The way the coaches tell it, Edison and Hillsborough were familiar with each other.
Told before Friday night’s game they had never met on the football field, Matt Fulham and Kevin Carty Jr. were quick to point out that their teams have scrimmaged each other a few times in recent years.
But this was the first official varsity game between the Eagles and Raiders, and it didn’t disappoint.
Neither team was ranked in the Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten, but in the Born Power Index, it was a matchup of the No. 11 (Edison) and No. 6 (Hillsborough) teams in the Big Central Conference.
The teams combined for 99 points in an epic 50-49 Edison win on the “Big Central Game of the Week powered by Bellamy & Son Paving.”
Edison jumped out to a 14-0 lead less than 14 minutes into the game, before Hillsborough would score 28 of the next 35 points to take a 28-21 lead.
Edison would get the lead back twice more – and lose it twice more – before a one-yard touchdown run from QB Matt Yascko – who threw for over 350 yards – got the Eagles to within one. Yascko then converted on the two-point try with a keeper to the left and gave Edison the final 50-49 margin.
Below is the game audio – with the first quarter missing due to technical difficulties with our on-site recording in the first half:
1st Half:
2nd Half: