In the state of Connecticut, Ansonia and Naugatuck may be the greatest high school football rivalry – though not the longest.

Ansonia and Naugatuck first tangled in 1900 and have been going at it on Thanksgiving Day since then, regularly drawing 10,000 or more fans. Norwich Free Academy and New London High School, though, have been playing football since 1875 – the oldest high school football rivalry in the country.

Newtown versus Masuk kind of pales in comparison to all that, doesn’t it?

But it’s still a significant rivalry, made all the more intense with the inception of the South-West Conference back in 1995 and the creation of traditional Thanksgiving rivalries.

In the former Western Connecticut Conference, the Thanksgiving Day gridiron was used for conference championship game. With the inception of the SWC, traditional rivalries were created (with the week before Thanksgiving left open for the conference championship) and Newtown and Masuk got thrown into the pit together.

This week marked the 12th time that Newtown and Masuk tangled on (or near) Thanksgiving.

Newtown has Thanksgiving history that pre-dates the annual rivalry. In 14 games going back to 1991, the Nighthawks have a 7-6-1 overall record (5-5-1 versus Masuk) with two WCC titles and three dramatic wins over the Panthers.

In 1991, Josh Lubin gained 161 total yards while quarterback David Brookes was 9-of-16 for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead Newtown to a 32-2 win over Immaculate in the WCC championship game. A year later, Joe Lato rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown and Adam Rowe recovered a fumble in the end zone to lead Newtown past New Fairfield, 13-8, for a second straight WCC championship.

Newtown missed out on the 1993 game and, a year later, was pounded, 32-0, by a ferocious Brookfield team.

The Nighthawks had the advantage in the first three years of the new-found Thanksgiving rivalry, allowing just 12 points.

In 1996, Patrick Reilly rushed eight times for 105 yards and two touchdowns as Newtown blanked Masuk, 32-6, and qualified for the CIAC Class L semi-finals (where they lost to Holy Cross). This came just five days after Newtown defeated Masuk in the SWC championship game, 28-0.

In 1997, the ‘Hawks were coming off a 53-13 destruction of Stratford in the SWC championship and were well on their way to the CIAC Class L semi-finals … but had to contend with a determined Masuk team on a blustery Thanksgiving. Joey Saputo rushed for 64 yards and a couple of touchdowns to lead Newtown to a 19-0 win.

The following year, the Nighthawks did not enjoy a great year – but they enjoy a great season. In the rain and mud, Sean Raby and Grant Werbeck scored second quarter touchdowns to lead Newtown to a 14-6 win over Masuk, which had – just the week before – won the SWC championship.

The momentum started to shift in 1999.

That year, the Panthers secured an undefeated season and a No. 1 ranking in the CIAC Class LL playoffs with a 41-13 win over Newtown. Sean Raby (25-yard run) and Les Russell (10-yard run) scored the only Newtown touchdowns.

A year later, the Nighthawks were back on top in the rivalry as Kyle Tobin rushed for 215 yards on 26 carries and Rich Petretti was 7-of-12 for 197 yards and three touchdowns to lead Newtown to a 38-20 win over Masuk. For Panthers, the SWC champions, it was their first loss of the season. For the Nighthawks, the win earned them a trip to the CIAC Class L semi-finals.

Masuk took some revenge, winning the next three meetings.

In 2001, Kyle Nowak rushed for only 60 yards and Tom Ryan completed just 8-of-19 for 78 yards as Masuk pinned a 13-0 loss on Newtown. A year later, Masuk scored 28 first-quarter points enroute to a 56-21 win. The game had been postponed due to a heavy snowstorm on Tuesday of that week and shifted to Danbury High School, which was covered with a thick sheet of ice and snow. In the game, the locals rushed for just 20 yards but quarterback Tom Ryan was 19-of-37 for 229 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Tim Byne had seven grabs for 151 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown.

The Panthers were no less dominating in 2003, pounding Newtown, 48-22, as quarterback Anthony Wargo was 13-of-28 for 165 yards and three touchdowns. The Nighthawks did well on the ground, rushing for 205 yards as Roy Scheunemann scored a couple of touchdowns and Kyle Kirch scored another.

The Nighthawks regained some footing in 2004, rushing for 262 yards and allowing only 255 yards of total offense (to a team that had averaged better than 38 points a game during the regular season) in a 27-21 win. Bob Pattison rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown while Roy Scheunemann had a 65-yard run for a touchdown. The ‘Hawks completed just two passes on the night … one, a 34-yard touchdown pass from Tucker Kass to Brennan Coakley.

The only tie in the series came in 2005, a 15-15 draw aided by a curious first-half call. With 10 seconds left in the first half of a 7-7 game, Newtown was about to down the ball and head into the locker room when Masuk called an inexplicable timeout. On the next play, Marc Ingerman burst up the middle for a 69-yard touchdown that gave the ‘Hawks a 15-7 lead and the cushion they needed to survive a draw with the Panthers. Chris Potter rushed for 91 yards on 17 carries and scored on a 60-yard touchdown run that gave the ‘Hawks their first TD. Tucker Kass was 8-of-22 for 107 yards.

The Panthers exacted some revenge last year, rushing for better than 300 yards (throwing the ball just five times all night) in a 34-13 rout of the Nighthawks. Tucker Kass threw a pair of touchdowns – one to Joe Bowen (26 yards) and the other to Joe DeVellis (five yards) – as the ‘Hawks slipped out of the CIAC Class LL playoff chase.

And, now, the rivalry continues.

Where will it be in 100 years?