CONNECTICUT — When Army and Navy meet on the gridiron for the 124th time Saturday, several of the footballs used in the game will have traveled a considerable distance, by foot.
The rivalry, known as "America's Game," acquired a new tradition in the 1980s, when cadets from the U.S. Military Academy and midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy began running footballs to be used in the game from their home site to the stadium. Soft Close Kitchen Drawers
The annual showdown is slated for Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., meaning the Navy runners will trek a record 463 miles from Annapolis, Md. About 200 midshipmen departed the grounds at noon Tuesday, embarking on a journey that should see them reach Connecticut just after 1 a.m. Friday.
Due to coming up from the south, the Navy relay team will miss most of Hartford and Tolland counties, save for brief jaunts through Marlborough and Columbia. The runners are expected to pass through Danbury, Newtown, Southbury, Naugatuck, Cheshire, Meriden, Portland, Marlborough, Columbia, Windham, Hampton and Dayville before reaching Rhode Island around noon Friday.
The relay team from Army has less than half the distance to cover - about 205 miles - so departure from West Point is slated for 6 a.m. Thursday. The entourage will cross into Connecticut about 50 miles into the run, and end its first leg in Torrington around 4:15 p.m.
Its second leg will cover Winsted, Pleasant Valley and Barkhamsted before entering Hartford County on Route 20 in Hartland shortly after 8 p.m. The team will stay on Route 20 through West Granby, Granby and East Granby before turning left onto Route 187 and heading into Suffield.
Designated the halfway point of the trek, Suffield will be one of the few locations where the group will stop briefly. After turning from South Grand Street to Sheldon Street to Mountain Road, a short greeting from police, fire and EMS services will take place in front of town hall, estimated to occur around 10 p.m.
Upon resumption of the journey, the team will turn left on North Main Street, right on Mapleton Avenue and right on Thompsonville Road. That moment should prove particularly poignant, as that stretch of roadway is known as the Cpl. Stephen Bixler Highway in honor of a U.S. Marine and Suffield resident who was killed in Iraq in 2006.
"It will be cold Thursday night, so dress warm and stay safe while traveling the roads in town, and keep an eye out for our future military leaders," Suffield Police Chief James Canon said.
After turning right onto Route 159, the entourage will cross the Enfield/Suffield Veterans Bridge over the Connecticut River and enter Enfield. They will stay on Route 190 for a considerable length of time, traversing Enfield, Somers, Stafford and Union before turning onto Route 171.
Due to the late hour the group is expected to reach Enfield, Police Chief Alaric Fox said, "Traffic impact at that hour is expected to be minimal."
The route continues through Woodstock and Putnam before entering Rhode Island around 4 a.m. Friday.
Kickoff time Saturday is slated for 3:10 p.m. Navy leads the series, 62-54-7.
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