RE Football REtains the Oar for 2021
September 22, 2021
Ever since the fall of 1974, Ransom Everglades and Palmer Trinity have met on the football field to compete over the celebrated oar. This year, Ransom Everglades keeps the trophy at home once more with a victory of 28-6 in an epic comeback game.
According to Palmer Trinity’s website, former Ransom Everglades Head Coach Jim Thomas decided during their first game against one another to use a boat oar as a trophy for the winner. Each year, it resides on the victor’s campus and demonstrates the connection both schools have with their respective mascots and the bay itself.
The RE community launched into excitement the entire day to prepare for this 45-year-old tradition. Although COVID-19 restricted the number of spectators allowed, the game still saw an impressive turnout from supporters of both teams.
This year brought change for RE football. Several new players joined, which challenged the team to overcome collective inexperience. Last year also saw the graduation of numerous three- and four-year starters, but now, in the words of Coach Roger Caron, the “people who waited their turn last year are front and center.”
When asked about whether the team has star players this year, Coach Caron replied, “We really don’t have any stars, we just don’t. It’s just a pedestrian group that works really well together.” Instead, Caron said, their strength lies in their camaraderie and collaboration. While the team is usually out-sized and out-maneuvered, “it is always a challenge [to play us] because we will never quit.”
Luca Campiani ’22, a new addition to the roster, told the Catalyst that the team was simply fun. “Really fast, I got the feel for a team sport and that I was a part of the team,” he said. “All the guys, they care for you. It’s a really good environment because all of us support each other.”
In the first half of Friday’s game, there seemed to be little hope. Lauren Page ’24 remarked that “it was a super aggressive game, with each tackle one-upping the next.” As half time arrived, the score was 0-6 with Palmer in the lead.
However, with the second half came an epic comeback. Straight off their return to the field, Gabriel Menendez de Alencar ’23 scored off a pass from Nicholas Rubino ’23. Having brought them their first touchdown, Bryce Sadler ’24 said that this play was exactly what the team needed to get the ball rolling.
The momentum did not stop there, and the night ended in celebration for Ransom Everglades. The team managed to score 3 more touchdowns and accumulate a total of 28 points while also preventing Palmer Trinity from scoring any more. As the whistle blew, the team huddled and cheered to bring the annual tradition to a close.
“It felt great coming out here. It feels great keeping [the oar]. We didn’t think we were going to lose it,” Thomas Crowley ’24 said.
Once the game ended, the Homecoming proposals began. Numerous female students went on the field with large, intricate signs to ask out the date of their choice. From Spiderman to Harry Potter, the puns added to a celebratory mood. The atmosphere crackled with euphoric excitement.
Head of School Penny Townsend also gave her remarks after the game, believing the night was a happy and special one. “Four years ago, this field was destroyed by Irma, and now we get to see happiness and football play out on it. Last year we won it, and there were no spectators. It’s all coming back,” she said.
When asked about this year’s team’s contribution to the school’s legacy, she replied, “Every team is different, but they love to fight for the oar.”
