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Schools

The Social Side Of Football

Hall and Conard families get together before and during the game.

I arrived at the Hall High School parking lot around noon, 90 minutes before the kick-off for the Hall-Conard football game. I was hoping to find some good tailgating, and I wasn't disappointed.

My first stop was at a grilling area named "Lundy Pavilion" which was hosted by Eric Lund, whose son plays for Hall. Grilling had commenced at 11:00 a.m., and the menu included sweet sausages and peppers, Coney Island chili, and hot dogs – which all smelled delicious. Rick Sanford, whose son graduated from Hall, attends this tailgate event every year. He still comes back to see all the families he knows from the community.

The other major tailgate event inter-mingled Conard and Hall fans, and was co-hosted by the Macca and Claflin families. Frank Macca played football at Hall, but his son, Nick Macca, is now one of the assistant coaches at Conard. Frank was wearing a UConn sweatshirt for an appearance of neutrality. His father – Frank Macca, Sr., who just turned 80 – was the patriarch of the event. The other Macca brothers – Bob Macca and John Macca– were manning the grill, and the feast included hotdogs, hamburgers, chili, and ribs. Marcia Macca– Bob "Tailgate-meister's" wife -- insisted I have a hotdog, which I accepted because the smell of all that grilled food had made me very hungry, and it was delicious.

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The Maccas introduced me to the Clafin family which was also hosting the tailgate party. Rob Claflin played football for Hall, but his son Jeremy Claflin is now a senior on the Conard football team. Rob's wife, Joan Claflin, also graduated from Hall – where she was a cheerleader and Rob was the quarterback in the mid-1970s. Their initial move to the Conard side of town came about because their home was re-districted.

Beth Bye pronounced the event "the best tailgate." She was wearing blue and planning to root for Hall where her daughter is a student. But partner Tracey Wilson, who teaches History at Conard, was wearing red. Marcia Macca joked that "it's all in good fun right now, until my son, who is now in 8th grade, is on the Hall team."

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I saw several families from my street, including Ken Swanson (Conard '81) whose sister, Linnea Swanson Field (Conard "83) and husband Jim Field (Conard "79) had just flown in with their kids from California for an extended Thanksgiving visit.

The game was a sellout, it was perfect "football weather," and the standing-room-only crowd enjoyed socializing even though the score was lopsided.

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