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Fciac Restores Darien Vs. New Canaan Football Match-Up On Thanksgiving

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- The Fairfield County Interscholastic Conference has changed the football schedule for the fall to allow for Thanksgiving Day rivalry games after a controversial decision on the dates for playoff games wiped away the Turkey Day tradition. 

Darien vs. New Canaan is a top rivalry match-up in FCIAC football. The game is traditionally played on Thanksgiving.

Darien vs. New Canaan is a top rivalry match-up in FCIAC football. The game is traditionally played on Thanksgiving.

Photo Credit: File

The FCIAC had announced changes last week, ruling that all 17 member schools would play nine regular season games and be divided into two divisions. The winners of each division would play each other in the FCIAC Championship on Thanksgiving.

But in a statement issued Friday, the FCIAC moved the date of the playoff games and allowed the match-ups to be rescheduled. 

"The FCIAC is making the following adjustment to the 2015 football schedule: We are changing the football championship from Thanksgiving Day to the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 21. In turn, the rivalry games scheduled on the weekend before Thanksgiving can be played on Thanksgiving Day or any other date between Friday, Nov. 20, and Thursday, Nov. 26, by mutual consent of participating teams," said a statement from FCIAC Executive Secretary John Kuczo on the league’s website, FCIAC.net:

The decision had sparked an outcry of protests and even led to a petition drive to restore the games. 

The Turkey Day rivalry football games are a tradition at high schools all over Fairfield County. It has become part of the holiday for students, alumni and community members to join together for match-ups between rivals Darien vs. New Canaan, Staples vs. Greenwich, Brien McMahon vs. Norwalk, Ridgefield vs. Danbury, Wilton vs. Trinity Catholic, Bridgeport Central vs. Harding, Fairfield Ludlowe vs. Fairfield Warde, Westhill vs. Stamford, and St. Joseph vs. Trumbull.

"I will be organizing a football scheduling advisory committee comprised of FCIAC football coaches and athletic directors," Kuczo said. "This committee’s charge will be to examine all options for a football schedule available to our league, given the new CIAC mandate of a maximum of 10 regular season games. This committee will report its findings to our scheduling committee by September, 2015, and a new schedule will be developed. The 2016 schedule will represent what is most important to FCIAC players, coaches, athletic directors and communities." 

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