By KEVIN D. ROBERTS
Assistant Sports Editor
The annual Thanksgiving morning battle between the Torrington and Watertown football teams has produced plenty of heroics and physical games in its 45-year history.
The series is tied 22-22-1, thanks to three straight wins by the Red Raiders.
The Torrington win streak began with a thriller in 2008 at the Robert H. Frost Sports Complex at Torrington High School. The Raiders trailed the Indians 13-6 with 3:18 remaining in the game, but junior quarterback Chris Deberry led the team 80 yards. His 13-yard touchdown pass to Darrick Williams made it 13-12 with no time left on the clock. Instead of going for the extra point, first-year head coach Dan Dunaj elected to go for two. Deberry rolled to his left and found the end zone for a thrilling 14-13 victory.
Given the close games that have occurred throughout the years, it cant be much of surprise that the first matchup between these two rivals, in 1966, ended in an 8-8 tie.
My brother Jim played in that, Torrington assistant coach and longtime trainer Mike lsquo;Doc McKenna said during practice last Tuesday.
In that game, Torringtons Mike Amminato had a shoe-top tackle of Watertowns Chris Burke for the game-tying safety late in the third quarter.
McKenna recalled his senior year game, a 16-15 win in 1972. The year before, a key fumble doomed the Raiders in a loss.
Theres been some good football players that have played in it, McKenna said of the rivalry.
In 1973 and 1974, Torrington topped Watertown by identical 7-6 scores, thanks to an extra point by Dan Jacobs in both contests.
In 1981, little-used senior place kicker Mike McCarthy made a 17-yard field goal with 17 seconds left to give the Raiders an 18-15 win over the Indians. Continued…
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