by Mike Pavlichko
Following the Westfield Board of Education’s decision to move all high school instruction from hybrid to remote in the wake of six positive COVID tests among the student body, Central Jersey Sports Radio has confirmed the season-opening high school football game between the Blue Devils and 2019 sectional champion Union has been – at best – postponed.
Union High School Athletic Director Lina Ionta confirmed to CJSR Thursday morning that the game will not be played on Friday, October 2nd, as originally planned.
Ionta said the game could be moved to Monday. However, that would seem an impossibility due to NJSIAA rules that require teams to have at least six consecutive days of practice before holding a scrimmage or playing a game.
Westfield has suspended practice until at October 1, which means the earliest the Blue Devils could hold a game would be Wednesday, October 7. But Westfield is scheduled to host St. Joseph-Metuchen on Friday, the 9th, while the Farmers are scheduled to play at Bridgewater-Raritan.
Ionta told Central Jersey Sports Radio she has feelers out to the Big Central Football Conference and others about finding a replacement game for October second. It’s conceivable if there are any other cancellations or postponements, a potential opponent could open up.
The Westfield-Union opener was set to be the debut of live high school football play-by-play on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with coverage of the 7 pm game beginning at 6:50, preceded by an abridged version of the weekly “Tuesday Night Quarterback” show.
CJSR is working on alternate plans for the season opener on Friday, October 2. Please check our broadcast schedule or follow us on Twitter for the very latest.