There are three scheduled Friday night (Oct. 6) games that do not include either team with more than one loss.
They are all division games concerning six Mid-State 38 Conference squads.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS IN UNION COUNTY OCT. 6:
WATCHUNG DIVISION:
Westfield (4-0, 3-0) at Union (2-1, 2-1) – Cooke Memorial Field
VALLEY DIVISION:
Hillside (3-1, 3-0) at Johnson (4-0, 4-0) – Nolan Field
UNION DIVISION:
Roselle Park (4-1, 3-1) at Bound Brook (3-1, 2-1) – LaMonte Field
At Cooke Memorial Field we have 2-1 Union hosting 4-0 Westfield.
At Nolan Field in Clark we have 3-1 Hillside playing at 4-0 Johnson.
At LaMonte Field in Somerset County we have 4-1 Roselle Park at 3-1 Bound Brook.
Union, which was off last week after falling at Elizabeth 42-26, is hosting Westfield for the first time since 2012.
Union last defeated Westfield in 2013, with a 25-14 win at Westfield.
Westfield has a state-leading 29-game winning streak, with its last loss coming at Linden 14-6 in the 2014 North 2, Group 5 semis.
Westfield has won 23 straight regular season games and 12 consecutive road contests. The Blue Devils have also won 14 straight regular season road games.
Westfield, the two-time defending champion, leads the Watchung Division at 3-0. Union is tied for second with Linden and Elizabeth at 2-1.
Westfield has given up only 28 points – four touchdowns total, including one in each game – and the starting defense – designed by veteran coordinator Ken Miller – has surrendered only 21 points, a touchdown in each of its last three victories.
Union is led by sophomore first-year quarterback Andrew Sanborn, with senior Andy Martin another key skill position player to game-plan for.
Johnson leads the Valley Division at 4-0, while Hillside is second at 3-0. Hillside, in a non-playoff 4-6 campaign last year, stung Johnson 27-23 in Hillside.
Johnson made the Central Jersey, Group 2 playoffs last year for the third straight season and this year has aspirations of making it all the way to the final.
Hillside is seeking to produce a season over .500 and make the playoffs both for the first time since going 8-3 and reaching the North 2, Group 2 semis in 2008.
Situated in CJ, G2 this year, Hillside has never made the playoffs in that section.
Roselle Park and Belvidere are tied for first in the Union Division at 3-1. Bound Brook is tied for third with Manville and Brearley at 2-1.
UNION COUNTY
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE:
Friday, Oct. 6 (9 games)
Westfield at Union, 7 p.m.
Hunterdon Central at Elizabeth, 7 p.m.
Plainfield at Montgomery, 7 p.m.
Gov. Livingston at Summit, 7 p.m.
Rahway at Somerville, 7 p.m.
Hillside at Johnson, 7 p.m.
New Providence vs. Roselle at Rahway River Park, 7 p.m.
Dayton at Brearley, 7 p.m.
Roselle Park at Bound Brook, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 7 (1 game)
Cranford at Scotch Plains, 2 p.m.
Off: Linden.
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:
Thursday, Sept. 28 (5 games)
Westfield 35, Watchung Hills 7
Cranford 28, North Plainfield 6
Voorhees 38, Rahway 21
Bernards 35, New Providence 14
Dayton 42, Highland Park 14
Friday, Sept. 29 (6 games)
Linden 42, Elizabeth 21
Ridge 49, Plainfield 14
Summit 56, Scotch Plains 35
Hillside 14, Roselle 12
Johnson 49, Delaware Valley 21
Brearley 40, Roselle Park 21
Off: Union, Gov. Livingston.
THIS WEEK’S PICKS (10):
Union over Westfield
Hunterdon Central over Elizabeth
Montgomery over Plainfield
Summit over Gov. Livingston
Somerville over Rahway
Johnson over Hillside
Roselle over New Providence
Brearley over Dayton
Roselle Park over Bound Brook
Cranford over Scotch Plains
Best bet: Cranford
Upset special: Union
Last week: 7-4
This year: 33-19 (.635)
Best bets: 4-1
Upset specials: 2-3
JR’s UNION COUNTY
TOP 10:
1-Westfield (4-0)
2-Linden (3-1)
3-Elizabeth (2-2)
4-Union (2-1)
5-Johnson (4-0)
6-Hillside (3-1)
7-Summit (2-2)
8-Cranford (2-2)
9-Roselle (2-2)
10-Rahway (2-2)
Others:
Brearley (2-2)
Roselle Park (4-1)
Gov. Livingston (1-2)
Dayton (1-3)
Plainfield (0-4)
Scotch Plains (0-4)
New Providence (0-4)
- JR PARACHINI