Dunbar defeated Anacostia yesterday in the Turkey Bowl. (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Yesterday Dunbar High School won the annual Turkey Bowl, besting Anacostia High School 12-8 for the honor of claiming the title as the city’s best public high school football team. Tomorrow Friendship Collegiate and KIPP D.C. square off against each other, and the winner will play Dunbar next week in what will be the first citywide football championship game between charter and public schools.

The championship game stems from the creation earlier this year of the D.C. Student Athletic Association (DCSAA), which is made of schools that are part of the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) and Washington Charter School Athletic Association (WCSAA), as well as independent and private schools.

The association’s creation reflect a stark reality in D.C. schools: while enrollment at public schools has stabilized at around 45,000, charter schools have seen consistent growth over the years, hitting 11 percent this year. The DCSAA establishes a formal means of pitting public schools against their chartered counterparts in a number of sports.

“This new statewide athletic association truly puts our talented charter school student-athletes on an equal playing field with other public school athletes across the city,” said D.C. Public Charter School Board Executive Director Scott Pearson, when the association was created in late May.