Winthrop Set To Play Revere in Annual Thanksgiving Game

A large crowd is expected at Miller Field Thursday morning as the Winthrop High School football team plays Revere High School in the annual Thanksgiving game.

Head Coach Jon Cadigan said he and his assistant coaches – most of whom participated as players in the Revere-Winthrop game – have been pleased with the team’s “increased energy” in practices.

“It’s been exactly what you’d expect, the approach has been a little bit more energetic than Weeks 1 or 2,” said Cadigan. “Our team understands the importance of the game.”

Winthrop will be looking to end Revere’s recent streak of five straight victories in the series. Winthrop (6-4) enters the holiday classic with a superior record to Revere (4-6), but as the old saying goes, “you can throw out the record books when these two teams get together.”

One pre-game question centers on whether Winthrop senior quarterback Robert Noonan – who sustained a serious knee injury in the Saugus game – will play against Revere. Reports are that Noonan will make every attempt to play on Thursday.

On paper, Winthrop appears to have a decided edge in the running game. The foursome of Welvis Acosta, Nick Cappuccio, Demetri Koutsouflakis and George Galuris has helped Winthrop amass more than 2,000 yards on the ground this season. Acosta leads the charge with 856 yards rushing. The group will test Coach Lou Cicatelli’s Revere defense on what should be a brisk New England day with temperatures in the 40s.

Cadigan expressed confidence that the Vikings can bring home a victory over its longtime next-door rival.

“If we play our best, I think we’ll be fine,” said Cadigan. “I really feel good about our team. I feel good about our skill guys and our offensive line, but we have to go out there and do it. And that’s the biggest thing right now – it’s overcoming this hurdle of not being able to beat these guys in the last five years. I think it’s more of a mental thing than a physical thing at times.”