With weekend off, a chance to look ahead

Teams prepare for Thanksgiving

According to Duxbury coach Dave Maimaron (left), his players focus on physical rest and mental preparation for their traditional holiday rival. (Robert E. Klein for The Boston Globe/File 2007)

F ilm sessions, community functions, and other activities will replace games on this weekend's schedule for most of the area's high school football players. Only one team south of Boston, Old Colony Regional Vocational - which is hosting Mayflower Small champ Tri-County Regional - will play on Saturday. The rest will be in the midst of their annual bye week in preparation for Thanksgiving Day.

Those matchups will mean playoff chances for some, postseason preparation for others, and the end of the season for the rest. Game plans vary from team to team on how best to use the week before Turkey Day.

The Duxbury-Marshfield matchup features two of the area's best programs, with both teams headed to the postseason a week from Tuesday. Both coaches view the game as a chance to prepare for the postseason.

Marshfield coach Lou Silva said he is cautious about overworking players in the sessions leading up to Thanksgiving Day. Practices are shortened, using the philosophy that "if we have to turn the lights on, then we're practicing too long," Silva said.

Marshfield (9-1), which captured the Atlantic Coast League title with a 6-0 record, will face Bay State Carey champ Framingham (8-2) on Dec. 2 in a Division 1A playoff. Silva said it is not the time to hold intense scrimmages or do a lot of hitting. Instead, the Rams took a couple days off and this weekend will hold a 10 a.m. practice session to prepare for Thursday's early start.

"With Marshfield and Duxbury, we don't fear each other. We highly respect each other's programs every year. It's a great game this year," Silva said. "It's going to be a little extra special - they're very, very good, and it's going to take a lot for us to knock them off."

In Duxbury, coach Dave Maimaron said his players also focused more on resting their bodies and mentally preparing for next week. On Monday, players participated in workouts in the pool. Next Wednesday, former Duxbury High players will return to join the unbeaten Patriot League champion Green Dragons at practice.

All of it is just to make sure the players are ready, but they are more than aware of the implications of the game, Maimaron said.

"You don't have to worry about any type of motivational speech on Thanksgiving," Maimaron said. "It's a great game because both teams are going to the playoffs, and this is a like a playoff game. I don't know if we'll play a better team in the playoffs."

Among the teams still hoping to clinch a postseason berth, Norton (9-1) can wrap up the Tri-Valley League title with a victory over winless Bellingham (0-10). The Crusaders are seeking their first playoff spot since 1985.

Coach Robb McCoy said no matter the scenario, the Norton staff tries to keep the mood light before Thanksgiving. Players are part of school activities and coaches encourage the team with unique challenges at practices.

"It's such a long season that there's nothing that you're going to do until Thanksgiving that's going to make a drastic difference," McCoy said. "The kids already have the skills. You are what you are. . . . It's more about mental preparation."

Plymouth South is out of the playoff hunt, but its game against Plymouth North rarely lacks excitement. Last year, Plymouth South pulled out a 17-7 win. Plymouth South players got a couple of days off from practice and used the time to read at local elementary schools. The team has visited the younger students for the last few years, according to coach Scott Fry.

"It's a great way for them to give back to the community, and they can see some of their old teachers," Fry said.

For the first time since 1989, Middleborough earned a piece of its league championship, sharing the Patriot League's Fisher Division with Hanover. But Hanover won the tiebreaker with its 13-5 win over Middleborough earlier in the year.

This season has been a number of firsts for first-year head coach John Shea. As Middleborough prepares for Carver, Shea said he is relying on his experience as an assistant coach at schools like Catholic Memorial and Cambridge to help his team prepare for next week.

Last season Carver won, 7-6, and Shea said he can sense the eagerness among his players to get revenge.

Shea and Cohasset coach Peter Afanasiw agree that next week is also a special time for seniors. Cohasset has held a light week of practice as it prepares for Hull.

"Thanksgiving Day is all about tradition, rivalry, and the seniors," Afanasiw said. "Most of the seniors will not be playing football ever again. They'll never play together again as a group. So we're trying to send them off with a positive, rewarding experience on that day and a lifelong memory."

Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com.