The Union football program’s first attempt at gaining victory No. 500 will come Friday night (Oct. 18) at 7 at Hillsborough in a big Mid-State 38 Conference-Delaware Division clash.
Union is 2-2 overall and 2-2 in the Delaware Division, while Hillsborough is 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the division.
Union is trying to qualify again – for the playoffs – in North 2, Group 5 and Hillsborough once more in Central Jersey, Group 5. Hillsborough qualified last year with a 3-5 record at the cutoff date during the first season the NJSIAA allowed teams under .500 to make it.
Union has won three of the first four meetings since the formation of the Mid-State 38 (39) Conference in 2009.
Here’s a look at the scores:
2012: Union 28, Hillsborough 24 – at Union
2011: Union 55, Hillsborough 19 – at Union
2010: Hillsborough 40, Union 13 – at Hillsborough
2009: Union 42, Hillsborough 21 – at Union
Here’s a look at Union victories decade-by decade:
2010s so far: (19-14-0 – .576) – includes this year’s 2-2 start
2000s: (61-44-0 – .581)
1990s: (85-18-1 – .825) – three playoff championships
1980s: (91-13-1 – .883) – five playoff championships
1970s: (56-34-4 – .622) – two playoff championships
1960s: (54-27-9 – .667) – one pre-playoff state championship
1950s: (42-33-10 – .560) – one pre-playoff state championship
1940s: (23-57-6 – .288)
1930s: (50-32-10 – .610) – one pre-playoff state championship
1920s: (18-29-11 – .383)
TOTALS: (499-301-52 – .624)
UNION FOOTBALL MILESTONE VICTORIES:
1 – 1925 – head coach, Harry Lake
50 – 1936 – head coach, Harry Lake
100 – 1954 – head coach, Jack Garrabrant
150 – 1963 – head coach, Richard Weber
200 – 1972 – head coach Joe Bizzaro
250 – 1980 – head coach, Lou Rettino
300 – 1986 – head coach, Lou Rettino
350 – 1991 – at Kearny 41-0 – head coach Lou Rettino
400 – 1997 – Plainfield 17-16 – head coach Gary Zakovic
450 – 2005 – Westfield 14-3 – head coach Marc Crisafi
500 – 2013 – ? ? ? – head coach Lou Grasso Jr.
NOTES: The first year of football was 1922.
The first two head coaches – Miss Durling in 1922 and
Harold Burke in 1923 and 1924 – did not win a game.
CRANFORD HAS SCOTCH PLAINS’ NUMBER LATELY
Cranford has a big game at Scotch Plains Saturday at 2 p.m., with the Cougars looking to be a Raritan Division team that goes back to the playoffs and the Raiders a Mountain Division squad that does.
Cranford has a three-game winning streak over Scotch Plains and has won seven of the last 10 meetings dating back to a big 20-12 win at Scotch Plains in 2002, which turned out to be only the second year Cranford made the playoffs and the first since 1975. The teams did not play each other in 2008.
Here’s a look at the scores since 2002:
2012: Cranford 26, Scotch Plains 20 – at Cranford
2011: Cranford 27, Scotch Plains 7 – at Scotch Plains
2010: Cranford 21, Scotch Plains 14 – at Cranford
2009: Scotch Plains 26, Cranford 24 – at Cranford
2008: Did not play.
2007: Scotch Plains 42, Cranford 20 – at Cranford
2006: Cranford 15, Scotch Plains 13 – at Scotch Plains
2005: Cranford 26, Scotch Plains 23 (OT) – at Cranford
2004: Cranford 28, Scotch Plains 14 – at Scotch Plains
2003: Scotch Plains 33, Cranford 22 – at Cranford
2002: Cranford 20, Scotch Plains 12 – at Scotch Plains
Cranford is 3-2 overall and 3-1 and in second place in the Raritan Division. The Cougars bounced back from a 48-14 pasting at two-time defending Raritan Division champi0n and present leader Summit to defeat Roselle 13-12 and Delaware Valley 30-13 at home the last two weekends.
Scotch Plains is 2-3 overall and 1-3 in the Mountain Division. Since opening with a 20-14 Mountain Division win at Governor Livingston, the Raiders have dropped three of their last four. Scotch Plains snapped a three-game losing streak with an out-of-division 27-12 triumph at North Plainfield last weekend.
For the first time, Cranford qualified for the playoffs in consecutive seasons the last two years – winning North 2, Group 3 for the first time in 2011 and reaching the semifinals in 2012. The Cougars also won playoffs games in consecutive years for the first time.
Scotch Plains, moving up to North 2, Group 4 for the first time last year, made the playoffs last season for the first time since falling at home to South Plainfield 16-14 in the 2007 North 2, Group 3 semifinals. The Raiders went 7-4 that season, which was their last winning campaign.
Scotch Plains finished 5-5 last year.
Cranford went 10-1 in 2011 and 7-3 last year. Including this year’s 3-2 start, the Cougars are 20-6 since the beginning of the 2011 season.
Cranford head coach Erik Rosenmeier, in his ninth season at the helm of the Cougars, is 5-2 against Scotch Plains. Rosenmeier coached on head coach Steve Ciccotelli’s staff at Scotch Plains before becoming the athletic director there.
THIS WEEKEND’S UNION COUNTY SCHEDULE:
Friday, Oct. 18 (9 games)
Union at Hillsborough, 7 p.m.
Bridgewater-Raritan at Elizabeth, 7 p.m.
Westfield at Franklin, 7 p.m.
Plainfield at Ridge, 7 p.m.
Gov. Livingston at Johnson, 7 p.m.
Hillside at Voorhees, 7 p.m.
Bernards at Roselle Park, 7 p.m.
South Hunterdon at Brearley, 7 p.m.
New Providence at Bound Brook, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 19 (4 games)
Warren Hills at Rahway, 1 p.m.
Cranford at Scotch Plains, 2 p.m.
Roselle at Summit, 2 p.m.
Dayton at Pingry, 2 p.m.
Off: Linden.