UNION COUNTY, NJ — The first day of official high school football practice in New Jersey, with shoulder pads, is now less than two weeks away: Wednesday, Aug. 10.
That means teams can scrimmage one week later, with most of the 17 Union County football-playing schools slated to compete in their first scrimmages on Wednesday, Aug. 17.
Some schools have three scrimmage dates and some just two. The season begins with Week Zero games slated to commence the weekend of Friday, Aug. 26 and Saturday, Aug. 27.
Three Union County schools open that weekend, with Governor Livingston High School at New Providence High School and Scotch Plains–Fanwood High School hosting North Plainfield High School on Friday, Aug. 26.
Below is a list of game scrimmages for most of Union County’s teams. Game scrimmages are the final scrimmages for schools before their season openers.
• Union High School: vs. Sayreville War Memorial High School, Friday, Aug. 26, at 11 a.m.
• Roselle Park High School: at J.P. Stevens High School in Edison, Friday, Aug. 26, at 6 p.m.
• David Brearley High School: vs. Glen Ridge High School, Tuesday, Aug. 23, at 10 a.m.
• Jonathan Dayton High School: Not yet listed.
• Governor Livingston High School: at Ewing High School, Saturday, Aug. 20, at 10 a.m.
• Summit High School: at Ridge High School, Thursday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m.
• Elizabeth High School: vs. Hudson Catholic Regional High School at the Caven Point Complex in Jersey City, Thursday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m.
• Hillside High School: Not yet listed.
• Linden High School: at East Brunswick High School on Thursday, Aug 25, at 6 p.m.
• Rahway High School: Not yet listed.
• Roselle High School: Not yet listed.
• Cranford High School: at Westfield High School, Thursday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m.
• Arthur L. Johnson High School: vs. Shore Regional High School, Thursday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m.
• Westfield High School: vs. Cranford High School, Thursday, Aug 25, at 10 a.m.
• Plainfield High School: at Hackensack High School, Wednesday, Aug. 24, at 6 p.m.
• Scotch Plains–Fanwood High School: Not yet listed.
• New Providence High School: at Hanover Park High School, Saturday, Aug. 20, at 10 a.m., multiple schools.
Since David Brearley and New Providence are now in different divisions in the Big Central Conference, they won’t be playing each other for the first time in a long time. David Brearley is situated with fellow Group 1 schools and New Providence with fellow Group 2 squads.
To make up for that, David Brearley will be scrimmaging at New Providence on Wednesday, Aug. 17. It’s a multiple-schools scrimmage.
First-year Governor Livingston head coach Pete Ramiccio will have his Highlanders travel to Parsippany for a multiple-schools scrimmage also on Wednesday, Aug. 17.
First-year Elizabeth head coach John Fiore has his Minutemen hosting East Orange Campus High School in a scrimmage on Wednesday, Aug. 17, as well.
Cranford, which captured North 2, Group 3 for the third time last year, will host Ramapo High School in its first scrimmage on Friday, Aug. 19. The Cougars will then have their game scrimmage against Westfield again, this time at Westfield’s Gary Kehler Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m.
Another Union County common scrimmage has Hillside hosting Plainfield at its John Zappulla Field on Wednesday, Aug. 17, at 10 a.m.
Much-improved Plainfield won five games last year for the first time since 2005, led by first-year head coach James Williams, who was previously the head coach at Roselle and an assistant at East Orange Campus.
Most Union County schools will have their season openers played on Thursday, Sept. 1, or Friday, Sept. 2. No Union County schools have their first games of the year scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 3.