By Brayden Haley ‘25
This year, the 125th annual Beverly-Salem Thanksgiving football game returned to our beloved Hurd Stadium, bringing with it the age-old rivalry between the two cities. Although it was a cold, windy day, Beverly (and Salem) fans packed the stadium waiting for the opening kickoff. The Panthers, holding a record of 1-9, looked to rectify themselves as they aimed to steal the ultimate win by stopping the machine that was the Salem Witches. In the end, the youthful Beverly roster could not pull off the victory against a veteran Salem team, but they sure put up a valiant effort.
The 1st Quarter played out exactly how the Panthers wanted it to. Their defense managed to contain the juggernaut Salem offense to zero first-quarter points, a great sign of things to come in the later stages of the game. At one point midway through the quarter, Salem was able to threaten inside the Panthers red zone (past the opponent’s 20-yard line), however, a clutch stop by Jack Consedine and Co. led to a turnover on downs and the Panthers with the ball deep in their own territory.
However, things would begin to change in the second quarter of the contest. Salem, having already driven a good distance down the field by the end of the first, was able to put up their first points of the game on an 18-yard touchdown pass by elite quarterback Corey Grimes. Beverly sought to fight back as on the kickoff after the touchdown, Daniel Conant brought it back 37 yards with a strong return. The Panthers attempted to turn the tide of the game as Danny Pierce completed a pass on 4th & 2 to give them a fresh set of downs. However, this drive would fall short resulting in a punt pinning the Witches inside their own 15-yard line. Salem, electing for a balance of hard-hitting run plays and long passes, charged down the field and, with under two minutes to play, Grimes found his go-to receiver in Rocco Ryan to put them up 14-0. Salem once again managed to score within the final minute increasing the lead to 21-0 at halftime.
An eventful halftime show titled “Rebellion” capped by the BHS Marching Band entertained the fans that showed up to the game, as the Panthers had a solid line-up of songs: “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, “Rock the Casbah”, “Another Brick in the Wall” and “The Hand That Feeds.
Providing some amp to the atmosphere, the Beverly band was an excellent transition into the 3rd Quarter, which flashed some improvements from the Beverly offense. Although an early pick-6 coming out of halftime would bring Salem up to 28 unanswered points, the middle of the quarter was where the Panthers showed their strength. After a crazy hit by Shane Callahan led to a pass breakup, keeping the Witches from scoring again, Beverly took the ball back with something to prove. A fumbled snap would surprisingly benefit the Panthers as Jayden Santos shoveled the ball back to Liam Timpone who threw a 12-yard pass directed at QB Danny Pierce. Momentarily abandoning the run-heavy playbook, Coach Hutton called a cunning pass play on 4th & 30 that resulted in a 1st down. This play eventually set up a 19-yard TD pass from Danny to Liam Timpone, putting Beverly on the board for the first time.
Down 35-6 heading into the 4th Quarter, Beverly needed some well-executed plays in order to make somewhat of a comeback. Having advanced the field on runs and well-timed passes, Danny Pierce found runningback Jayden Santos in the flat for an 11-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to three scores. However, after an electrifying TD, the remainder of the game was relatively anticlimactic, with many possessions ending in punts or turnovers. Final Score: 35-14.
Despite the fact that the Panthers have dropped the last two Thanksgiving games, there is still some optimism for next season, as they will have a more veteran-filled roster with much more in-game experience. Undoubtedly, Beverly will strive to perfect what they are good at and improve from their mistakes in the offseason continuing into next fall. Until then, Go Panthers!
Image Credit: Jaime Campos – Salem News
