UNION COUNTY — Now that the first week of high school football practice is in the books, it’s time for Union County squads to begin getting the kinks out in scrimmages that were allowed to begin this week.
Some Union County schools will open next week, called Week Zero, and some the following week, named Week One.
Before opening their seasons many teams have one final scrimmage, more appropriately known as game-scrimmages. before their first games are played.
Here’s a list of scrimmages that will take place from Thursday, Aug. 20, to Thursday, Aug. 27, involving Union County schools:
Thursday, Aug. 20 = three involving three Union County schools
Rahway at Randolph, 1 p.m.
North Hunterdon at Governor Livingston, 5 p.m.
Voorhees at Roselle Park, 6 p.m.
Governor Livingston High School opens at Jonathan Dayton High School on Friday, Aug. 28, and Roselle Park High School opens at Wood-Ridge High School on Thursday, Aug. 27.
Friday, Aug. 21 = two involving four Union County schools
Cranford at Westfield, 10 a.m.
Summit at Union, 11 a.m.
Cranford High School opens at Bernards High School on Friday, Sept. 4, and Westfield High School is at home against Scotch Plains–Fanwood High school on Thursday, Aug. 27.
Summit High School opens at home against Colonia High School on Saturday, Aug. 29, and Union High School at Edison High School on Thursday, Aug. 27.
Saturday, Aug. 22 – three involving four Union County schools
Arthur L. Johnson at David Brearley, 10 a.m.
Jonathan Dayton at Millburn, 11 a.m.
Hillside at Weequahic, 1 p.m.
Arthur L. Johnson High School opens at Delaware Valley High School on Thursday, Sept. 3, and David Brearley High School at Wallington High School on Thursday, Aug 27.
Jonathan Dayton opens at home vs. Governor Livingston on Friday, Aug. 28, and Hillside High School at Columbia High School on Friday, Aug. 28.
Thursday, Aug. 27 = two involving three Union County schools
Cranford at Linden, 10 a.m.
Roselle at North Bergen, 10:30 a.m.
Linden opens at Scotch Plains–Fanwood on Thursday, Sept. 3, and Roselle at Hillside on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Also, Plainfield High School has a scrimmage at Long Branch High School on Thursday, Aug. 20, at 10 a.m. New Providence High School at home against Middlesex High School on Thursday, Aug. 27, at 10 a.m., and Elizabeth High School at West Morris High School on Friday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m.
Plainfield High School opens at Sayreville War Memorial High School on Friday, Aug. 28, New Providence High School at home against Voorhees High School on Thursday, Sept. 3, and Elizabeth High School at Carteret High School on Friday, Aug. 28.
The 2018 season was the first in New Jersey that began with regular season games in August. Now many school districts have students in the classroom before Labor Day.
On Friday, Aug. 31, 2018, at Union’s Cooke Memorial Field, visiting Linden and host Union had a classic battle that Union won by the score of 14-7 in single overtime. Students did not have their first day of school eight years ago until after Labor Day. That is not the case in many school districts in New Jersey anymore.
Photos by JR Parachini
