5 Things to Know About the Salem-Beverly Thanksgiving Football Game

SALEM, MA — The Salem High School Witches and Beverly Panthers will meet for the 118th time Thursday for yet another Thanksgiving Day classic. As one of the state's oldest football rivalries, history is plentiful in this thanksgiving rivalry. Here are five things you should know about the game before you head to the stadium.

1. Game Details

Thursday's contest will begin at 10 a.m. at Hurd Stadium in Beverly.

2. 2016 Season Records

The Salem Witches carry a 3-7 record into the 2016 Thanksgiving classic. However, they will square off against a Beverly squad who made an improbable run winning the North Division 2 championship this season. Beverly knocked off top-seeded Tewksbury in the North Division 2 semifinals and No. 2 seed Billerica in the tournament final. The Panthers advanced to the state semifinals, falling to Duxbury. The Panthers currently carry an 8-3 record.

3. All-time series

This will be the 118th meeting between the two schools. According to the Boston Globe, The Witches trail the Panthers by a narrow margin all time 51-59. There have been seven ties in the series.

4. Streaks

According to the Salem News, Salem has not beaten Beverly since 2010, when the Witches topped the Panthers 12-7. In addition, Beverly has dominated the series in the 21st century by a count of 12-3. Beverly has been rather dominant during the current streak, holding the Witches scoreless in 2014.

5. Prediction

Patch High School Football guru Bob Holmes predicts that Beverly will top Salem in the 118th edition of the game, making it six in a row for the Panthers. Holmes' prediction is below:

A once promising start for the Witches has turned into five straight losses. The father-son team of Beverly's Kevin and Andrew Morency will put the loss to Duxbury behind them and finish with nine wins this fall.

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