UNION COUNTY, NJ — Union County will be well represented when the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association football playoffs commence this weekend.
For several weeks, 10 of the 17 football-playing schools in Union County were on their way to making the grade.
Now it’s official.
Elizabeth–Frank J. Cicarell Academy, Plainfield and Linden high schools out of North, Group 5; Rahway and Westfield high schools out of North, Group 4; Cranford and Summit high schools out of North, Group 3; Arthur L. Johnson and Hillside high schools out of South, Group 2; and New Providence High School out of North, Group 1 are now preparing for the games they hope will lead them to their ultimate goal.
That is winning a sectional state championship and then going on to capture an overall group title.
Most of the Union County schools that made it this year are lower seeds. Only No. 2 seeds Elizabeth and New Providence and No. 4 seeds Cranford and Arthur L. Johnson will begin at home this weekend.
“It sure isn’t what it used to be like,” said Cranford head coach Erik Rosenmeier, who is in his 20th season at the helm of the Cougars. He continues to be the longest tenured coach in Union County.
Rosenmeier has guided Cranford to all three of its sectional state championships in the playoff era, which are North 2, Group 3 crowns won in 2011, 2015 and 2021.
Cranford is the last Union County team to win a state title, achieving the feat in 2021. Last year, Union County failed to have at least one team reach a sectional final, after Hillside and David Brearley high schools reached that status in 2022, but both lost.
Two of the games this weekend are rematches from regular season clashes. On Thursday, Oct. 10, Elizabeth edged Morristown High School, 26-24, in Morristown to snap a four-game losing streak and begin a three-game winning streak. Elizabeth, sparked by returning sophomore quarterback and pass-run threat Arique Fleming, hosts Morristown on Friday night, Nov. 1, in a first-round North 2, Group 5 encounter.
For many years, Elizabeth’s game-scrimmage was against Morristown.
The other regular season rematch is Cranford hosting Summit, this time in a North 2, Group 3 battle at Cranford’s Memorial Field. On Monday, Sept. 28, at Summit’s Tatlock Field, Cranford took the first lead with a touchdown, but Summit came back to triumph by a score of 21-7 to improve to 4-0.
Summit then lost at 5-0 Somerville High School, 41-0, which was also the halftime score, at 6-0 Bernards High School, 29-22, and then at home to 7-0 Woodbridge High School, 28-17. The Hilltoppers finally rebounded at Scotch Plains–Fanwood High School, 44-7, on Friday night, Oct. 25. All five Summit wins have come by double-digits.
Cranford has qualified for the playoffs every year now since 2011, a streak that has reached 13 straight seasons.
Hillside has made it every season since 2017 for seven years in a row. The Comets are playing Haddonfield Memorial High School in the playoffs for the third time since 2018.
In the 2018 South, Group 2 Regional Championship Game played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, Haddonfield defeated an 11-0 Hillside squad that just captured Central Jersey, Group 2 for the second straight season, 17-7.
The very next year in 2019, in the South Jersey, Group 2 semifinals at Haddonfield, this time Hillside prevailed by a convincing 35-0 shutout. Hillside then went on to win a third consecutive sectional state championship and first South Jersey, Group 2 title by downing West Deptford High School, 14-10, in the final played at West Deptford.
Hillside then went on to beat Cedar Creek High School, 25-3, in the South, Group 2 Regional Championship Game at Rutgers University to produce a program-best 12-0 finish.
Here’s a look at the final positions where Union County teams and their opponents this weekend finished in their group-sections based on their United Power Ranking numbers:
• North, Group 5: 13-Morristown, 5-Elizabeth, 12-Plainfield, 4-Passaic Tech, 14-Linden, 3-West Orange.
• North, Group 4: 11-Westfield, 6-Northern Highlands, 13-Rahway, 4-Ridge.
• North, Group 3: 10-Summit, 7-Cranford.
• South, Group 2: 11-Hillside, 6-Haddonfield, 9-Willingboro, 8-Arthur L. Johnson.
• North, Group 1: 13-Boonton, 4 New Providence.
Here’s a look at the first round playoff matchups for Union County schools:
Friday, Nov. 1
North 2, Group 5:
7-Morristown High School (4-5) at 2-Elizabeth High School–Frank J. Cicarell Academy (7-2): The Minutemen are hosting their first playoff game at Williams Field since 2015. Elizabeth last won North 2, Group 5 in 2012. Elizabeth has won three straight in the same season for the first time since 2015.
