Lawrence Scherpa holds one of the four volumes he compiled on the 100 years of the Agawam-West Side Thanksgiving football game.
Reminder Publishing photo by Mike Lydick
AGAWAM — Lawrence Scherpa’s first memory of the annual Thanksgiving football matchup between Agawam and West Springfield high schools was the 1956 game when he was eight years old.
Memories of that game and others inspired him to start researching the history of the rivalry that started in 1924. Scherpa previously researched and compiled a booklet that profiled AHS football teams between 1924 and 1999.
Scherpa started his latest research project in October 2024. By the 100th football game between the Brownies and the Terriers on Thanksgiving Day 2024, he only had finished the first decade on what he calls “The Game.”
Now, a year later — after countless hours of research — the project is finished. “Agawam/West Springfield Football: The First 100 Years/1924-2024” includes nearly all “The Game’s” aspects — coaches, cheerleaders, bands, color guards, pep rallies and the many pre-game traditions.
The project was a massive undertaking by Scherpa, a 1965 AHS graduate. What he compiled fills more than 1,000 pages divided into four volumes and 10 chapters on the decades and eras leading up to 2024. Scherpa decided early on that each decade would be unique so it could stand on its own but be similar in design.
Each chapter includes an introductory section, game articles and summaries, including player profiles and an archives section. When the decade chapters were complete, Scherpa created a Cumulative Record Book.
“It seemed like a reasonable approach to the project, which at the start, appeared to be an overwhelming task — 100 games. My plan was to move the project along, in some way, every day,” he said.
Scherpa did most of his research on his home computer. He also subscribed to a powerful newspaper search engine that allowed access to feature stories that preceded each game and news stories of “The Game.”
He also consulted AHS yearbooks online through the Agawam Public Library’s website. The West Springfield Public Library had physical yearbooks that he reviewed.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
During his research, Scherpa uncovered a discrepancy in reporting that has endured for more than four decades: The 1949 Thanksgiving game is listed as “no game.” He wondered why. Was it weather, a flu outbreak, mass ineligibility or some sort of team dissension?
“I couldn’t find an answer, but if the newspaper said ‘no game,’ there must have been no game,” said Scherpa. “However, when reviewing the 1950 yearbook for clues, no mention was made of the 1949 game.”
Scherpa used his newspaper search engine to find the answer. He located a newspaper article that proved a game was played in November 1949 — West Springfield upset Agawam 18-14. “But starting in the 1980s, the 1949 game was not listed. Lists went from 1948 to 1950 omitting 1949,” he said. “The listing error persists to the present day.”
Working on the project has been “a great journey,” with many interesting side trips along the way, said Scherpa.
He also learned that some remarkable people have played in “The Game.” They included a four-star general and chief of staff of the Army, a Heisman Trophy winner, an Olympic gold medalist, a few who went on to play in the MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA.
Two players are in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and one coached Michigan State to an NCAA Hockey Championship. There are also former players who became mayors, school superintendents, teachers and prominent area coaches.
“Not bad for a small school rivalry in the western part of a small state,” said Scherpa.
While Scherpa knew his father played for AHS in the 1936 game, he made a personal discovery about his time as a Brownie. “My father played against West Side player Angelo Bertelli — a future Heisman Trophy winner. I never knew that until now because of this project.”
Scherpa remembers hearing about exploits of some players from his father’s era – including AHS players “Cracker” Jones, Sam Provo, John Schinelli. Scherpa grew up in North Agawam, with Provo, Sammy Provo Jr. and Schinelli as neighbors. “Hopefully, the work I’ve compiled will keep memories of their athletic accomplishments alive.”
Although Scherpa loved the game, he didn’t play football at AHS. Coach Harmon Smith told him when he was a ninth grader that he was too small. Instead of football, he played hockey for three years. but Scherpa still got in involved in the Agawam-West Springfield rivalry.
“‘The Game’ defined the season for both teams — whether they won or lost,” Scherpa said. “Many AHS graduates, including myself, still consider the annual Agawam-West Side game as a must-attend event. Perhaps it’s because of the intensity of the rivalry we all felt when we were younger, but most AHS grads have positive memories of the game because Agawam usually won.”
While the Turkey Day game has been a long-standing tradition for both teams, with some early games played at the Eastern States Exposition, “The Game” wasn’t always played on Thanksgiving Day. In fact, between 1924 and 1955, they were usually played the first week in November — and that wasn’t their last games of the season as it is now. But it’s the only game that has been on each team’s schedule since 1924.
When Scherpa started the project, he was only thinking of the Agawam perspective. But he quickly realized that West Springfield also had a story to tell. “While the finished project may not be 50-50, I hope it’s no more than 55-45. I also have a new-found respect for our cross-river rivals.”
All four volumes and the Cumulative Record Book will be distributed digitally to both the Agawam and West Springfield public libraries as well as to the Agawam Athletic Department and the Agawam Historical Society. For more information, email Scherpa at lscherpa@comcast.net.
