Bonus thoughts from Pisini Field.

Here are some random thoughts from one of the most memorable games in the history of the King Philip-Franklin rivalry:

** What a perfect day for a game, and what a perfect site for such a big game. The re-do of the Pisini Field complex a few years ago has produced an outstanding venue for football. I am a big fan of FieldTurf and the way it allows athletes to play at their peak and not have field conditions interfere. The rainy weather of the past couple of days could have rendered a worn-out grass field unplayable, but the Warriors and Panthers did not have to face those problems Thursday.

One thing that may have upset a few folks in the estimated crowd of 6,500 was that very few individuals were allowed inside the fence that serves as the perimeter around the football field and track. I was one of the lucky ones, of course, but I can certainly understand why the coaches would prefer to have a little breathing room between them and a huge crowd.

It may have meant more distant views for a lot of the fans, but in this day and age, it makes more sense from a crowd-control sense.

I did get a kick out of seeing the hillside between the field and the Horace Mann Middle School (which was Franklin High when I was in high school) filled with fans. They had approximately the same angled view that I might in the press box at LandShark Stadium in Miami, home of the Dolphins (albeit lower), and I hope they had fun from this unique vantage point. One problem with Thanksgiving games is that fans often can't see what happens at the far end of the field because they're standing at ground level. But if you've got a nearby hillside, use it -- as long as you can charge admission for it!

** I've been wracking my brain to try to figure out why one team succeeded and another didn't despite taking a very similar approach to the game defensively.

Both teams shut down the run, at least in the early going. They also pressured the opposing quarterback -- both teams had three sacks -- and after a scoreless first quarter, I wondered if anyone was going to score in this game.

I think the answer rests in the style of the quarterbacks, and what their unique capabilities as athletes allowed them to do.

Measure the quarterbacks by the NFL rating system, and one story is told. KP's Brandon Howard (7-13, 133 yards, one TD, no interceptions) had a 115.2 passer rating, and Franklin's Nick Colson (6-17, 136 yards, two TD, one interception) had a 79.5 passer rating. So you'd think Howard should win, right?

Well, not necessarily so. Franklin's offense is based upon Colson's ability to escape trouble with his running ability (78 yards against KP). His throws may be a little erratic at times when he's moving, but it helps keep him alive to make a play -- and the Warriors certainly had to respect his running ability, and could not overcommit to all-out blitzes. It's a testimony to the ability of the KP defense that it could keep Colson's receivers tied up long enough to corral him in the backfield three times, Kevin Donahue making all three sacks.

Howard, on the other hand, is more of a classic dropback quarterback, although he can certainly keep a defense honest if he puts his head down and heads up the middle. But he was not going to be breaking many outside runs, and the Franklin defense did a good job of containing KP's runners, so Howard was basically channeled into having to throw or run up the middle himself to sustain drives. And when you know that's coming, it's time to tee off.

Why don't you see more running quarterbacks in the pros? Well, easy. If you're going to commit so much money to a player who's the leader of your offense, you don't want him to take the beating that he would take from players twice his size but almost as quick. In high school and college, at least the mobile QB still has a fighting chance.

** When you think about it, KP really did dodge a few bullets in Thursday's game.

The first was when Matt Carini threw an option pass to Colson on the left sideline, picking up 18 yards to the KP 32 before Colson fumbled upon being hit. There's another reason why you don't usually want to hang your quarterbacks out to dry elsewhere on the field.

The second when Howard's punt was blocked on the next-to-last play of the first half, and Franklin recovered atthe KP 22. With time for only one play, Colson rolled the dice and threw into the end zone for Jordan Nesmith, but Mike Cochrane (who did some of everything in this game and did it really well) had it scoped out and intercepted it.

So it's very possible that instead of a 6-6 tie at the half, KP could have been looking at a two-touchdown deficit. But the Warriors weren't (fortunately), and the result was a game that was exciting right down to the finish.

** Nine o'clock in the morning is a bit early for a cheeseburger, at least for me, so I can't say I visited the concession stand on Thursday. But they usually do a very good job at the grill in Franklin, and I promise, I'll be back next season.

For those who might worry that I didn't have a good holiday dinner, rest assured I took care of that by planning ahead.Thanks to the good folks at Stop and Shop, I was able to pre-prepare a meal of sliced Boar's Head deli turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy and cranberry sauce, and freeze it. Then at the office Thursday, I popped the meal into the microwave for about 15 minutes, and the result was a delicious holiday dinner that I could enjoy while writing my story.

** It's nice to know that I went 6-0 for my holiday picks, but I was stunned by some of the results -- the fact that the margins of victory were so large, in fact. North Attleboro, Mansfield, Norton and Bishop Feehan all won by far larger margins than I imagined possible, and I'm not certain if it's because I overestimated the defeated teams, or just underestimated how good the winning teams were. Probably a little of both.