Thanksgiving 1973 was a great memory. My 30 teammates and I were extra thankful that day as we had just completed a championship football season – being crowned co-champions in Class D. It was the first Boothbay Region High School football championship since 1958 – the undefeated Seahawks.

Had we not tied Maine Central Institute 12-12 in the next to last game of the season, we wouldn’t have shared that title with MCI. Thanks to the Register’s archives and Coach Bill Topham’s weekly report to the newspaper, here is what transpired that windy day in Pittsfield.

Neither team scored in the first half. MCI went ahead 12-0 in the third period with touchdowns on a tackle-eligible pass play and a 60-yard run.

We scored our two touchdowns in the fourth quarter (and were driving for the go-ahead score when time ran out). Our quarterback and leader Pete Cook scored on a 5-yard run and later on a 30-yard run.

Either it was the wind or good defense by both teams that prevented the extra-point tries.

I remember feeling a bit melancholy on the bus ride home – a tie game doesn’t provide much joy – but when we learned we would share the title, I brightened up a bit.

The team has a banner and trophy on display at BRHS and I smile proudly as I see them regularly when covering games or events for the newspaper. We finished the season 5-2-1. We had three shutouts and lost only to MCI (22-8) at home and at Old Orchard Beach (24-16) in the last game of the season.

I wish to recognize and offer a Happy Thanksgiving to my teammates (those who are still with us) and who I hope still enjoy the memories. As a tribute to them, here is the list of those who proudly wore the blue and gold 50 years ago (as listed in the photo cutline in the newspaper): Cyrus “Sonny” Tupper (deceased), Scott Heino, Michael Brewer, Steve Higgins, Jim Stark, Bill Sherman, Dave Bean, Stanley Newell, Thom Carroll, Brian Fossett, Tim Rand, Pete Cook (deceased), Maurice “Mac” McCaslin, Dick Spofford, Ed Tibbetts (deceased), Don Higgins, Arthur Hathaway, Ronnie Arsenault, Dan DeRepentigny, Bruce Graham, Dennis Gray (deceased), Bill Callahan, Mike Cook, manager John McKown, Reid Climo (deceased), Frank Marston, Kevin Hodgdon, Glenn Burnham, Scott Burnham, Howard Dolloff and Bill Crider.

A Happy Thanksgiving, too, to the seniors on the 1972 team – which, in my and others’ opinions – should have been given the Class D crown after defeating the eventual champion, Dirigo, at home, 6-0. However, due to point totals (we were cheated out of a game because a team dropped out of competition during the season), the title went to Dirigo. The seniors – Jeff Hodgdon (deceased), Smith Climo, Ken Marston, John Reed, Kim Pinkham and Glenn Hodgdon, led us to a 6-2 record and set the table for our championship season.

And a Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers and supporters.