Jr. QB Jay Boyd and Northeast High looks to extend their Thanksgiving Day Winning Streak over Central

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Anthony Franklin | November 26, 2025

Junior QB Jay Boyd a 5-9 184 is all smiles this week as he returns to the field practicing and preparing to play in his first game since the 2nd game of the season on 8/29. On September 1st in the early morning hours Jay experienced what no child or person should ever experience, becoming a victim of gun violence as he was shot in the back while playing video games with his friends. What could’ve been a tragedy has been a miracle to some extent as many figured he would be done with football at least for the duration of the 2025 season. However, Jay has been cleared and will play tomorrow in the longest Public v Public school thanksgiving rivalry in the state.

In the 80’s, 90’s and the 2000’s the game attracted thousands of fans at both schools with crowds ranging from 5000-8000. Currently most high school games don’t attract large crowds outside of championship games and it depends on which schools are participating. Northeast v Central used to be the “Grand Daddy” of the thanksgiving games and now the crowds are lucky to have over 1000 fans between both schools. The money generated from ticket sales during the 30-year stretch from 1980-2010 was enough to fund the athletic department at both schools for a year. Now external fund raisers, sponsorships and donations are needed to fund both athletic departments. This year Central enters the game at 6-4 and earned a playoff berth in the league playoffs before being ousted by Lincoln in the first round 62-7.  Northeast enters the game at 4-7 with a semifinal playoff lost to Lincoln 25-6.

Jay transferred from PCL school Archbishop Carroll in the winter to Northeast. Coming to a new school he stated, “I had very high expectations for this season coming back from a foot injury & getting a fresh start to a new team and school”. After being hurt again this year and having to rehab again Jay stated, “My recovery process with this injury process was hard but I stayed positive through it all and was just focused on the next season and how we are going to dominate”.

With regards to having a long layoff (Northeast hasn’t played since November 1st) Jay says “We are locked in and putting the work in leading up to this game. This is a very big game for us because we never want the horse to leave our home”. Jay had plans to return this season all along despite many questioning if he’d ever return to the gridiron as he explained his emotions returning to the game he loves “I felt very happy that I was able to be cleared to play this game. I really wanted to come back way earlier but it’s God’s timing and his plans. Us as a team want the seniors to have the best game experience, they ever played especially for it to be their last game and once the game is over the class of 2027 has to take it to another level”.

Fan attendance in recent years including student attendance has dwindled however historically it’s what’s made this game so special. The players feed off the cheer and boos in the stands and as Jay stated “It’s very important for our fans, family and alumni because it’s a tradition that’s been going on for 133 years and in recent years Northeast has been dominant, and we want to keep it like that.

Despite his misfortunate event that caused him to miss most of his junior season Jay returns as motivation for the youth in Philadelphia who are facing the same struggles as he did his advice was simple “Never give up especially when the long and lonely nights occur, always think positive and put your trust in God while keeping the faith”.

When Jay touches the field fully dressed in his uniform and equipment for his first game action in 89 days, he will be full of thanks on Thanksgiving morning for another chance at playing the game he loves. He wanted to also give thanks “for everyone who prayed for me, my friends, my family, my coaches & teammates. Some probably thought I wasn’t going to come back this fast, but I knew that I was and I’m going to ball out one last time with my Class of 2026 brothers and shock everyone next year”.

Kickoff is set for 10:30am at the Northeast Supersite and as usual the winner will hoist the Wooden Horse trophy and have it on display in the school for a year until the 2026 Thanksgiving Day game. Central with a veteran team will be more than ready to break the streak and return the Wooden Horse back to Olney Avenue while Northeast looks to finish the season on a high note and spring into winter workouts with the goal of returning to the top of the 6A Public League classification in 2026.

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