WESTERLY, R.I. (WPRI) — It's one of the oldest high school football rivalries in the country — Westerly vs. Stonington. The Westerly Bulldogs and Stonington Bears first met on the gridiron back in 1911 and have been battling for bragging rights at the Thanksgiving dinner table ever since. Though hundreds of players, coaches and fans have come and gone over the 11 decades, there's one announcer who's had a front row seat to more than 40 of those games. That announcer is Sports Open Mic's own Ken Collins, who locals have deemed the "voice of high school sports." The 85-year-old told 12 News that, while he loves talking sports on his radio show, his favorite place to be is inside the Westerly High School press box. "What more could you ask for?" he said, referring to the view of the field from the press box. Collins, sports director for Westerly's WBLQ, said he's "blessed" to have had the opportunity to call these rivalry games. "Being able to do what I do is special," Collins said. "I get to do what a lot of people want to do but have never had the opportunity to do it." "I'm living the dream and can do it every year," he continued. Collins has only missed two Thanksgiving Day games throughout his tenure, the first being in 1985. "I was actually having a heart attack right then and there," Collins recalled. "I missed that one and I missed one in 2012 when I had cancer, but I beat them both." "I'm lucky I've had the doctors that I've had," he added. Former Stonington Police Chief David Erskin has been friends with Collins since the 1960s. "He calls a great game," Erskin said. "He's always been respected and has never said a bad word about anybody. He's never bad-mouthed the coach or any other players." Collins told 12 News that calling games and talking sports gives him purpose. "It keeps me going," Collins said. "You always want to keep active." "You start off doing regular season games and then you have that Thanksgiving Day game," he explained. "What a way to end the broadcast season on Thanksgiving Day with 5,000 people." Collins always gets a kick out of fans asking him who he thinks is going to win the game. "I get a lot of people asking me, 'You've seen Stonington play; you've seen Westerly play. Who's going to win?'" he said with a laugh. "The team with the most points? I don't know." The Thanksgiving Day game will be the last one of the year for both Westerly and Stonington. The teams will play at Stonington High School this year, with kickoff scheduled for 10 a.m. Westerly has a seven-game lead over Stonington for Thanksgiving Day matchups, with the Bulldogs winning 51 and the Bears winning 44. The teams have also tied nine times, most recently in 1999. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now This Week in Good News SIGN UP NOW