UNION COUNTY, NJ — The names are in.
The Big Central Conference divisions were realigned for the 2022 season, with that information being released in December.
The names for the new divisions were just released last week.
According to BCC President Scott Miller, the conference is going with Freedom, Patriot, United, Liberty, American and National for the 12 divisions. Each of those names will be attached to two divisions: one gold and one silver.
Here’s how it looks.
Big Central Conference for 2022
• Freedom Gold (formerly Division 1A):
Brearley, Dayton, Highland Park, Roselle Park, Spotswood.
• Freedom Silver (formerly Division 1B):
Belvidere, Dunellen, Manville, Middlesex, South Hunterdon.
• Patriot Gold (formerly Division 2A):
Bernards, Bound Brook, Delaware Valley, South River, Voorhees.
• Patriot Silver (formerly Division 2B):
Hillside, Johnson, Metuchen, New Providence, Roselle.
• United Gold (formerly Division 3A):
Cranford, Rahway, Scotch Plains–Fanwood, St. Thomas Aquinas, Summit.
• United Silver (formerly Division 3B):
Carteret, Gov. Livingston, J.P. Stevens, North Plainfield, South Plainfield.
• Liberty Gold (formerly Division 4A):
Colonia, Iselin Kennedy, Linden, Perth Amboy, Woodbridge.
• Liberty Silver (formerly Division 4B):
Montgomery, North Hunterdon, Plainfield, Watchung Hills.
• American Gold (formerly Division (5A):
Elizabeth, Somerville, St. Joseph’s Metuchen, Union, Westfield.
• American Silver (formerly Division 5B):
Bridgewater–Raritan, Hillsborough, Hunterdon Central, Phillipsburg, Ridge.
• National Gold (formerly Division 5C):
East Brunswick, Monroe, Old Bridge, Piscataway, South Brunswick.
• National Silver (formerly Division 5D):
Edison, Franklin, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Sayreville.
There are now 12 divisions, two more than last year, and they are now set in stone for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
“This is my ninth year at Johnson and it seems like the conference has changed like seven times,” Arthur l. Johnson High School head coach Anthony DelConte said.
His Crusaders are in the Patriot Silver Division, the former Division 2B that was realigned. The other four teams are Hillside, now in Group 3, and fellow Group 2 schools Metuchen, New Providence and Roselle.
“They’re all good football teams that are well coached,” DelConte said. “We’re looking to turn it around here.”
Arthur L. Johnson finished 2-7 last year and is seeking to produce its first winning season since 2017.
The BCC includes schools from Union, Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties. There are 59 football-playing schools in the conference.
There are 11 five-team divisions and one four-team. Warren Hills left the BCC and is now situated in the Northwest Jersey Conference.
Union County’s 17 football-playing schools are scattered in seven of the 12 divisions. Plainfield is in the lone division that has only four schools.
The first week of the season, known as Week Zero, has games scheduled for Friday, Aug. 26, and Saturday, Aug. 27. Three Union County schools’ seasons open that weekend, including Governor Livingston at New Providence and North Plainfield at Scotch Plains–Fanwood on Friday, Aug. 26. Both of those games will be nondivision matchups, since those teams are not in the same division.
Arthur L. Johnson High School has a scrimmage scheduled at Monmouth Regional High School on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 10 a.m. Its game-scrimmage is Thursday, Aug. 25,at 10 a.m., at home vs. Shore Regional High School.
The Crusaders open at home on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 6 p.m., vs. crossover rival Governor Livingston High School. Arthur L. Johnson High School’s other crossover games include matchups with Somerset County school Bound Brook and Middlesex County foes Spotswood and South River.
Four Union County schools won BCC division championships last year, three outright and one shared. Union High School garnered Division 5A outright at 4-0, beating Westfield, Elizabeth, Plainfield and Watchung Hills.
Cranford High School captured Division 4 outright at 7-0, defeating Colonia, Woodbridge, North Hunterdon, Scotch Plains–Fanwood, Linden, Montgomery and John F. Kennedy Memorial in Iselin.
New Providence High School won Division 1A outright at 4-0, beating David Brearley, Middlesex, Bound Brook and Roselle Park.
Hillside, Delaware Valley and Bernards shared the Division 2A title, each with 4-1 league marks. Bernards High School defeated Hillside High School, Hillside beat Delaware Valley High School and Delaware Valley defeated Bernards.