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LOWELL — During halftime last night, Whittier Tech head coach Kevin Bradley was visited by young sons Connor and Kevin Jr. But they were not there to simply say hello.

“My sons came to me with a play,” Bradley said with a proud smile. “They said, ‘Dad, I think this will be open and (quarterback) Dillon (Ryan) can do it.’ They are around all the time and know all the plays. They just adore the team.”

LOWELL — Following yesterday’s Division 3A semifinal, no one had more praise for Whittier Tech than Amesbury football coach Thom Connors.

“That is a great team,” said Connors. “They are in the postseason all the time, three of the last four years. The ball bounced our way, but they played tough. They are a great program.”

LOWELL — One thing jumped out at Kevin Bradley during preparations for last night’s Division 3A semifinal game — Amesbury feasts on turnovers.

“After watching several games of theirs on film, I noticed (Amesbury) forces a big fumble or interception that costs the other team the game,” the Whittier Tech head coach observed. “They have a good veteran defense and you can’t make mistakes. All season, they made teams pay the price.”

UMass Lowell-bound Briana Szidat scored 31 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked nine shots to lead Pelham to a 55-51 win over Bedford. Alex Catalano also played well, finishing with 10 points, 9 assists and 5 steals.

NORTH ANDOVER — For a little more than the opening  quarter, North Andover gave the already-crowned Cape Ann League champions a battle in their traditional Thanksgiving morning meeting.

ANDOVER — The moment the ball fell into Sean Ehlbeck’s hands, it was clear fate was on Andover’s side.

“The play we supposed to go to the other side of the field,” said Ehlbeck. “I saw (quarterback John Hennessy) scrambling. He threw it up over me, so I flowed with it and figured I’d give it a shot. It was tipped, fell into my hands, and it went from there.”

LOWELL — The pride was there, but too much talent was missing.

Haverhill threw a lot of physical play at Lowell before about 1,000 fans at Cawley Stadium. Bottling up standout running back Ambruce Carter while forcing three fumbles, the Hillies held its own in the trenches.

AMESBURY — With the latest chapter of the Newburyport vs. Amesbury rivalry complete, we are left to wonder about the legacy each school’s senior class will leave.

Fair or not, Thanksgiving is the day when heroes are made on the high school football circuit. Amesbury captain Steve Serwon will always be remembered for sparking Thanksgiving Day upsets in 2006 and 2007 with defensive touchdowns. Indians quarterback Jared Flannigan will always be thought of as the game manager who took care of the football and kept the chains moving in victories in 2007 and 2008.

LYNNFIELD — It’s been a year filled with more downs than ups for North Reading.

After an impressive 3-0 start to the season, the Hornets dropped six of seven heading into yesterday’s Thanksgiving showdown at Lynnfield. In spite of the fact that the visitors had won the past three meetings by a wide margin (85-18), Lynnfield routed the now 4-7 Hornets, 21-0.

HUDSON — After yesterday's 33-0 win over Hudson Catholic, Whittier's players, coaches, parents, and cheerleaders gathered at the 30-yard line and the rallying cry was clear.

LAWRENCE — Ramon Heredia had a message for teammate Alex Andrews.

“I told him that if he touches the ball on the opening kickoff, he better bring it to the house for six points,” said the senior quarterback. “We talked about it all week. He told me that if he was out there, he’d bring the kick back for a touchdown. And he did.”

Both long ago out of the MVC race, Central Catholic and Andover had hoped for more. But a win on Thanksgiving Day heals many wounds.

“Winning on Thanksgiving would make our season,” said Andover defensive lineman Jake Lebowitz. “Even if we went 0-10, then beat Central, it would be a good season.”

Whittier coach Kevin Bradley can’t quite gauge what his Commonwealth Conference Large Division champs will derive out of their Thanksgiving morning test at Hudson Catholic.

The one thing he hopes they won’t get out of the nonleague matchup is injuries.

Haverhill opened the season in style with a win over Malden, but has dropped the last nine straight. The Hillies hope to end the season the way it started with an upset over Lowell.

The Red Raiders are one of the most improved teams in Eastern Mass. They entered last season with high hopes led by QB Matt Welch, who earned a scholarship to UNH. But with Welch battling injuries, Lowell struggled to a 2-9 record and fell to Haverhill on Thanksgiving Day, 28-7. Things looked to be only growing even worse when star running back Jethro Kollie transferred to New Hampton Prep.

A year ago, Methuen ended an albatross-like 33-game Merrimack Valley Conference losing streak.

Thanksgiving morning, a little more than one full season later, the Rangers can make history as they host Dracut.