Here are a few tasty tids and bits to wet your appetite for today’s feasts:

First, it’s Year Number Four without a local high school Thanksgiving Eve or Day football game, Do you miss it? We do and we don’t. After a busy fall season – which actually still has one more game statewide to go with Saturday’s Division I championship game – selfishly it’s nice to unwind. You can probably bet the athletic officials and coaches may feel the say way at Nashua North and South. It certainly doesn’t seem like it’s going to come back anytime soon, not in its current format. Thanksgiving is late next year (Nov. 28) and we’d likely bet that all the division championships will be decided before that. It’ll be a wrap. If a Turkey Bowl in the area does come back, one wonders if Bishop Guertin would get involved. The Cards obviously haven’t really missed it for 20 years, otherwise they’d be in one by now.

—– While some winter sports such as wrestling, swimming, bowling have started their practices, Monday will be hockey and basketbal’s big first day – except for hoop’s Division III and IV – and there will be several new coaches taking over programs. Most notable will be new Bishop Guertin girls hoop coach Oliva Orlando, taking over for the highly successful Brad Kreick, who stepped down in March after arguably the most successful local girls hoop coaching reign since the late John Fagula/Nashua High School days. Also of note, Nashua North-Souhegan hockey will have yet another new coach – incredibly its seventh since the co-op began in 2015-16. That will be Chris Zarlinga, who was an assistant under former Saber-Titan coach Bill Kotsifas. Also, for the first time in several years, Bob Murphy won’t be the Cavaliers basketball bench, as he stepped down after last season. His assistant, Heidi Moore, is taking over. And Ryan Kelley is the new head coach for boys basketball, as Marty Edwards did not return after a couple of tough seasons.

—- Can there be any more certainty of the core reason why the New England Patriots have struggled so much, and why it’s been such a frustrating time for fans, coaches, players, and ownership? We’ve gone from the greatest QB of all time to four years later and a week in which the Patriots won’t name a startng quarterback for Sunday’s game at the Giants. It’s just going to be an insufferable soap opera until we see how things unfold after the season.

— Second-year Rivier athletic director Jonathan Harper has to be grinning from ear to ear, as his coaching moves, and non moves, appear to be paying off. Men’s basketball, after over a decade of futility (although two years ago the Raiders were competitve) is off to a 4-1 start under new coach Tom Glynn, getting a big win at Brooklyn the other night. And while men’s hockey is 2-4-1 under new coach Shaun Millerick after a tough 8-1 loss at a very good Trinity team the other night, they put on great show vs. SNHU the previous week. Women’s basketball has been sold, and women’s hockey has made the progression third year coach Chris Czarnota has wanted. It will be an interesting winter at Riv, for sure, likely a much better one than a year ago.

— And finally, let’s not forget everything we have sports wise – and othewise — in the area to be thankful for, and keep in mind those less fortunate. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, and as always,thanks for reading.

Tom King may be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow King on Twitter (@Telegraph_TomK).

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