Every Thanksgiving morning, thousands of high school football fans from two Delaware River border cities flock to the campus of Lafayette College to see a century-old rivalry.

The two cities were once transportation hubs for the steel industry, but have long since seen their heydays come and go. But one constant has remained through the good times and the bad -- the annual Thanksgiving Day game between Easton (Pa.) High School and Phillipsburg (N.J.) High School determines bragging rights and civic pride for an entire community for the following year.

The Phillipsburg Stateliners and Easton Bulldogs have met every autumn but three since 1905, and every season is judged a success or failure by the result of the game. The yearly matchup has taken place every Thanksgiving morning since 1916.

But the passion of the rivalry is about more than a game, it's about a tradition that consumes both communities for much of the year.

Easton coach Steve Shiffert reminds his players about Phillipsburg on a daily basis during the season. He said before every practice, even grueling summer two-a-days, he has them face the river, with Phillipsburg as a backdrop, and chant, "Face almighty Phillipsburg."

The game is actually the culmination of an entire week of events tied to the rivalry, from team ceremonies and banquets to bonfires and pep rallies, which involve most of both communities.

Recently, the annual Thanksgiving showdown has always been played at Lafayette in Easton and more than 20,000 fans from both sides traditionally walk to the stadium the morning of the game to see two of the most successful programs in their respective states.

Phillipsburg is New Jersey's all-time winningest program, Easton ranks second in career wins in Pennsylvania.

The game is such a source of pride that three times Easton has played Phillipsburg on Thursday then played a Pennsylvania state playoff game two days later.

Shiffert said other coaches have called him crazy for putting his players through the physical demand of two games in three days, but added they could never understand the true meaning of the rivalry as an outsider.

"It's who we are," Shiffert said. "We'll never change the rivalry. If it weren't for the river we'd practically be the same city."

While, Shiffert has to deal with the rivalry in his locker room, his Phillipsburg counterpart, Bob Stem, a 1958 Phillipsburg graduate, also has to live with it every day in his own household.

Stem's wife, Janice, is an Easton graduate. While Stem said the game is still important to both of them, they won't allow it to affect their marriage, because in essence, Easton and Phillipsburg are one city, he said, with similar backgrounds divided by a small stretch of the river.

But while the river may physically separate the two communities, Stem said it's never enough to help ease the sting of a loss on Thanksgiving.

"We're practically the same city," Stem said. "You want to win because you have to live with these people the rest of the year. They're going to let you hear about it if you lose."