Deering High’s football team will enter Thursday’s 105th Thanksgiving Day football team with significantly fewer Rams in its herd than when the season started.

But those who have stuck it out all season – including the 25-day layoff since losing to Sanford in the first round of the Class A playoffs – are ready to see how they stack up against rival Portland High.

“It means even more to us this year because we didn’t play Portland in the preseason, we didn’t play them in the regular season and we didn’t touch them in the playoffs,” said Blaize Vail, the team’s junior center and linebacker. “So it’s the one chance, the one opportunity, to play our middle-school friends.”

Kickoff at Fitzpatrick Stadium is at 10:30 a.m.

Both schools’ athletic directors said earlier this week they think the time is right to discuss the continued viability of the Thanksgiving game, which has been an exhibition since 1967. Crowds that were once routinely around 5,000 have dwindled into the hundreds in recent years.

Deering finished its season with a 3-6 record, finishing fifth in the seven-team Class A South region. Portland (9-2) won Class A North and advanced to its second straight state championship game, losing to Bonny Eagle 34-14 on Saturday.

“They just lost a state championship so I expect (Portland) to want to give us the business,” said Deering Coach Jason Jackson.

Deering intends to give it right back.

“Oh, we can beat them. Those are the same kids we grew up with,” said senior running back/linebacker Rob Dacey, who added that his Rams have as much if not more talent than that Bulldogs.

“They got some good coaching,” said Daicy. “They’ve got some stuff working for them. They’ve been playing well in the playoffs but we can handle them. They better come ready.”

Deering started the season with 38 players in the sophomore, junior and senior classes. Of that group, Jackson said between 25 and 30 will be ready to play Thursday.

His freshman class, as a whole, hasn’t practiced since its season ended. At Tuesday’s chilly practic, fewer than 20 players were present, with others attending winter sport tryouts.

“We lost a lot of players during the season for all kinds of different reasons,” Jackson said. “This is a tough game and for some, the grind was just a little much. Others, other things took them off the field. But after that, pretty much everybody we have is out here.”

“These kids, I’m proud to call them my brothers and proud to step on the field with them and wear Deering on my chest,” Vail said.

That group includes first-team all-Class A South defensive tackle Raffaele Salamone and Nate Richards, a first-team pick on offense and second-team choice on defense.

“You lose the first round of the playoffs and the next three weeks you’re thinking about this game,” Salamone said. “We took a week off but since then you’re just out here practicing in the cold looking forward to this game. It’s Portland. You’ve got to look forward to it.”

“Really we’ve had a group of guys that you could tell would stick it out for the whole season,” Richards said. “If they’re passionate about the sport, why not play another game?”

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