‘The rivalry will never leave you’ – The Lafayette

Easton High School leads the all-time series 67-44-5 against Phillipsburg High School heading into this year’s rivalry game. (Photo courtesy of Chris Taverner ’25)

As Lafayette College and Lehigh University prepare to compete in the 160th rivalry game this year, another great rivalry in the Lehigh Valley is heating up: The Easton-Phillipsburg high school showdown.

“It’s seriously unlike any other rivalry I’ve seen — it might even top Lafayette-Lehigh, just in turnout tHat it gets,” said junior Olivia Bacho, who attended Phillipsburg. “Everybody’s talking about it.”

The annual game, which has been played on Thanksgiving Day since 1916, has been hosted at Fisher Stadium since 1926.

Several members of the football team had Lehigh Valley rivalry experience before attending Lafayette: senior running back Nahjee Adams, sophomore offensive lineman Sean Wilson and junior linebacker Jack Bayly all played at Easton.

Football head coach John Troxell also played in the rivalry, but in Phillipsburg. In 1988Troxell, filling in for the Stateliners’ injured quarterback, threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Lou Moser.

He noted that his experience playing at Phillipsburg prepared him for the pressures of both playing and coach in the Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry.

“It’s Thanksgiving, it’s about football, family and the two communities,” Troxell said. “The players, they have kind of an extended family with hundreds of players from their side pulling for those who are older.”

Troxell said that community spirit doesn’t leave moving into the Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry.

“We all have an extended Lafayette family that we try to make proud and have bragging rights,” he said.

Adams agreed, noting that large crowds at high school games “are not necessarily the norm.”

“There was never any doubt you were going to go to a game that’s loaded,” he said of the Easton-Phillipsburg game.

Bacho said one of Phillipsburg’s traditions is to walk from Maloney Stadium, across the Delaware Toll Bridge and up to College Hill and Fisher Stadium.

One of Easton’s biggest rivalry traditions is the annual bonfire the night before the game. the fire – along with Phillipsburg’s annual fireworks show — has been canceled this year due to the ongoing drought.

“I was excited to go,” said Wilson, who was invited to the bonfire as an alumnus. “This was going to be the first year I was invited back to speak.”

For many Easton and Phillipsburg students who chose to attend Lafayette, the morning game at Fisher Field was one of their first impressions of Lafayette.

“When I got here, people were like, ‘yeah, I’ve never experienced a rivalry like this,'” said sophomore Regan Thompson, who attended Phillipsburg. “I don’t think every high school had a crazy rivalry like we did.”

While both rivalries are important, Easton-Phillipsburg appears more central to the local community.

“I feel more of a connection and a hometown feel with the Easton-P’burg game,” said senior Lindsay Geiger, who attended Easton. “A lot of it is kids I grew up knowing from kindergarten through high school and teachers.”

“I feel like the Lafayette-Lehigh game as far as a national recognition is bigger, but in terms of the game and how meaningful it is, I feel like it’s the Easton-P’burg game,” Adams said. “I think both games are equally important to the community here in Easton.”

According to senior Chris Taverner, who performed in Easton’s marching band during the “Turkey Day” game, students from both schools have a history of play pranks at the other school.

“​​​​I feel like once you’re involved in the P’burg-Easton rivalry, like Laf-Le, you’re never disengaged,” Bacho said. “You could leave P’burg or Easton, but the rivalry will never leave you.”