Login | October 21, 2025
Thanksgiving high school all-star game continues tradition
BENJAMIN WHITE
Associate Editor
Published: November 25, 2013
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Joe Rogers Jr. is probably thankful for the Thanks4Giving game, a new annual tradition bringing Summit County’s best high school football players on the same turf.
Rogers had not attracted much attention from collegiate scouts, but his performance turned some MAC scout heads.
“He went out and against all odds he actually won the offensive MVP,” said Jay Brophy Jr., one of the event’s founders. “He put up over 250 yards rushing and two touchdowns and earned himself a scholarship to Kent.”
“Stuff like that – even talking about it now I get pumped up, because we’re really helping these kids,” he said.
The fourth iteration of the Thanks4Giving game, held on Thanksgiving at 10:30 a.m. at St. Vincent St. Mary’s High School’s John Cistone Field, will cost only $5 and a can of food. The founders teamed with the Native American Indian Culture Center and the Akron/Canton Food Bank to serve those without Thanks giving meals while giving some of the county’s best players more looks from area colleges.
“They’re actually taking the cans collected that day, opening them, cooking them and putting them on people’s plates that day,” Brophy said. “It’s such a humbling event.”
In 2012, over 3,000 fans attended the game.
Thanksgiving high school football games used to be an Akron tradition; from World War II until the ‘90s, the City Series Champions dined on turkey. When the state playoff format changed, scheduling Thanksgiving games became impossible, and the tradition ended in 1992.
A few years ago, former STVM players Brophy and Jake Thompson, who played at Walsh University and The University of Akron, respectively, toyed with the idea of restoring the Thanksgiving game. After approaching the STVM administration and the Ohio High School Athletic Association, they contacted all 28 high school football coaches in the county, asking for three or four all-star nominations from each.
With the help of local sports media, the game’s organizers then picked the players, and history was born in 2010.
“All the invites are mailed out,” Brophy said. “Each has a nice logo on it – we typed the name and all that stuff, so it gives you that humbling experience. It makes you feel good.”
After two years of success, Brophy said he took time off from his job in the mortgage industry to add to the game. This year, organizers will present a punt, pass and kick competition featuring children battling cancer through a partnership with Camp Quality. The Akron Rubberducks will sponsor memorabilia to affected family, and a band comprised of members of all 28 schools is being selected.
The game will not look like the NFL’s Pro Bowl – the action is full-go, and scouts will take notes.
“We bring college coaches from the area. We bring them out to the game, just to try and give some of the these kids a shot when they were looked over,” Brophy said.
“We have a couple D1 kids that come out and participate, but it’s mostly for those kids that are looking for another opportunity.”
Past Thanks4Giving players include Tommy Brown, the standout former Firestone lineman currently playing at The Ohio State University. Brophy said ormer STVM cornerback Doran Grant, who starts for the Buckeyes, watched from the sideline but regretted not playing.
“He said, ‘this is awesome, man!’” remembered Brophy.
Still, the organizers aim to avoid the sensationalized exploitation of teenage athletes.
“No one’s a 5-star athlete that day. Everyone’s a kid representing his school from Summit County, Ohio. He’s gonna play football and have fun doing it,” Brophy said.
This year’s coaches will be Mike Laktash of North High School for the West squad and Kevin Vaugh of Springfield High School for the East. Each year, between 80 and 90 students fill the rosters. MVP awards and trophies will be presented after the game.
“We just want this to be something that people remember and feel good about because they supported it,” said Brophy.