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Those of you who've read this space for a while know that I've been doing this gig for a long time. Sometimes, in fact, it feels a lot longer than it actually has been.

But then there are times when the sun is out, the weather is perfect, the game is exciting, the result is satisfying and I feel as if I could do this for another 30 years if the journalism gods are willing.

Thursday was one of those days.

I've seen a lot of Thanksgiving Day football games over the years, and I'd be lying to you if I said I remember something about every one of them. I can guarantee, however, that it wouldn't take much to shake some of those memories loose from beneath whatever nook or cranny of my brain where they might be buried.

I don't think it's going to take that much effort to remember the game I covered on Thursday. Was Attleboro's 12-10 victory over North Attleboro the best Thanksgiving game I ever covered? Probably not. I don't know if I could come up with the best on short notice - although Norton's 1985 victory over West Bridgewater in the snow and rain would rate highly because the conditions were just plain ridiculous and the stakes were high for the Lancers, seeking their first-ever Super Bowl appearance.

But in this year's resumption of the AHS-North game, two evenly-matched teams were playing for pride and the restoration of a heartbeat in a rivalry desperately in need of a shot of adrenaline. And both teams delivered.

Thirteen years is a long time. I had just entered my 40s the last time Attleboro had won on Thanksgiving; some of the athletes I'm covering this year were still in diapers when that happened. To the seniors of this year's teams, in North Attleboro they knew nothing but victory, and in Attleboro, nothing but defeat.

That's not the course for a healthy rivalry to take. Indeed, until the last few years, it was beginning to look as if only one of our local rivalries, the Mansfield-Foxboro series, was still healthy and vital.

But Seekonk has now won three out of four in a series that was dominated for 16 years by Dighton-Rehoboth. King Philip stopped a four-game losing streak to Franklin this year. Norton, in winning its first Tri-Valley League title since returning to the league in 2002, also posted its first victory over Bellingham since the series was revived (and since Norton's last win by a point in 1969).

And when Mike Barry took a knee at his own 32-yard-line to run out the clock Thursday at Tozier-Cassidy Field, the last of the long winless streaks went by the board.

For those who believe that Attleboro, as a small city, does not celebrate its football victories as vigorously as some of our smaller towns, the example to convince you otherwise was there to be seen as the Bombardiers fell to their knees and bade farewell to the weight of 13 years of frustration when the clock ticked over to 0:00.

People cheered and hugged and danced about in the stands as they accepted the almost-unbelievable notion that victory could be celebrated in a shade of blue as well as red.

One of the happiest sights was that of Attleboro coach Kevin Deschenes hugging his players as realization set in. Perhaps nobody in our area has worked as long and as hard to accomplish something as Deschenes, and often without the appreciation of those who were content to sit back and complain about Attleboro's fortunes from behind the curtain of anonymity.

That curtain has now shifted a few miles to the north. Already, at least one anonymous individual, presumably an adult, has cast aspersions upon the North Attleboro coaching staff on our Web site, claiming that his town does not "tolerate" defeat on the holiday. People take these games far too seriously sometimes. It's good to approach the games with a certain level of commitment and seriousness, but it's equally good to leave behind the rancor and anger that may accompany defeat once the game is over.

Surely, Thursday's result may have been a bitter pill for some from North Attleboro to swallow, as accustomed to victory as they are in that community. But even the most hard-core Rocketeers will understand at some point that total domination of a series, while desirable, isn't necessarily good for the spirit of the series.

And I wouldn't be surprised if many red-clad rooters, despite their short-term disappointment, may secretly be glad that competitiveness has been returned to the rivalry. Simply stated, a healthy respect for one's opponent and his capabilities is a good thing.

It's also more fun.

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.