Carrying on a long-standing Thanksgiving tradition since 1943, the San Jose Bulldogs will battle the Lincoln Lions in the annual Big Bone Game at San Jose City College this Thursday morning (11 am).
Lincoln currently holds a 14-game winning streak over the Bulldogs; however, as the undefeated BVAL West Valley "C" Division champions, San Jose (9-0, 7-0) may just stand a fighting chance this year. The Lions similarly finished their season as the top team in the BVAL Santa Teresa "B" Division with a league record of 7-0 (8-1 overall).
“In a game where the standings are just so close, neither team has an advantage,” Lincoln head coach Kevin Collins said. “We’re just excited about the opportunity to play a game with such a great tradition.”
Both teams passed up a spot in the CCS playoffs for the Big Bone Game, and they intend to make it count.
“We are going to focus on what we always do,” Collins said. “This week, we’re going to work on our blocking schemes against the defenses we think we are going to see. In addition, we’re going to practice the fronts and coverages we are going to use against the offenses we think they are going to run. Our mindset is always to focus on Lincoln and not our opponent.”
An event attended regularly by over 6,000 fans, Big Bone is the longest standing Thanksgiving Day high school rivalry west of Missouri. Its namesake was born in 1945 when a San Jose student awarded the winning team with a cow femur bone taken from his father’s butcher shop. The weathered, painted bone still stands after 70 years, and each victor holds the honor of presenting the trophy in a glass display case within the school annually.
The Lions soundly beat the two-win San Jose team last year, 52-7, extending their dominance over the Bulldogs to 268-27 in the past five years. Nevertheless, San Jose appears far more formidable this season with its division title win in 63 years — a turnaround that has been met with enthusiasm by the entire school. In fact, Bulldogs quarterback Gabriel Miranda told San Jose Mercury News that students have even flocked to the team’s practices, filling the stands nearly half-full daily.
Meanwhile, the Lions enter the ring fresh from a 57-26 win over Mt. Pleasant (1-9, 0-7). Cardinal quarterback Richard Garcia came off the bench to finish the season with an outstanding four touchdowns in the game, but he was still no match for a formidable Lion offense that made its presence known with a 27-0 start in the first quarter. Lincoln fullback Jacob Avery led with 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns, though wide receiver Jacob Hoeksta also boasted two TDs — one a 48-yard reception and another a 24-yard run.
By halftime, Lincoln had the game in the bag 41-0. Further touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters by wingback Cristapher Ortez and Hoekstra cinched the victory despite a comeback by Mt. Pleasant that culminated with an 80-yard touchdown run by Josh Mesina.
The Lions hope that their same tried-and-true strategies from their recent win will also work against San Jose.
“Offensively, we are going to run our normal wing-T and defensively we are going to be in a 4-4,” Collins said.
Stats-wise, Lincoln still remains the favorite. While the Lions have scored an average of 37.6 points per game in the BVAL “B” Division, San Jose trails 24.2 points per game in the “C” Division of BVAL’s three-tier structure. Lincoln also holds a strong 296.9 rushing yards and 118.6 passing yards record per game.
The Little Bone JV matchup precedes each Big Bone Game, and the Lions took home the title this year as they defeated the Bulldogs by a comfortable 55-6 margin on Nov. 5.
