The football rivalry between Hartford Public High School and Weaver High School goes back over 100 years.
But the historic series, which began Sept. 27, 1924, with a 13-0 win by Hartford Public, has been paused.
Instead, due to declining numbers in both programs, the two schools will join together to field a co-operative football team, along with Classical Magnet.
“It’s a little strange,” said former Hartford Public football coach Harry Bellucci, who coached the team for 19 years until 2021 and won 85 games with the Owls. “I mean, Hartford and Weaver combining teams – that’s a pretty strange thing.
“But if you look at the bigger picture – when I first walked in the doors of Hartford High school in 1994 as a teacher, there were 2,300 kids in the building. There are now 700 kids in the building.”
Last year, Weaver, which went 2-8, ended the season with 17 players. Hartford Public, which went 3-6 last season, had eight underclassmen returning after last year and would not have been able to field a varsity team, athletic director Frank Giannini said.
“The alumni are not the happiest but this is a win-win,” said Giannini, who has been at Hartford Public for 40 years. “It gets kids to play football. You could have lost two historic programs.”
This season, the co-op team, which will be in place for two years, has 35 players.
“I think it was something that was bound to happen,” said Weaver football coach Theo Harrison, who will coach the co-op team. “There’s a lot of high schools in Hartford so a lot of the kids are spread out in different schools for different academic reasons. Our numbers were low in both programs. We decided to try to see if this is something we could make possible.”
Hartford Public head coach Harry Bellucci talks to his team during a time out in the Hartford City Championship game against Bulkeley/Weaver at Hartford Public High School on Thanksgiving Day. Hartford Public won, 44-12, in the annual classic.
Over the years, the proliferation of magnet schools in Hartford has drawn students and athletes away from the three main public schools and the school size has shrunk. Bulkeley is part of a co-op with SMSA, University and HMTCA. There is also a Capital Prep/Achievement First co-op team.
Harrison said he didn’t have enough kids to field a junior varsity team last year and the younger players didn’t get to play in a proper setting.
“In order for us to be able to build these programs, we need a good amount of kids because we’re not able to last throughout the year without a productive JV program,” Harrison said. “Kids aren’t getting experience. They’re not ready for varsity football. The injury risk increases when kids aren’t familiar with the sport. They’re going into a varsity game that’s competitive and the chance of injuries increases because of lack of experience.
“If you’re a freshman and you don’t have an opportunity to play in a JV game, you’re not having fun. All you’re doing is practicing. Or you’re playing and getting beat up by seniors. We’re trying to make sure kids enjoy the game in a safe environment.”
The three schools are all contributing to the program and there will be home games played at both schools – three at Weaver and two at Hartford Public. Jaiden Booth, a Hartford Public senior wide receiver/defensive back, has committed to play at Central Connecticut State University next year. Freshman Kadin Coy, who is from Classical, will play quarterback.
“We’re meshing very well,” Harrison said. “We’re going to be super athletic.”
Harrison said the players know each other from playing youth sports in Hartford.
“It’s a collection of kids that were familiar with each other already,” Harrison said. “It kind of made sense to bring the teams together.”
Harrison is aware that some alumni have fierce loyalties to their schools and don’t feel the same way. One alum, Mike Forrest, a 1977 Hartford Public graduate who is the Hartford Public Athletic Hall of Fame president, called the merger “disappointing.”
“The rivalry still exists,” Harrison said. “The rivalry will never go away. Hartford High and Weaver have great traditions in both schools. In order for us to get back to where we need to be, we need to build up the programs.”
Hartford Public, the second oldest public high school in the country, played its first football game against Norwich Free Academy in 1881, according to records collected by Forrest. Weaver High opened in 1924 and the two football teams squared off that fall.
The Hartford Courant from Sept. 28, 1924 contains an account of the first Hartford Public-Weaver High football game. The rivalry is over 100 years old and now the two teams are combining for a co-op. (Courtesy of Mike Forrest)
Hartford Public leads the series with 49 wins, 40 losses and four ties. The schools played every year until 2015, then the series restarted again in 2022 with Hartford Public winning 44-8, then losing 6-0 the following year. The schools have traditionally played on Thanksgiving.
However, last year, there was no Turkey Day game between the schools because Weaver’s conference schedule did not allow for the game, Harrison said. This year, the Weaver/Hartford Public/Classical team will play against Capital Prep/Achievement First on Thanksgiving and Harrison hopes for the same kind of community support the series has seen in the past.
“We’re not calling it a Turkey Day game because that was Hartford High-Weaver,” Harrison said. “There’s a trophy involved, and a lot of things involved; that’s the traditional game between Hartford High and Weaver.
“We’re going to make sure the alumni are there. They usually have a nice spread outside the game, there’s a lot of camaraderie and they tell stories and build traditions. It’s an important game for our community.”
