Are we on a 7-0 at 8-0 collison course regarding the Linden and Elizabeth football teams?
Both are off to 3-0 starts after Friday night wins – Linden won at 2-0 Montgomery 34-20 in Mid-State 38 Conference-Watchung Division play, while Elizabeth blanked visiting Franklin 34-0 in Delaware Division action.
Linden, which leads the Watchung Division all by itself, will attempt to be 7-0 when it plays at Elizabeth Nov. 7 at Elizabeth’s Williams Field. That is the playoff cutoff date weekend and Linden’s eighth and final game that counts toward the playoffs.
Both teams are situated in North 2, Group 5 and have an excellent chance of being the top two seeds. Linden has not reached a sectional final since 1985. The Tigers reached sectional semifinals the past two seasons.
Elizabeth, which is tied for first in the Delaware Division with defending champion Phillipsburg and Hillsborough, won North 2, Group 5 the very first year it was formed in 2012. The Minutemen did not make the playoffs last year.
For Elizabeth, that will be its ninth game and won’t count toward its playoff qualifying. The Minutemen will attempt to be 8-0 going into that game.
Linden plays Union on Thanksgiving, while Elizabeth does not play on Thanksgiving anymore, thus the Minutemen will have played one more game than the Tigers going into that always-grueling, arch rival, neighborhood matchup.
More to come.
UNION COUNTY SCOREBOARD
FRIDAY, SEPT. 26
Bound Brook 23, Roselle Park 21 – at Roselle Park
Bridgewater-Raritan 34, Union 21 – at Union
Elizabeth 34, Franklin 0 – at Elizabeth
Scotch Plains 51, Ridge 48 – at Ridge
Linden 34, Montgomery 20 – at Montgomery
Delaware Valley 21, Johnson 20 – at Johnson
Governor Livingston 19, North Plainfield 7 – at North Plainfield