6-Plainfield High School (5-3) at 3-Passaic County Technical Institute (7-2): The Cardinals are in the playoffs for the second straight season after producing their first winning season last year since 2005. Plainfield is 21-19 with head coach James Williams since he took charge in 2021.
North 1, Group 5:
7-Linden High School (4-5) at 2-West Orange High School (7-2): West Orange senior quarterback Charlie LaMorte, who has thrown for more than 1,500 yards, is out with an injury. Linden will seek to bounce back from last weekend’s 22-9 loss at Plainfield that snapped a three-game Tiger winning streak.
North 2, Group 4:
6-Westfield High School (4-4) at 3-Northern Highlands High School (4-4): Westfield will travel deep into Bergen County to face a Northern Highlands team that has lost three of its last four games following a 3-1 start. Last week’s setback came in triple overtime at Ramapo High School, 25-23. After an uncharacteristic 0-3 start, Ramapo rebounded to win five straight to make the playoffs out of North, Group 4.
North 1, Group 4:
7-Rahway High School (7-2) at 2-Ridge High School (7-1):Rahway has shown a great deal of improvement this year, sparked by players who gained their first varsity experience last season. The Indians have won more than twice the number of games they did last year. Rahway went 3-7 a year ago. Rahway has won three in a row for the second time this year and its only losses have come at Somerville High School, which is 9-0, and by a point at home to Cranford, which is 6-2 and on a four-game winning streak. Ridge has won seven straight since opening with a 37-34 loss at St. Joseph High School, Metuchen. Six of the seven victories have come by double digits.
North 2, Group 3:
5-Summit High School (5-3) at 4-Cranford High School (6-2): This is the second time these Union County rivals are clashing in the playoffs and the first time in 11 years. In the 2013 North 2, Group 3 semifinals at Summit, Cranford was defeated, 35-14. Cranford went on to reach the final in 2014 and finish 11-1 and then win the section for the second time in 2015 and close a program-best 12-0.
Central Jersey, Group 2:
6-Hillside High School (5-4) at 3-Haddonfield Memorial High School (5-3): Both five-win teams had three-game winning streaks snapped on the road last weekend in low-scoring affairs. Hillside is sparked by the play of seniors Zion Risher at quarterback and lineman Darren Ikinnagbon, a Georgia commit. A victory will clinch an eighth straight winning season for the visiting Comets.
South Jersey, Group 2:
5-Willingboro High School (6-3) at 4-Arthur L. Johnson High School (7-1): Arthur L. Johnson went 6-3 the last two seasons and finished with playoff losses at Pleasantville High School. This time, the Crusaders are home and seeking to capture their first playoff victory since beating Holmdel High School, 34-6, in a 2017 Central Jersey, Group 2 first-round clash at Nolan Field in Clark. Arthur L. Johnson senior running back Ryan George, closing in on 1,000 yards rushing this year and who has more than 2,300 total in three varsity seasons, rushed for 214 yards on 18 carries and scored four touchdowns in Arthur L. Johnson’s resounding 56-24 triumph last week at Perth Amboy High School.
Saturday, Nov. 2
North 2, Group 1:
7-Boonton High School (6-3) at 2-New Providence High School (7-2): The host Pioneers have won two straight and have shown steady improvement from last year’s 4-6 finish that closed with a three-game losing streak. Boonton had a three-game winning streak snapped at home by 8-0 Cedar Grove High School, 56-23, last weekend.
Union County football in 2024 sectional playoffs
Friday, Nov. 1
North 2, Group 5:
7-Morristown at 2-Elizabeth, 6 p.m.
6-Plainfield at 3-Passaic Tech, 6 p.m.
North 1, Group 5:
7-Linden at 2-West Orange, 7 p.m.
North 2, Group 4:
6-Westfield at 3-Northern Highlands, 6;15 p.m.
North 1, Group 4:
7-Rahway at 2-Ridge, 7 p.m.
North 2, Group 3:
5-Summit at 4-Cranford, 7 p.m.
Central Jersey, Group 2:
6-Hillside at 3-Haddonfield, 7 p.m.
South Jersey, Group 2:
5-Willingboro at 4-Arthur L. Johnson, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 2
North 2, Group 1:
7-Boonton at 2-New Providence, 2 p.m.