Breaking News
Football

BG football looks forward to practicing during Thanksgiving week

Home for the holidays

By John Hartsock 5 min read

Winning championships is a goal many sports teams in all levels set.

Striving to have practice on a holiday -- especially one centered around family -- is more of an oddity.

But for the Bishop Guilfoyle Academy football team, practicing on Thanksgiving has become a tradition that is sought by players right alongside competing in title games, earning rings and championship banners.

"At the beginning of the year, we talk about playing for a D6 title, wanting to practice on Thanksgiving and play for a state title," Marauders coach Justin Wheeler said. "That's just weird that practicing on Thanksgiving has become one of the things the kids want to set a goal for every year. But there were a few years we weren't able to do it, and you know having that could end at any moment, so you take it all in and really enjoy the moments. It's one of the big things the kids look forward to."

Bishop Guilfoyle nearly did not have a game to prepare for this week as it held off Westinghouse by the slimmest of margins, 7-6, in the PIAA quarterfinals last week. But when that victory to set up Friday's semifinal game against Belmont Charter in Mechanicsburg was official, the celebration of getting to practice this Thursday started.

"As soon as that clock expired, people were running around screaming -- 'we have practice on Thanksgiving,'" BG senior Hayden Hosgood said. "The feeling of being able to keep practicing and staying with the guys I love is amazing. You don't want it to end."

Wheeler believes this is the 10th time since 2014 -- when the Marauders captured their first state title -- that Bishop Guilfoyle will be practicing on the holiday.

"In 2014, the guys showed up at the practice in pajamas," Wheeler said. "I was just thinking about the game, but kids can be funny and think about other things. We get there and there are all these kids in funny pajamas and clothes. Then we won, and traditions begin after you win something. Looking back, it was really cool, because the guys who led us to the championship did that and we are all creatures of habit. The next year, everyone was wearing them and it kept snowballing year by year."

Bishop Guilfoyle has won five PIAA titles and played in six finals since that point.

"It's awesome for us, and we expect it as a program," BG senior Jake Kissell said. "Every year, our goal is to get to that Thanksgiving practice. A lot of teams are not able to reach that goal, and we appreciate getting to that point every year. It feels great. It's a stepping stone to the ultimate goal -- a state championship."

Beyond the pajamas and lighter practice, the day is about celebrating both the current year's accomplishments and past conquests.

"Before practice starts, we ask all former players to come back and any alumni that are around, we usually have coffee, hot chocolate and donuts before practice starts," Wheeler said. "We spend about an hour or so with them and hear the stories of when they played. It's neat to see players from different generations show up and wish the guys luck. Once you play for BG, you're part of the family forever. We get texts and emails all throughout the week about the Thanksgiving practice, and we'll see a ton of people on Thursday morning."

In that way, Bishop Guilfoyle's football players have a chance to celebrate the holiday with their extended family.

"The program is so welcoming and loving, and it really is like another family for you," Kissell said. "Another thing for me is that Coach Wheeler is my uncle, and (his son, Justin) being my cousin and having memories with them and my brother Chase, it's really brought my family together as a whole that my whole family gets to experience along with my brotherhood I have with my senior teammates and all the teammates I have had over the years."

Fellow BG senior Jesse Georgiana echoed his classmate's feeling of a family atmosphere.

"We love being around each other and think of each other as family," Georgiana said. "We love spending Thanksgiving together. It's also a reminder of how far we are into the year and how much we have accomplished and how close we are to our main goal of winning a state championship."

Some outlandish outfits have been worn over the years, including Kissell's from a year ago.

"Last year, I had a onesie and was a pig," Kissell said. "I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do this year, but I have to make something happen. We'll figure it out soon."

There will be another photo this Thanksgiving, and the players hope it's all part of a story they will be able to tell in the future about their road to their latest PIAA championship.

"It's such a tradition at BG," Hosgood said. "Every team has done it. You look back and see pictures from the 2021 team or the 2019 team or last year's team -- you see the teams that practiced on Thanksgiving. It's something that few schools can do, but for us, it's tradition to be together on Thanksgiving and hopefully keep winning after it."

Starting at /week.