Union County football this weekend – 8 games on Friday night, Sept. 14 and 3 on Saturday, Sept. 15 – has not been affected by the week-long rain.
Story lines include:
In a Mid-State 36 Conference-Union Division clash at Ward Field in Kenilworth it will be the Dayton Bulldogs (0-1) facing the host Brearley Bears (1-0). Dayton opened at home last Friday night with a 41-14 Union Division setback against Belvidere. Brearley received a forfeit win over Highland Park, who last week dropped varsity football after a 41-0 home loss to Montclair Kimberley Academy saw several of its players injured.
Brearley, which was originally scheduled to open Sept. 7 at home vs. Roselle Park – which cancelled varsity football back in June – is anxious to play its first game.
Elizabeth (2-0) and New Providence (2-0) are both home Sept. 14 – Elizabeth to Linden in Watchung Division play and New Providence to Bound Brook in a Union Division clash – and each are seeking their first 3-0 start since 2015.
New Providence went 1-9 the past two seasons, so tonight’s home-opener against Bound Brook is met with much higher enthusiasm and expectations.
Westfield, which last Friday night at Linden saw its state-leading 37-game winning streak come to an end, will seek to bounce back from a loss for the first time since beating Plainfield for the third year in a row on Thanksgiving in 2014. Westfield is at Watchung Hills in a battle of 0-1 Watchung Division squads.
Hillside faces Roselle at Rahway River Park on Sept. 14 in a Valley Division clash. The Comets are 1-0 after a 55-6 thrashing of Middlesex last Friday night in Middlesex. Roselle is 0-2, including last Saturday’s 33-20 loss to South River at Rahway River Park.
All 16 Union County football teams are in action for the second straight weekend.
UNION COUNTY FOOTBALL
FOR SEPT. 14-15:
FRIDAY, SEPT. 14 (8 games)
Linden (1-1) at Elizabeth (2-0), 7 p.m. – WATCHUNG DIVISION
Westfield (0-1) at Watchung Hills (0-2), 7 p.m.- WATCHUNG DIVISION
Gov. Livingston (1-1) at Cranford (1-0), 7 p.m. – MOUNTAIN DIVISION
Scotch Plains (0-1) at Montgomery (0-1), 7 p.m. – RARITAN DIVISION
Rahway (0-1) at Voorhees (2-0), 7 p.m. – MOUNTAIN DIVISION
Hillside (1-0) vs. Roselle (0-2) at Rahway River Park, 7 p.m. – VALLEY DIVISION
Dayton (0-1) at Brearley (1-0), 7 p.m. – UNION DIVISION
Bound Brook (1-0) at New Providence (2-0), 7 p.m. – UNION DIVISION
SATURDAY, SEPT. 15 (3 games)
Union (1-1) at Plainfield (1-1), 1 p.m. – WATCHUNG DIVISION
Warren Hills (0-2) at Summit (1-0), 1 p.m. – RARITAN DIVISION
Johnson (0-2) at Metuchen (0-1), 1 p.m. – Union County vs. Middlesex County crossover
Off: None.