CRANFORD, NJ — The home team was already trailing by more than one possession as the fourth quarter passed its midway point on Friday, Sept. 10. Mistakes in all three phases — offense, defense and special teams — cost Cranford, favored to win and making its 2021 debut, dearly up to this point. Then North […]
SCOTCH PLAINS / FANWOOD, NJ — Perhaps instead of Group 1 football, it should be called Adversity Football. The combatants at Tyson Field on Saturday, Sept. 11, visitor Highland Park and host Dayton, sure have seen their share. Jonathan Dayton High School’s turf field was flooded and deemed unplayable for Friday night’s scheduled Big Central […]
SUMMIT, NJ — Pinned deep in its own territory late in the first half of its battle against Elizabeth on Saturday, Sept. 4, Summit football’s offense was stopped on three consecutive possessions, after the Hilltoppers began their 2021 season by marching down the field and scoring a touchdown. With a little more than three minutes […]
PISCATAWAY, NJ — An unusual first half on Sunday, Sept. 5, at Rutgers Stadium saw Hillside with only 10 plays on its resume to 36 for a Bernards team that drove down the field but could not reach the end zone. Strangely up by a touchdown at the half — Hillside had the ball only […]
UNION, NJ — For the first time since the 1994 season — when legendary head coach Lou Rettino was still at the helm of the Farmers — Union football is a defending state champion. The Farmers were fortunate to get in seven games during the pandemic last season, winning four. However, there were no playoffs […]
SUMMIT, NJ — Last year was a learning curve like no other for the Hilltoppers. A young cast void of any prolific experience coming in managed to show what they were made of on five occasions, from the beginning of October to Mischief Night. “Last year we got hit by COVID, and I’m sure you’ve […]
ROSELLE PARK, NJ — After Greg Dunkerton served as a longtime assistant at Governor Livingston and Roselle Park, he moved up to head coach status at Roselle Park last year. Initially, he met challenges for which he was not prepared; however, football coaches are taught to be able to adjust to certain situations on a […]
ROSELLE, NJ — Ibrahim Halsey was a fixture at his alma mater, Elizabeth High School, serving as a respected assistant coach there for the past nine seasons. Now the 2002 Elizabeth graduate, who in his senior season was named the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year, is in charge at Abraham Clark High School […]
RAHWAY, NJ — Prepare to learn a lot about the Rahway Indians on a week-to-week basis. A wealth of experience will not be realized until much later in the season. There are only three returning starters, and one of them, Zaon Laney, is one of just nine seniors on the team. The other two returning […]
LINDEN, NJ — There are plenty of veteran players, big guys to do the necessary blocking — and most have the experience to make the 2021 season a special one for the Linden Tigers. “I like our group a lot,” seventh-year head coach Al Chiola said. “I like our size up front; we’re a fast […]