.jpg "From Backyard Flag Football to a Holiday Force: The Santa Squad’s Thanksgiving Day Classic Still Brings the Magic Celebrates Its Annual “Thanksgiving Day Classic” Football Game")
From Backyard Flag Football to a Holiday Force: The Santa Squad’s Thanksgiving Day Classic Still Brings the Magic Celebrates Its Annual “Thanksgiving Day Classic” Football Game
By: Joelle Martinelli | SportzWire | November 24, 2025 | Photo courtesy Joelle Martinelli - Pixel Perfect NEPA
The Greater Pittston Santa Squad Celebrates Its Annual “Thanksgiving Day Classic” Football Game
Nearly Three Decades of Holiday Tradition
Pittston, PA — What started nearly 30 years ago as a handful of neighborhood friends gathering Thanksgiving weekend for a casual flag football game has grown into one of Greater Pittston’s most cherished holiday traditions. It is the heart behind the Greater Pittston Santa Squad, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit now providing Christmas gifts to more than 1,600 children across the Pittston Area and Wyoming Area School Districts, as well as supporting other local agencies like the Domestic Violence Service Center, The Gabriel House, and many others.
In the early 1990s, a group of local guys bundled up, grabbed some flags, joked about still being in their athletic prime, and played a friendly game of football. It was the kind of game fueled by community, competition, and a couple of beers, the way most Pittston traditions begin. Around the same time, founder Tony Marranca’s mother, Mary, was volunteering with the Salvation Army. Her stories of parents struggling to provide Christmas gifts sparked a simple idea.
If they were already gathering every year, why not turn the game into something bigger? Something meaningful.
That first year, they collected about 500 toys, filling Tony’s apartment from floor to ceiling. No one realized they were starting a tradition that would one day change thousands of holiday mornings.
When the Salvation Army ended its local program, the group did not hesitate. From Tony’s apartment to storage units to the basement of his workplace and eventually to the full Santa Squad Headquarters on William Street, the mission grew right alongside the community’s need. Every year since, the spirit of that first game has remained the heartbeat of the holiday season.
This year’s Thanksgiving Day Classic, held at Charlie Trippi Stadium, once again brought the community together. Despite the cold, families showed up with toys in hand and warmth in their hearts. Volunteers served hot chocolate and hot food, their breath hanging in the crisp air as they greeted everyone with the kind of smiles that stay with you long after the game ends.
The Pittston 6th Ward took home the win over Cosgrove Park, continuing the long-standing rivalry. Tyler Granahan was named MVP, his second time earning the honor, though not consecutively, which keeps his story just dramatic enough. His energy on the field reflected what the Classic has always been about: heart, humor, and community pride.
At the end of the game, after most of the crowd had drifted off, a paper bag wrapped in gold tissue paper was quietly handed to founder and President Tony Marranca. Inside was a brass penguin, nearly identical to the long-lost MVP trophy he once “borrowed” from his mother’s end table in the 1990s. Anyone who has seen the old photo of Tony, Todd, and Tommy from back then would have recognized it instantly.
After Tony recently shared the story of how the original trophy disappeared when a former MVP moved and how a stand-in trophy had been used ever since, someone set out to find a true match. That search stretched all the way to a pawn shop in the Netherlands, where a nearly perfect twin surfaced and eventually made its way back to Pittston Township.
Maybe it is the original. Maybe it is not. But in that quiet moment, on a nearly empty field, it felt like more than a trophy returning. It felt like tradition, stubborn and sentimental and stronger than time, finally finding its way back home.
The Santa Squad credits its success to its dedicated seven-member Board of Directors and the countless volunteers who show up quietly and consistently all year long. They give their time selflessly, not for recognition, but to make sure parents feel hope instead of worry and children wake up on Christmas morning with the spark of magic every child deserves.
The organization’s story has always been about more than football. It is about community. Neighbors helping neighbors. People stepping up because they can. And a simple idea from nearly three decades ago that continues to ripple through families every holiday season.
Nearly 30 years later, the Greater Pittston Santa Squad stands as a reminder that the best traditions do not just last. They grow. They deepen. And they bring out the very best in a community.
Those wishing to support the Santa Squad can donate via Venmo at @GreaterPittston-SantaSquad. More information, including ways to volunteer, is available on Facebook at Greater Pittston Santa Squad.
Todd Argenzio, Tony Marranca, Tommy Granahan
Todd Argenzio, Gary Worosilla, Tony Marranca, and Tommy Granahan
Board Member, Todd Argenzio, Founder and President, Tony Marranca, Volunteers, Shane Crossin, Jennifer Hawm, Rob Williams, Preston Klem, Board Member Tommy Granahan, and Vice President, Gary Worosilla
Game day crew
Toys
