Not to be outdone, while JP Stevens snaps its skid, Highland Park wins second straight game, a 28-0 shutout at Dunellen

Highland Park snapped its 51-game losing streak – at the time, the longest in the state – last season, in its finale at Point Pleasant Beach, a game that only came together last minute because both teams wanted one more crack at a W.

That left JP Stevens the dubious distinction, coming into this season losing 42 straight.

But a funny thing happened on Friday night: both teams were victorious.

The Hawks passed the baton to Jersey City’s Ferris High School, while all of a sudden, Highland Park is on a two-game winning streak.

The Owls blanked Dunellen on the road at Columbia Park Friday night, 28-0 behind a strong night from senior quarterback Markos Hantsoulis, who rushed seven times for 96 yards and three touchdowns, and Zyaire Holland, who ran eight times for 97 yards.

Kaseem Qualls also recovered a fumble and brought it back 65 yards for a score.

Highland Park starts its season with a win for the first time since 2009, when the Owls went 8-4 under Rich McGlynn, and made it all the way to the Central Jersey Group 1 final, losing to Asbury Park up at Kean University in Union.

Dunellen, which won last year’s matchup in a shootout, 50-44, falls to 0-2.

Also notable, it was the first time Highland Park and JP Stevens won football games on the same weekend since they did it on the same night in 2015. The Owls won a consolation game, 21-14, at New Egypt on November 12, 2015, while the Hawks beat Dickinson 42-6 in their consolation game.

The last time they won a regular season game on the same weekend came in the 2012 season, when the Owls beat now-defunct Cardinal McCarrick, 71-32, on Friday, October 26th, finishing up 2-8. JP Stevens won at Monroe that same day, 14-9, and finished 4-6.