PORTLAND (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- The 107-year-old rivalry between two Portland high schools was rescheduled from its typical Thanksgiving Day date for the first time ever in order to spare players and fans from frigid temperatures that school administrators feared would be unsafe.
The Portland Bulldogs hosted Deering High School Wednesday evening and took a commanding lead in the first half, and beat the Rams 45-0.
Runningback Zachary Elowitch scored five touchdowns on the night, breaking the single-season rushing record in Portland's history.
"It's been great. It's a great way to end a great season," said Elowitch. "Last year we didn't have a lot of success and it's great to come out and have a lot of success."
Elowitch helped lead the team to the Class A title game against Thornton Academy in 2018, but the Bulldogs lost, 49-14.
"It's been a crazy experience. It's flown by. It's been the experience of a lifetime," said Elowitch.
As for the tradition of playing the game on Thanksgiving Day, some fans, including Deering alumni Steve DiMillo, did not mind the time change, as long as the game was played.
"This is going to be a fun rivalry whether they play it tonight or tomorrow," said DiMillo.
Others, like Dave Sinclair, were disappointed.
Despite a small flurry of snow, Portland dodged the majority of the snow squalls that swept through Maine late Thursday afternoon and early evening.
