The game lives on.

On May 6, Catasauqua Area School District Board of Education voted 6-2 to retain the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Day football game between Catasauqua High School Rough Riders and Northampton Area High School Konkrete Kids.

The game, which has been played for more than 100 years, has been up for discussion the last couple of months. The matter was on the April 8 board agenda for cancellation, but after hearing from a number of community members and students, the vote was tabled. Board members said they wanted to collect more information and feedback before making their final votes.

At the April 8 meeting, district administration and football staff cited potential safety concerns for the Catasauqua athletes. They compared statistics of the two schools, including roster numbers, size and weight of the players and resources. It was noted the NAHS players are larger and outnumber Catasauqua and have access to more resources, which could give them the advantage.

The administration said they did not want to expose the players to extra risks or injury by making them play a team they would never see in regular competition. Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association has a classification system for its schools, largely based off size. High school football teams are separated into six classifications, based on male enrollment numbers in grades 9-11. CHS’ PIAA classification is 2A, with 193 students, and the NAHS’ classification is 6A, with 788.

There were also legal concerns for the district if a student gets hurt.

The administration stressed they understood the importance of honoring tradition, but questioned if now would be a good time to change the tradition, while still retaining the beloved rivalry, before the size disparities grew too large. Alternative ideas were sought for consideration.

There were a large number of community members, parents, football players and alumni who spoke at both the April 8 and May 6 meetings. The major themes included the importance of tradition, the strong community bonds and the inherent risk of injury in playing any sporting event.

Speakers evoked emotional memories of watching or playing in the game and stressed how important the game is to the school and larger community.

“The community has spoken. We want to continue our tradition,” Catasauqua resident Robert Zakos said.

At the April 8 meeting, student athlete Chris Wellington presented the board with a petition. He and some of his teammates went door to door around the borough, soliciting support to keep the game alive. He also attended the May 6 meeting and personally shook hands with all of the board members at the end of the meeting.

When it came time for the vote, board Secretary Jason Bashaw made the motion to keep the game, which was quickly seconded by Shawn McGinley. Voting yes were board President Dale Hein, Vice President Jillian Emert and members Jamie Nattress, Lauren Cieslak, Bashaw and McGinley. Voting against keeping the game were board members Jeremy Smale and Eric DeLabar. Board Treasurer Christy Cooper was absent.

After the vote, cheers and applause rose from the audience in celebration. There were even additional latent cheers that filtered into the meeting room after the board continued moving forward with the rest of the meeting agenda.

At the end of the meeting, Smale gave special recognition to the families and students for the effort that went into their presentations to the board. They were thoughtfully planned out to make their case most effectively to the board.

Bashaw thanked the district administration team for bringing their concerns and research to the board’s attention and for their concern for the students’ wellbeing. He also acknowledged the community for advocating for their belief and the students for their mature and respectful arguments in favor of the game.

Bashaw noted this was a difficult decision for the board members to make, but despite not always seeing eye to eye on the issue, they had courageous and respectful conversations. He reported everyone was passionate about their points, but the conversation never turned combative or heated, which is a testament to the collaborative spirit of the CASD school environment.