New Award At Atlantic City vs. Holy Spirit Thanksgiving Football

On Thursday, November 27, 2025, the 97th annual Atlantic City High School versus Holy Spirit High School football game will take place.

This iconic rivalry began in 1926.

Here Are The details

Atlantic City High School graphic.

Where: Atlantic City High School, Dr. Jack Eisenstein

Stadium, located within John Boyd Athletic Complex.

When: Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 25, 2021.

Kick-off time: 10:00 a.m.

Advanced weather forecast at kick-off: Sunshine and clouds mixed.

High 47 degrees. Winds: West at 10-20 MPH, with only a 1 percent chance of rain. A little windy, but, a good day for a high school football game.

Listen live: 95.5 FM, 1450 AM, 97.3 FM HD3, and on the WPG Talk Radio smartphone app.

The Atlantic City High School field is spectacular and well maintained.

Google Maps.

New Award Will Be Presented At The Game

This is a most deserving new award … in the name and memory of the late, great Frank Campo.

Campo is the long-time, legendary former Athletic Director at Atlantic City High School.

Here is the new MVP trophy. It will go to the Atlantic City team’s MVP for the game.

Chris Ford, Jr. photo.

Interview With Frank Campo From November 21, 2021

I conducted a very detailed interview with Frank Campo 4 years ago, on the significance of the annual Thanksgiving Day rivalry game.

Campo spent 43 years in the Atlantic City public schools district… 26 years as director of athletics.

Campo’s content is even more meaningful now, as follows:

There are so many memories of the annual Thanksgiving Day Game that I shared with so many people it not difficult to recollect my favorite stories. This is my trip down memory lane as an assistant football coach and later as the school's athletic director. I was an assistant coach along with Charlie Wagner. George King was the head coach and we played at Bader Field. One year Charlie and I decided we needed to build on the team's spirit. We went to a turkey farm and bought a turkey. We would bring it out before practice and kept it in the locker room at Bader Field. Someone called the SPCA and we had to get rid of the turkey. We thought we had an easy solution-take it back to the turkey farm. However, the owner could not take it back since he said it could jeopardize the health of his entire flock. We drove around for hours trying to figure out what do with our pet. We were thinking of releasing it in the woods. Then, we saw a sign on a restaurant on the White Horse Pike that read, "fresh turkey." Regretfully, the story ends here! As the Supervisor of Athletes, I will never forget when the Marczyk's, Lenhart's, and Mike Patroni covered my front porch with blue and gold crepe paper on Thanksgiving Eve. They were all players for Holy Spirit at the time. Atlantic City won the game so l went to my office to retrieve all these samples of Right Guard deodorant that were sent to me to distribute to our players and students. I put samples in each of their mailboxes with a note that read, “for the Spartans since they stink." The 1989 snow storm that hit our area just before Thanksgiving vividly sticks out in my mind. I sat in McGettigan's Saloon whichwas across the street from Bader Field telling myself, I can't cancel this game. About 9 p.m. I walked onto the field and was in snow drifts above my knees. Realizing what my wife, Karin, had said hours before, "your crazy." | called Ed Byrnes and postponed the game. Coach Weiss and I had the monumental task of getting the field ready for Saturday even though it was owned by the City. But, that is another story, said Campo.

Harry Hurley photo.

Many members of The Frank Campo Family will be attending this year’s game, including Frank’s wife, Karin.