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Patriots' Bill Belichick acknowledges high school coaches

It's a Thanksgiving tradition on the East Coast that high school football teams face off against their rival, families and alumni gathering before sitting down to their holiday feast.

Growing up in Annapolis, Md., a young Bill Belichick played for the Annapolis High School team, annually playing Severna Park High.

During a conference call with reporters on Thursday morning, the New England Patriots coach took a few moments to not only thank the team's beat writers for the work they do as a conduit to the team's fans (he really did!), but also to reminisce on the rivalry of his youth and the influence high school coaches can have on their players.

"Today is also a day to be recognized with the high school football level with so many traditional and rivalry games taking place. Having been at high school and played in those games myself, we always had a traditional Thanksgiving Day game between Annapolis and Severna Park, and I know how important that was to the teams, the families and really the whole school body that supported us. It’s such a good traditional way to capture and bring a lot of things together – family, community, friendship – and do it in a competitive way but also in a way that bonds friendship and community support.

"And just recognizing the high schools, the great job the coaches and those programs do to develop players that eventually become our players and how impactful they are to our players. When I talk to players at the Combine in the spring and so forth, usually the two most influential people for kids are their parents, or in some cases one parent, and then the high school football coach or maybe a junior high school football coach – somebody who mentored them along the way or kind of helped them develop as young men. All of us who have had that opportunity have certainly gained from it and taken from it. So just reaching out to them with our level of appreciation for what they do for kids that we eventually see at this level and for all the support that the parents and the families and the high schools gives those teams and those players and how it brings everybody together."

In case you're wondering, Belichick has said in the past that his favortie Thanksgiving treat is pumpkin pie, though this week he amended that to "any pie."

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