The Old Rochester football team launched a new Thanksgiving tradition with a thrilling win on Nov. 26.

Competing against Apponequet, the Bulldogs won the game 13-7 capturing the Red and Blue Turkey Day Classic trophy for the first time.

An ORR win wasn’t a lock until the final seconds ticked away in the fourth quarter while the Lakers marched towards the Bulldogs’ end zone.

With approximately 15 seconds on the clock, the Lakers quarterback fired a bullet that would have tied the game if it weren’t intercepted by senior defensive back Darien Dumond.

Not only did Dumond intercept the pass, he ran it deep into Laker territory as the clock ran out, effectively putting an exclamation point on the Bulldogs’ defensive effort that defined the game.

Afterwards, the team celebrated with the trophy.

The Bulldogs ended the season with a 5-6 record after starting the season with five straight losses. Head Coach Justin Kogler credited the seniors for turning the team around, winning five of their last six games.

“The seniors could have quit after the first half of the season. They could have tanked.” Kogler said. “But they stepped up their efforts instead.”

This marked Kogler’s first season as coach.

He took over from Henry Quinlan who led the program for 11 years.

In 2013, the team went undefeated in the regular season and became South Coast Conference Division champions.