By Wesley Harris
Claiborne Parish Library
Homer (7-2) and Haynesville (8-1) will tangle on the gridiron tonight in their quests to reach the postseason.
The century-old rivalry is one of legends in high school sports. Had you been around 50 to 100 years ago, Thanksgiving Day would have been the day you journeyed to the Homer or Haynesville stadium to watch the local teams battle one another.
In the 1920s and for decades thereafter, many high schools and colleges played games on Thanksgiving afternoon. The annual matchup between Homer and Haynesville, dating back to 1907, included a Thanksgiving Day game alternating between the two towns.
No bright lights lit up the stadiums in 1907. There were no stands to sit in; everyone stood on the sidelines to watch the games. The stadiums lacked lights, so games were played during daylight hours.
The team uniforms—anything but uniform—were bought by the players’ parents or with money earned by the players themselves. If the uniform got torn, it was patched. Often cleats were purchased and added to everyday shoes. Leather helmets did not provide enough protection to be considered safety gear.
Football was a tough sport played by some very tough young men. But the game of football caught hold and maintains a fierce grip on Claiborne Parish in 2023.
In a story documenting an historic house in Homer, Sarah McClung Little described her family’s Thanksgiving traditions: “Everyone arrived early for the Thanksgiving feast to eat before hurrying off to the annual Homer-Haynesville football game. If the game was played in Homer, the family just walked across the street to the high school stadium. If it was to be played in Haynesville, they ate faster before driving the 13 miles north.”
Pam Suggs, director of the Claiborne Parish Library, remembers the annual Homer- Haynesville game on Thanksgiving as a “big deal.”
“Everyone got dressed up in their hats and gloves and suits and ties for the afternoon game,” Suggs said. “Sometimes the Thanksgiving game was also Homecoming and that was an even bigger deal.”
Thanksgiving Day games were sometimes coupled with parades and crowning of Homecoming queens. Concession workers experienced slow sales with everyone still stuffed with turkey and dressing and all the trimmings.
The holiday game tradition faded over time. Now the Homer-Haynesville game may occur on any Friday night once district play begins. On Thanksgiving we eat, visit a bit with family, settle in front of the TV and fall asleep before the pro game is over. And maybe along the way, we give thanks and count our blessings.