NEW YORK STATE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL KICKS OFF NEW RIVALRY IN 2024

NEW YORK STATE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL KICKS OFF NEW RIVALRY IN 2024
(Manlius, NY)-For the first time since 2008, New York state high school football seniors will be lacing it up against an out of state rival. After the final Governor’s Bowl matchup was played between the Empire State and New Jersey, the Upstate/Downstate Senior Classic was established in 2010. The switch marked a departure from NY playing an inter-state all-star game with border rivals to an intra-state game against themselves. That game was played until 2015 with a 2-year hiatus from 2013-2014. Since 2015, there has not been a state-wide all-star game for New York high school football seniors to play in.
That will all change in June of 2024 when senior football players from New York will strap it up against a brand-new rival, Connecticut. The Nutmeg State had its own history of inter-state and intra-state all-star games over the years. After playing Rhode Island for over 10 years, they moved to an intra-state game from 2012 to 2017 with a one-year return to play Rhode Island in 2018 before playing their last senior all-star game against themselves in 2019.
The seeds for Connecticut to find a new gridiron rivalry were laid back in the spring of 2021 after the fall football season was lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Unlike New York, Connecticut did not play a truncated season in the spring. This left the Connecticut football community looking for opportunities for its seniors to play one last game. The thought of an intra-state all-star game was discussed but it never happened. That summer, the talks increased and the coaches who had been involved in the all-star game in previous years were serious about setting something on the calendar for June 2022.
Both states returned to play in the fall of 2021. In New York, the talks of a state-wide senior all-star game were ongoing and regional games were organized between sections. For instance, there has been a Section One Exceptional Senior Game played at the end of the fall season in 2021 and 2022. On Long Island, there has been a consistent effort to organize a game between Section 8 and Section 11. While these section games provide opportunities for seniors to play in an all-star game, there has not been anything close to the Upstate/Downstate Senior Classic or the former Governor’s Bowl in the works until now.
After talks of the intra-state all-star game fell through in Connecticut in 2022, the sentiment shifted towards a desire to revive an inter-state rivalry. It was conceded that there would not be an all-star game in 2023 and the extra time would be used to line up an inter-state opponent with the goal of playing in 2024. This was settled at a meeting between CHSCA Executive Director, Joe Canzanella and a group of coaches who had been involved in the all-star game over the years. It was hosted by the CHSCA’s sports marketing company, NFP Sports. It’s founder, James Thomson has been involved with senior all-star game in Connecticut over the years. “We have supported senior all-star games in Connecticut and other states. In speaking with coaches that have been involved in running those games, I could tell there was a need to bring it back.”
“Those early discussions were simple; we need to bring the game back. Who we should play, when should we play? and all the other details were not important at that time. We just want to play” Canzanella recounted. Once those initial meetings took place, it was agreed upon, the CHSCA would bring the game back in 2024. Looking back on the history of the game, the consensus was that an inter-state game was far more appealing than an intra-state game. That led to Connecticut reaching out to its familiar opponent, Rhode Island. The matchup between the two states became a tradition but was mostly a one-sided affair with Connecticut hosting the game most years and winning convincingly with a few exceptions over the years. After the initial outreach, it was determined that Rhode Island was not interested in rekindling the rivalry.
This is where things got interesting. “If you’re talking about playing border states, that leaves New York and Massachusetts. Both were options we were interested in and it really came down to who showed interest first.” Canzanella shared. That is when Thomson called on his New York connections. “Having grown up in New York and maintaining business relationships with high school football coaches in various sections, I floated the idea to several of them.” That led Thomson to connect with NYSHSFCA Executive Director, Kevin DeParde, who immediately had interest. “A match up with Connecticut intrigued me. Having been involved in our upstate-downstate game in previous years, I knew that playing another state could be really exciting for our players and communities.”
After several phone calls between Thomson and DeParde, a meeting was set up between the NYSHSFCA and CHSCA at the New York State High School Coaches Association offices in Albany on April 26th. At that meeting, it was proposed that both organizations agree to play a two-game series taking place in June of 2024 and 2025 respectively. The first would be played in Connecticut, followed by playing the second year in New York. Several venues were discussed for both states but nothing official has been announced. 
Both sides are looking forward to sharing more details at a press conference on July 26th. That will take place at Buffalo Wild Wings in Wethersfield, CT. The restaurant is one of five Connecticut locations, owned by The Awesome Group, LLC who just committed to a sponsorship through NFP Sports to support the game, along with other football related initiatives.
Of course, an event of this magnitude is going to cost a lot to put on. That is where partnering with sponsors is going to be key. “There is no way this game happens without big commitments from sponsors in both states” contended DeParde. That is where NFP Sports comes in. As long-time sponsors, volunteers and advocates for high school football for over 20 years, they will be charged with assisting both states raise the money to make the game a reality. Thomson is confident that his team will get the job done. “In all the years we have been working on behalf of high school football in both states, we believe we can find the right partners to make this game not only a reality but a great success!” We all look forward to hearing more at the press conference on July 26th. 
For more information about the game and sponsorship opportunities, contact James Thomson - email: james@nfpsports or call (860) 920-0030.
For more information abut the New York State High School Football Coaches Association, visit www.nyshsfca.org
For more information about the Connecticut High School Coaches Association, visit www.chsca.org