9 can’t-miss NJIC football games in 2019

Hasbrouck Heights at Cresskill, Sept. 5: Hasbrouck Heights, last year’s NJIC champion, gets to open the season with a marquee game against a tough opponent. Sounds a little bit like what the NFL does, right? The spotlight will certainly be on a Hasbrouck Heights team that returns its leading passer, rusher and tackler from last year’s undefeated team.

Rutherford at Glen Rock, Sept. 27: Rutherford has been a premiere program in the NJIC and North Jersey for quite some time now under coach Andy Howell, but the Bulldogs lost some significant talent from last year’s North Group 2 Bowl Game champions. There’s still talent in the program, but is this the year a new division champion is crowned? If so, Glen Rock is among the candidates after finishing one game behind Rutherford in last year’s league standings.

Lyndhurst at New Milford, Oct. 4: New Milford won its first six games last year, none more exciting or important than its 14-7 double-overtime win over Lyndhurst to essentially clinch the NJIC Liberty Division title. Now, Lyndhurst returns one of the best two-way players in the state in Piotr Partyla and the Golden Bears will be looking for some redemption. After going 9-2 last year and making a run to the North 2, Group 2 final, Lyndhurst could again be in contention for several titles this season.

Hasbrouck Heights at Butler, Oct. 4: New to the NJIC last season, Butler made its debut and was instantly one of the league’s top teams. The Bulldogs finished 10-2 overall and won the North 1, Group 1 sectional final but its two losses last year came courtesy of Hasbrouck Heights. The Aviators topped Butler, 30-15, in the regular season which helped them win the NJIC Meadowlands Division title and left no doubt at MetLife Stadium in the inaugural North Group 1 Bowl Game in a 41-7 victory.

Emerson Borough at Park Ridge, Oct: 11: These were the top two teams in the NJIC Patriot Division in 2018 and their meeting in early October last season essentially decided the division champion and, in turn, a spot in the NJIC playoffs. Park Ridge came out on top last year, 27-21, and later made its first appearance in the league playoff and later making a run to the North 1, Group 1 final before falling to Butler, 35-28. Park Ridge QB Vincent Pinto returns as one of the top returners in the NJIC.

Garfield at Waldwick, Oct. 18: The Colonial Division features the biggest schools in the NJIC so there’s usually a deeper assortment of games and teams to pick from. This is the perfect example of that. Garfield picked up a 21-14 victory last season and both teams should be better than a season ago when Garfield finished 5-4 and Waldwick lost its last to games, falling to 4-5.

Harrison at Pompton Lakes, Oct. 19: Harrison turned things around in a big way last season, going from one win in 2017 to a 5-5 record under first-year coach Dan Hicks. Hicks left to take a coaching job at American International College, but the pieces are in place to keep Harrison trending in the right direction. QB Mateo DeSosa returns after racking up 2,383 yards of offense and 22 total touchdowns. Last season, Harrison rolled to a 42-20 victory over a young Pompton Lakes team. With a year of experience, Pompton Lakes looks improved in 2019 so this should be a pretty good litmus test for both programs.

Crossover weekend, Oct. 25-26: The two semifinal games, featuring the four division winners will certainly draw plenty of headlines but don’t overlook some of the great matchups that between the second- and third-place finishers, too. Last year, Lyndhurst topped Glen Rock, 28-21, in a matchup of second-place teams.

NJIC championship game, Nov. 1 or 2: Hasbrouck Heights, the only team to appear in all three NJIC finals, won the inaugural title in 2016. In 2017, Rutherford topped Hasbrouck Heights in a thriller. Last season, Hasbrouck Heights avenged its loss to Rutherford. Will Hasbrouck Heights remain the conference’s team to beat or will there be turnover in this unique in-season playoff?