What if you had the chance, 15 years later, to replay a high school football game against your longtime rival that had ended in a tie? Former players would reunite, train together, and suit up for a four-quarter full-contact game. Crazy as it sounds, that scenario became reality for Easton (Pa.) Area High School and Phillipsburg (N.J.) High School this past spring.

The idea was hatched by Gatorade, which was looking to host a great football rivalry with a score to settle as a marketing opportunity. Since Easton and Phillipsburg had been playing each other on Thanksgiving Day in the "Battle of the Hill" for more than 100 years straight, the two teams fit the bill.

Phillipsburg Athletic Director Tom Fisher was first contacted by Gatorade last December. "[Easton Athletic Director Jim Pokrivsak] and I got an e-mail requesting that we replay our 1993 Thanksgiving Day game that had ended in a 7-7 tie, but we both figured it was some kind of hoax and blew it off," he says. "A week later we got another e-mail and decided we better give them a call to see what was up."

Once they found out the idea was real, Fisher and Pokrivsak started working with Gatorade to bring the project, dubbed the REPLAY game, to fruition. They began by asking a lot of questions. "There was some apprehension on everybody's part," Fisher says. "Could we get the players back? Would they even be interested? What kind of shape would they be in? What kind of quality performance would the fans get?"

Both athletic directors also made sure Gatorade understood the enormity of an Easton vs. Phillipsburg contest--in any activity. "Easton and Phillipsburg could play a chess match and there would be a ton of excitement and fans," Pokrivsak says. "Gatorade thought they would just bring these guys back, have them practice and condition a little, and then open up a stadium somewhere and anybody who wanted to could come watch.

"We said, 'Wait a minute here--we sell out of 15,000 tickets for our Thanksgiving Day game every year by August,'" Pokrivsak continues. "'Do you realize the number of people who will come to this game?' They were hesitant at first to make the game so formal, but we helped them realize how monumental it could be."

And it was. Easton and Phillipsburg each sold 5,000 tickets in 90 minutes a couple weeks before the April 26 event. Lafayette College played host, as it has for the past 102 Thanksgiving Day contests, and its 15,000-seat stadium was packed.

In addition, the 60 returning players took things very seriously. They spent eight weeks conditioning and holding Sunday practices. "Some of these guys hadn't seen each other in 15 years," Pokrivsak says. "A lot of them were thankful for the opportunity to get back in shape, see their friends and past coaches, and have a great time."

Though the official record books won't change, Phillipsburg ended up winning a cleanly played 27-12 contest, with NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, who are sponsored by Gatorade, serving as honorary coaches. Other members of the coaching staffs were familiar faces, too. Current Easton Head Football Coach Steve Shiffert was in his first season as head coach in 1993, and was on the sideline with two of his former assistants. Current Phillipsburg Head Coach Bob Stem served as an assistant in the REPLAY game since the school's 1993 head coach accepted the offer to come back for one more game.

Many fans who attended the high schools 15 years ago came out to re-live the moment with the players. "It was just a fantastic day," Fisher says. "There were block parties and pregame tailgating just like on Thanksgiving. It was a special atmosphere and there was a lot of excitement."

While Fisher and Pokrivsak said the game was a huge success, they warn that without a big-name sponsor, it might be hard to pull off. "There are logistical things you don't think of right away," Fisher says. "I don't know exactly what Gatorade paid for insuring these guys, but I'm sure it was hundreds of thousands of dollars. They also reconditioned, repainted, and recertified all of our equipment to fit the returning players. All of those incidentals add up quick."

To submit your own school's rivalry for the next REPLAY game, go to: www.missiong.com/show/replay.