Every Thanksgiving, a San Francisco tradition for the last 85 years takes place at Kezar Stadium -- the high school football championship, better known to most folks as The Turkey Bowl.
For the fifth straight year, Lincoln, where I graduated, will go for the championship. If they win, it'll be the first time in San Francisco history that a high school has won five straight Turkey Bowls.
This year, their opponent is Galileo, who is making its first appearance since 2001.
What makes this story special is that Galileo had lost 18 straight games coming into this season. They lost their first game this year and had a 19 game losing streak before winning their first game this season. For a little over 2 years, they lost every single game. However, they weren't quitters, they stuck with it, and persevered through the hard times and they are now one win away from a championship. Sound familiar?
I had a blast at work Tuesday as I went to both high schools to interview the coaches and players from Galileo and Lincoln before the big game. Both were pretty optimistic and said the usual we tried hard, worked hard and it'll be a good game stuff. But I felt like they really meant it.
The two seniors I talked to at Galileo played on those losing teams and you can just tell by the look in their eyes the hard work they put in to get to where they were. Their coach, also an art teacher at Galileo has done a remarkable job taking this team from worst to a possible first.
Over at Lincoln, it seemed like business as usual as the team goes to the championship on almost a yearly basis. The coach was joking around with his team, making fun of them, but ended the huddle seriously making sure his team knew that they had to put in the work to make history.
Of course, I will be rooting for Lincoln, but I won't be disappointed if Galileo takes this one.
We at St. Mary's can identify with those who struggle and hit rock bottom, yet continue to fight.
Kick-off tomorrow is at 11 a.m. from Kezar Stadium. If you have nothing to do, it is definitely worth checking out.
Here's what aired earlier tonight on the news:
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