Schedules Have Changed Big-Time
In Places Such As Union County

 Man, how high school football schedules in Union County have changed over the course of time.

When I began covering Union County football in 1991, Union County teams played each other more than they do now.

Of course, they were all in the section North 2, which then was easy to digest because it consisted of schools from just four counties: Morris, Essex, Union and Warren.

Also, the season did not kick off until the third week in September.

Kids had more time in the summer to be, well, kids before putting on shoulder pads.

Here's a look at Union's schedule from 1991, a year in which Coach Lou Rettino’s Farmers went 11-0 and won the North 2, Group 4 sectional state championship for the eighth time in the playoff era and first time since four-peating in 1987:

1991 Union Farmers 1991 - nine-game regular season schedule:
Friday, Sept. 20 Plainfield, 7:30 p.m. - WEEK ZERO
Friday, Sept. 27 Irvington, 7:30 p.m. - WEEK ONE
Friday, Oct. 4 Shabazz, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 11 Westfield, 7:30 p.m.
The Westfield game was played Sunday, Oct. 13 after getting rained out on Friday, Oct. 11.
Friday, Oct. 18 at Newark East Side, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25 Elizabeth, 7:30 p.m.
Union has a bye week
Saturday, Nov. 9 at Linden, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 16 at Kearny, 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 28 at Scotch Plains, 10:30 a.m. 

Four teams, based on an easy-to-understand power points system, made the playoffs back then, with the semifinal games played the weekend before Thanksgiving weekend and the finals contested the weekend after Thanksgiving weekend.

Union came back from a two-touchdown deficit in the second half to beat visiting Randolph 24-14 in the 1991 North 2, Group 4 sectional state championship game played on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 7 at Union's Cooke Memorial Field. The Farmers ended Randolph's then state record 59-game (58-0-1) unbeaten streak. It was the first time Randolph lost since falling at Seton Hall Prep 14-13 on Saturday, Oct. 25, 1986. Later that night at Shea Stadium in the bottom of the 10th of a 5-5 game, the ground ball lefty-batting switch-hitter Mookie Wilson hit went through Bill Buckner's legs and the Mets, with Ray Knight scoring from second base, came back to win Game 6 of the World Series.

The norm 35 years ago on Saturdays would be for Watchung Conference games to start at 1:30 p.m. and Mountain Valley Conference games to start at 1 p.m.

Also, there was plenty of Thanksgiving football, including long-running series Roselle Park-Roselle and Westfield-Plainfield.

Now, for the first time, all Thanksgiving football in Union County has been stuffed. There are no more leftovers.

After playing each other on Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving weekend every year from 1932-1990, Union and Linden found Group 3 schools to play on Thanksgiving beginning in 1991. It was so that Union and Linden could face each other before the playoff cutoff date to give both schools a chance of gaining more playoff-qualifying power points.

For example, in Union County alone, Union and Roselle Park did not qualify in their sections in 1989 at the cutoff date with 7-1 records and the same for Elizabeth and Brearley Regional in 1990. Elizabeth beat Union in 1989 for Union's only loss in an 8-1 season and Union beat Elizabeth in 1990 for Elizabeth's only loss in an 8-1 season that year.

Five of Union's nine regular season opponents in 1991 were Union County squads, the first four fellow Group 4 schools.

Fast forward 35 years and now let's take a look at Union's 2026 schedule:

2026 Union Farmers - nine-game regular season schedule:
Thursday, Aug. 27 at Edison, 6 p.m. - WEEK ZERO
Friday, Sept. 4 at Watchung Hills, 6 p.m. - WEEK ONE
Friday, Sept. 11 Elizabeth, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 18 Westfield, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 25 at Hillsborough, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 3 Plainfield, 1 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 9 Bridgewater-Raritan, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. or Saturday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. at St. Joseph's, Metuchen
Friday, Oct. 23 at Linden, 7 p.m.

Union now plays four other Union County schools, including Linden for the first time since 2019. The last two years Union, Elizabeth, Linden and Plainfield were North, Group 5 and Linden North, Group 4. The NJSIAA has still not disclosed the new classifications for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

In 1991 Week Zero was Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21
Week One was Friday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 28
In 2026 Week Zero is Thursday, Aug. 27; Friday, Aug. 28 and Saturday, Aug. 29.

Week One is Thursday, Sept. 3; Friday, Sept. 4 and Saturday, Sept. 5.
In 1991 only your first eight of nine regular season games counted toward qualifying for the playoffs.

In 2026 all nine or all eight of your regular season games count toward qualifying. New Jersey has made it so that some schools have nine-game regular season games before the playoffs commence and some eight. There is still no uniformity there.

In 1991 the season-opener for both Hillside and Roselle was Roselle at Hillside and it was played Saturday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. at Hillside's Woodfield Stadium off Conant Avenue in Hillside.

In 2026 Hillside opened at Columbia on Friday, Aug. 28 and was slated to face  Roselle at Hillside on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 1 p.m.

By Sept. 28 this year Hillside will have already played five games and Roselle four.

My how times have changed!