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PREP AND MALVERN ANNOUNCE NEW THANKSGIVING GAME
This year, a new Thanksgiving football rivalry will begin as St. Joseph’s Prep matches up with Malvern Prep, renewing a holiday rivalry from the early 1970's. The first game in this new series will take place on Thursday, November 22 at 10:30am, at Villanova Stadium.
This is a change in holiday opponents for The Prep, which ended its long-standing Thanksgiving rivalry with La Salle in March. Since both teams are now in the same division of the Catholic League, guaranteeing a game during the regular season and possibly a playoff game, the two teams decided to stop scheduling the other on Thanksgiving. The Prep-La Salle game began in 1976, after The Prep had played Roman Catholic from 1920-71.
“While our rivalry with La Salle will continue, we are excited to be adding a new opponent on Thanksgiving and renewing a tradition,” says Rev. William J. Byron, S.J., President of St. Joseph’s Prep. “St. Joseph’s Prep and Malvern Prep also share core Christian values and mission and we are very excited to be partnering with them for this game.”
From 1973-75, The Prep played Malvern on Thanksgiving, with the Friars winning all three games. During that span, St. Joseph’s Prep’s head football coach Gil Brooks played for current Malvern coach Gamp Pellegrini, who was then the coach at The Prep. Pellegrini has become one of the legendary coaches in area football.
Since then, Malvern’s Thanksgiving opponent has changed quite a few times. The Friars have played Monsignor Bonner (1980 and 2004-06), Archbishop Carroll (1984-2000) and Cardinal O’Hara (1978). They are 18-3-1 on Thanksgiving against those three opponents.
“Malvern Prep is excited to renew this Thanksgiving tradition with St. Joseph’s Prep,” says James H. Stewart, President of Malvern Prep. “The game will help build a new relationship between the schools and is an event that our students, alumni and entire community look forward to with much anticipation.”