For the past 49 years, Jim Kelliher has roamed the Abington sideline.

Thanksgiving morning, Kelliher will lead his Green Wave onto the field at Whitman-Hanson for the 50th and final time. Kelliher, whose 312 wins is fourth on the all-time list, announced in August he was going to step down following the 2023 season.

Another coach who will be in the spotlight is Melrose’s Tim Morris. He will make his second attempt at joining the 200-win club when his team travels to Wakefield to face the always-tough Warriors in the 109th installment of this Middlesex League rivalry.

Many teams will be playing football beyond Thanksgiving, a result of advancing to one of eight championships.

The most intriguing of those matchups takes place in Westwood where St. John’s Prep and Xaverian meet on Thanksgiving, then again six days later for the Div. 1 state title. While much has been about how the teams will handle things, both sides have indicated they plan on going all out as the Catholic Conference title is on the line.

St. John’s Prep is in the driver’s seat as it would clinch the Catholic Conference title outright for the first time since 2012. If Xaverian wins, it would create an interesting scenario depending on what happens in the BC High-Catholic Memorial game.

If BC High knocks off Catholic Memorial, Xaverian and St. John’s Prep would share the title (though many would consider Xaverian the champs by virtue of head-to-head). A CM win, coupled with a Xaverian win, would create a three-way tie.

Among the better tilts involving teams heading to a state championship contest nest week are Dartmouth-Fairhaven, Foxboro-Mansfield, Hanover-Norwell, Marshfield-Duxbury, Middleboro-Carver, Milton-Braintree, Newburyport-Amesbury, Walpole-Weymouth and Scituate-Hingham.

In the Boston City League, East Boston is scheduled to host Excel/Burke in the 105th annual meeting. It’s been a bit of a tough year for Excel/Burke, which opted to play a JV schedule during the regular season, then actually played one varsity consolation game, giving hope that this game actually goes off.

A mere 10 miles away, Boston Latin heads into Harvard Stadium to meet English/New Mission for the 136th time. While the Wolfpack own a dominant 83-39-13 mark, the Blue and Blue have won the last two meetings.

Needham and Wellesley get together once again in the oldest public school football rivalry. Wellesley leads the series 66-60-9, including a 24-17 win last season in Needham.

One of the more intense rivalries is the annual battle of Lynn between Lynn Classical and Lynn English. Last year was an emotional one for Lynn Classical head coach Brian Vaughan as his son Brian returned to the field following a serious knee injury and played a key role in an 18-0 victory.

Malden and Medford are getting together for the 136th time. Last year, the teams got to play at Fenway Park with the Golden Tornadoes emerging with a 34-15 victory. Quincy relied on an aerial attack to defeat North Quincy last year to boost its record to 49-36-5.

Holliston travels to Westwood in a battle for a share of the Tri-Valley Large title. The Panthers coasted to a 42-7 victory last year at Kamitian Field.