On a crisp Thanksgiving day, the Roselle Park Panthers ended their season with a win against the Roselle Abraham Clark Rams 24-12. Other than putting the finishing touches on a second winning season in a row, the game gives current and former Roselle park residents a chance to take part in a tradition. Roselle Park native Jim Tumblety, who currently lives in Colonia, stated that he has not missed a Thanksgiving game since 1974. He stated while cheering from the sidelines with his son, “It’s going on 40 years and I love coming home to watch the game. It always starts off my Thanksgiving Day.”
With a scoreless first quarter, the Panthers scored a touchdown but followed with an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt making it 6-0. The celebration was short-lived as a kick off to the Rams resulted in a 95 yard run for a touchdown just 20 seconds later. With a failed Point After Touchdown (PAT), the game was tied at 6-6.
The Panthers turned a fumble from the Rams into a safety 4 minutes into the second half of the game, giving them a two point lead. A little more than three minutes later, the Panthers scored again for a full 7, bringing the score Panthers 15, Rams 6. With 4:09 left in the 3rd quarter, the Rams scored but could not make their PAT, making it 15-12 Panthers.
The Panthers sacked the Rams quarterback for a safety 2:46 into the 4th quarter making it 17-12. The final score was made by the Panthers for a 24-12 win by the Roselle Park Panthers.
The game brings the record for the annual tradition to 50 wins for the Panthers, 38 wins for the Rams, and 8 tied games. As the players left the field, the Seniors of the team huddled one last time for a group photograph to commemorate a memorable season.
