This week, the Ellington and Rockville high school football programs took a day off from tradition practice and instead focused on team building, together.
The Thanksgiving Day rivals set aside the competition to get an exercise in being a good teammate and competitor.
The two teams met on Ellington coach Keith Tautkus’ farm in Suffield. While Tautkus has brought his teams to his farm, this is a first with a rival. Though it helps that the “rival” coach is one of his former players and assistant coaches, Erick Knickerbocker, who now leads Rockville.
“I mean, I don't think a lot of Thanksgiving rivals can say ‘let’s get together and let's have a good time,'” Knickerbocker said while speaking to the group of athletes. “I don't want to see Rockville vs. Ellington. Mix it up, meet someone new. Find someone that plays your position.”
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The day was put together with Tautkus’ son in mind. Austin Tautkus, who played football at Ellington, passed away after an ATV accident on that farm in 2014 when he was just 19 years old.
Players said they’ve heard about him as a model teammate and opponent, the kind of athlete these coaches want their players to be, even in a rivalry.
I never thought that we would have something like this, but it gives us a chance to get to know guys,” said Hason Green, a senior at Rockville. “It'll still be a rivalry, but we'll have more respect for the guys we're going up against.”
