In the late Fall of 1944, during WWII, the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division, having seen hard fighting in the Netherlands and Germany, was given a respite in Reims, the Champagne region in France. With Paris secure and the possibility of the end of the war in sight, the soldiers stationed at the Mourmelon le Grande camp collectively organized an American football game to boost their morale. The teams were decided upon, and tryouts for the game commenced.

The teams were: The Screaming Eagles, representing the 101st Airborne Division paratroopers and Sky Train, representing the US Army Air Force support units that flew the C-47s used in Operation Overlord, Market Garden, Varsity and Dragoon.

However, the Germans had different plans. A surprise attack in the densely forested Ardennes region between Luxembourg and Belgium required the Allied Forces, which included the battle wearied soldiers in Reims, to answer the call to duty immediately. These brave soldiers dropped everything and joined in what would become known as one of the most brutal battles of WWII. Now recognized in history as The Battle of the Bulge … and the game that was left behind as … The Game That Never Happened.

A non-profit organization called The Remembrance Project wants to make sure that game is remembered – and thereby selects a handful of high schools every year to host a Remembrance Bowl. This year, one of them was O’Neill High School.

Last Thursday was the game; O’Neill hosted the Beacon Bulldogs. The final score was 29-22 in favor of the Bulldogs, but anyone who left at halftime would tell you they certainly didn’t expect that outcome. The Raiders came out fast and furious, scoring 14 points in the first quarter. The second quarter was scoreless – then, after the half, Beacon scored seven in the third quarter, and then came alive with 22 points in the fourth to O’Neill’s 8.

“While we came up short, I could not be more proud of our team and the way they represented James I. O’Neill Football,” Coach Adam DiBenedetto said.

“They gave everything they had against a very good Beacon team, and I’m proud to be their coach.”

He also called it an “absolute honor to be a part of the Remembrance Bowl”.

The atmosphere could only be called electric, with the teams wearing special jerseys, West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. James Bartholomees conducing the coin toss, fans decked out in red, white and blue gear, and full stands, with overflow spectators watching from the fenceline and hillsides. Beacon brought many of their own fans, as well as their cheerleaders, to add to the excitement of the night. Throughout the game, public address announcer Brian Larkin provided mini history lessons about that long-ago planned football game, as well as World War II. There was also, of course, a moment of silence for the lives lost more recently, in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
For the Raiders, Trey Murphy ran for 102 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns (three yards and 41 yards, and played an “excellent” game on defense as well, and Keegan Arbogast had four receptions for 81 yards and one 20-yard touchdown and a long 50-yard reception that set up Murphy’s short touchdown run. DiBenedetto said AJ Mackey played a great game at quarterback but also played every snap at linebacker in the second half.

“Georgios Fatsis and Luke DiSalvo also played very well on the offensive and defensive line, playing close to every offensive and defensive snap in the game,” he added.

“We fought valiantly,” the coach added. “We had 21 players dress in the game and most of the players played just about every snap. I can’t think of a game as a coach where I was as proud of how hard our team played in a losing effort.

Our guys played their hearts out and just ran out of gas at the end of the game. I told them after the game they had nothing to hang their heads about and that they should be proud of how they played.”

For Beacon, quarterback DeJuan Rigby threw one touchdown, was 13-for-19 for 153 yards in the air, and rushed for 31 yards (for a total of 184 yards). He also threw an interception – O’Neill’s Jake Bione nabbed that. Senior Elijah Epps had 108 all-purpose yards in the game.

On Wednesday evening, the two teams got together in the O’Neill auditorium to first learn about the premise behind the Remembrance Bowl, as well as to get a little history lesson. Then, they moved on to a well-organized jersey signing – using an assembly-line format where each was given a silver Sharpie and sent down rows of tables with jerseys spread out on them. After that, they moved on to the O’Neill cafeteria to join together for a meal.

The history lesson came from retired Army officer Dr. Dave Siri, also know as ‘The History Guy’ at West Point. He explained to the athletes and their coaches that it was 101st Airborne Division soldiers who were set to play in that long ago game.

“You guys think you’re tough,” he said. “Airborne is tough too. They train to be tough, because they know that when they go into a fight, they’re going to be surrounded.”

He told the players that in participating in the Remembrance Bowl they were “carrying on the legacy” of those long-ago soldiers.

Reiterating that was USMA Commandant Brig. Gen. Joseph Katz, who recently arrived at West Point after serving as the deputy commander of the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

“Our motto is ‘If you want it done, call the 101,” Katz said. He urged the athletes to “play for something bigger than yourself”, to “try to win the right way” and in the game to “represent your school, your family and the 101st”.

The final speaker at the event was The Remembrance Project’s Michelle Strauss, who encouraged the teams to remember those players who could not play their game so many decades ago, and, when the game was over “to walk away feeling like you have done something more than played a game of football”.

Strauss and others from her organization were at O’Neill several days last week to educate more students about the historical significance of the long ago game, and the events surrounding it.