The mess Hurricane Sandy brought continues to hamper everything we do; High school football in Union County will attempt to continue this weekend

Final games before playoffs and possible consolations are rescheduled for Friday and Saturday

For those who already got their power back – God Bless!

I am both thankful for you and very envious.

As of Wednesday, Nov. 7, mine is not back and JCP&L has no clue when it will be back.

As far as Union County football is concerned, everyone had a bye week last weekend.

Because power is still out in many parts of New Jersey, some may have another bye week this weekend.

Football was probably the last thing on the minds of Union County residents who are still coping with the devastation that Hurricane Sandy brought to their lives.

As of Wednesday, Nov. 7, www.gridironnewjersey.com has a revised list of the football schedule for Union County teams this weekend.

Here it is:

Friday, Nov. 9:

Bound Brook at Brearley

Johnson at Delaware Valley

North Plainfield at Cranford

Saturday, Nov. 10:

Bernards at Gov. Livingston

Bridgewater-Raritan at Linden

Elizabeth at Plainfield

Hillside at Summit

Manville vs. Dayton at Union

Roselle at Rahway

Roselle Park at New Providence

Union at Hunterdon Central

Westfield at Scotch Plains

In order for the above games to be played, those schools have to be in session and proper practices have to take place.

The NJSIAA pushed the playoffs back a week, with the quarterfinals now scheduled to be played at the higher seeds Nov. 16 and 17 and the semifinals at the higher seeds Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

In between, Thanksgiving Day games involving Union County teams on Thursday, Nov. 22 include:

Linden at Union

Westfield at Plainfield

Rahway at Johnson

Roselle at Roselle Park

Gov. Livingston at New Providence

The state championship games will now take place exactly a week after the semifinals on Dec. 7 and 8.

Then basketball and wrestling seasons will commence the very next weekend on Dec. 14.

Also, a report was just released stating that the NJSIAA will allow teams that do not qualify for the playoffs to skip consolation games because of the scheduling changes that have resulted from Hurricane Sandy. If consolation games are to be played, the dates for them will be Nov. 16 and 17.

Elizabeth and Summit – both 8-0 and the only remaining undefeated teams in Union County – were defeated in state championship games last year.

Elizabeth lost the North 2, Group 4 final to Piscataway 41-34 at Rutgers.

The Minutemen are the favorites now to capture the first North 2, Group 5 section.

Summit lost the North 2, Group 2 final to Madison 47-7 at Kean.

The Hilltoppers are the favorites now to claim North 2, Group 3, which is a section they captured twice in the playoff era, first in 1976 and second in 1980.