expecting to put up big numbers. Each team compiled for a combined 926 yards of offense, including four touchdown passes.

With all the offense, the game turned on an interception late in the third quarter. Trailing 41-29 and driving deep into Law territory, Foran’s drive was stopped on an interception by Tyler Nethercott at the Law 38 yard line.

Law improved to 25-22-2 all-time in the city series and 9-1 overall this season. Following the win against Foran, Law advanced to play in the Class M State Tournament where they beat RHAM 42-13 in the quarterfinals.

“Our hopes for the playoffs are to make history and to win as many games as we can,” Neider said. 

Merchant agreed.

“Our hopes for the playoffs are to play as many games as possible so that we can make it to the championship game,” Merchant said. 

After their win against RHAM, Law next faces #2 seed Notre Dame-West Haven in the semifinals on Sunday. The Lawmen know they will have to play well on both sides of the ball if they want to win.

“Going in, I know I want to improve more on my tackling,” sophomore Michael Smith said. 

(Game statistics courtesy gametimect.com)