UNION COUNTY, NJ — We’re now down to just two undefeated teams remaining in Union County.
Rahway High School put forth a solid effort, but fell short at Somerville High School, 32-16, in last weekend’s battle of teams that got off to 3-0 starts.
That leaves us with Summit High School and Arthur L. Johnson High School, both 3-0.
Summit is presently sixth in the United Power Rankings for the North, Group 3 field. The top 16 schools qualify for the playoffs, before the group is broken up into two eight-team sections. Summit won one playoff game last year in North 2, Group 3, which is a section the Hilltoppers last captured in 2018.
Arthur L. Johnson is seventh in the UPR for the South, Group 2 field. The Crusaders qualified the last two years, both times falling at Pleasantville High School in first-round play. Arthur L. Johnson last won a playoff game in 2017.
Union County undefeated
Summit High School (3-0): UPR 6th in North, Group 3; Hilltoppers were last 3-0 in 2018.
Arthur L. Johnson High School (3-0): UPR seventh in South, Group 2; Crusaders were last 3-0 in 2022.
Some Union County tidbits for Week Four of this football season include:
Roselle Park High School is seeking to beat David Brearley High School for the first time in 11 years.
Union High School is out to gain its first win, after starting a season with four straight losses for the first time in 17 years.
Cranford High School’s defense, with only 32 points allowed in three games, is going up against Summit’s offense, which is averaging 40 points.
Here’s a look at Week Four of the 2024 Union County football season:
Friday, Sept. 27
New Providence High School (3-1) at Abraham Clark High School, Roselle (0-4): New Providence is 3-1 for the second straight season and Abraham Clark is 0-4 for the third consecutive year. New Providence is coming off a 22-0 home win against Metuchen High School, which was the first shutout for the Pioneers since winning at Metuchen, 20-0, in 2022.
St. Thomas Aquinas High School (3-1) at Elizabeth High School–Frank J. Cicarell Academy (2-2): St. Thomas Aquinas has won three straight since falling to Mount St. Joseph High School, Baltimore, Maryland, 36-26, in its opener on Saturday, Aug. 31. In its three wins, St. Thomas Aquinas is averaging 50 points. Elizabeth has dropped its last two. Longtime assistant football coach Eugene Kline was approved by the Elizabeth Board of Education as interim head coach last week.
Governor Livingston High School (1-3) at South Plainfield High School (1-3): Governor Livingston found the win column for the first time in its annual one home game on Friday night, Sept. 20, dominating North Plainfield Middle/High School, 41-12. That much-needed win came after one-point setbacks to New Providence High School and John F. Kennedy Memorial High School, Iselin. South Plainfield only scored seven points total in its three defeats.
Linden High School (1-3) at Woodbridge High School (4-0): Linden is coming off a 24-0 loss at Watchung Hills Regional High School, while the Barrons are excelling under first-year head coach Joe Goerge, who was previously successful at Jonathan Dayton and South Brunswick high schools. Woodbridge has won twice by three points and once by two.
North Hunterdon Regional High School (1-3) at Rahway High School (3-1): North Hunterdon Regional is coming off a 41-7 home win against Montgomery High School, while Rahway just lost at Somerville High School, 32-16. This could be the first meeting between the two.
David Brearley High School (0-3) at Roselle Park High School (1-2): David Brearley scored its first touchdown last week, while Roselle Park won its first game, a 27-20 decision at Jonathan Dayton High School. David Brearley’s first win in a 3-5 season a year ago was a 16-8 triumph at Roselle Park. David Brearley has won the last nine meetings. Roselle Park last beat David Brearley, 34-28, at Roselle Park’s Herm Shaw Athletic Field/Green Acres Complex in 2013.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School (1-3) at Carteret High School (1-3): Scotch Plains–Fanwood won at New Brunswick High School, 42-0, two weeks ago, while Carteret beat Old Perth Amboy High School, 27-7, at home on Friday, Sept. 6.
Hunterdon Central Regional High School (2-2) at Union High School (0-4): Hunterdon Central Regional has dropped its last two to Phillipsburg High School and Bridgewater–Raritan Regional High School, while Union is 0-4 for the first time since 2007. The Farmers have struggled offensively so far, scoring only 28 points.
Arthur L. Johnson High School (3-0) at Metuchen High School (3-1): Arthur L. Johnson is seeking its second 4-0 start in the past three seasons. Last year’s team lost its first game and then won four straight before losing again. Arthur L. Johnson won at Metuchen, 35-11, in 2023. Metuchen lost for the first time this year last weekend, falling at New Providence 22-0. Arthur L. Johnson also defeated Metuchen in 2018 on the road and 2021 and 2022 at home.
Saturday, Sept. 28
Cranford High School (2-1) at Summit High School (3-0): For the second time in three years, Cranford has produced consecutive shutouts. The 2022 team, which finished 7-3, had three in a row. After opening with a 32-14 home loss to Somerville High School, Cranford has shut out Carteret, 21-0, at home and host South Plainfield, 38-0. Summit, 3-0 for the first time since 2018, is averaging an even 40 points in wins at home against Montgomery High School, 46-7, at Hillside High School, 41-14, and at home against Carteret, 33-12. Summit snapped a four-game losing streak against Cranford with last year’s 46-13 win against the Cougars at Cranford’s Memorial Field.
Somerville High School (4-0) at Hillside High School (2-2): Somerville is back to being a power after going 5-5 last year and 4-6 in 2022. Hillside evened its record at 2-2 with a 28-10 win at Scotch Plains–Fanwood on Friday night, Sept. 20. It was the first time Hillside played at Scotch Plains–Fanwood under the lights.
Jonathan Dayton High School (0-3) at South River High School (1-3): Jonathan Dayton will seek to avoid a second straight 0-4 start. South River beat Roselle Park, 45-19, at home two weeks ago. The Rams did not score a single point in any of their three defeats, shut out against Point Pleasant Beach High School at home and Metuchen and Spotswood High School on the road.
St. Joseph High School, Metuchen (3-0) at Westfield High School (2-1): St. Joe’s is 3-0 for the second time in three years. Westfield has won its last two, beating Union County rivals Elizabeth and Union. Westfield and St. Joe’s have split the last four meetings, St. Joe’s winning in 2020 and 2023 and Westfield in between in 2022 and 2021.
Plainfield High School, with a record of 2-2, has the week off. The Cardinals will next play at Franklin High School on Friday, Oct. 4. Plainfield evened its record last weekend with a 42-0 triumph at home against Old Perth Amboy. Both of Plainfield’s wins are shutouts. The first one was a 48-0 victory at New Brunswick High School.
Friday, Sept. 27 = nine games
New Providence at Abraham Clark, 6 p.m.
St. Thomas Aquinas at Elizabeth–Frank J. Cicarell Academy, 6 p.m.
Governor Livingston at South Plainfield, 6 p.m.
Linden at Woodbridge, 6 p.m.
North Hunterdon Regional at Rahway, 6 p.m.
David Brearley at Roselle Park, 7 p.m.
Scotch Plains–Fanwood at Carteret, 7 p.m.
Hunterdon Central Regional at Union, 7 p.m.
Arthur L. Johnson at Metuchen, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 28 = four games
Cranford at Summit, 1 p.m.
Somerville at Hillside, 1 p.m.
Jonathan Dayton at South River, 1 p.m.
St. Joseph’s, Metuchen at Westfield, 1 p.m.
Off: Plainfield.