Thanksgiving – Central Jersey Sports Radio

The changing high school football schedule over the years has whittled away at traditional Thanksgiving Day rivalry games, with many being moved earlier in the season or to Week Zero.

But there are still some that are alive and kicking, including the big one out at Lafayette College, with Phillipsburg taking on Easton (PA). And, of course, in Union County, there’s Westfield and Plainfield.

Here’s a closer look at those rivalries, with all-time records. Scores are from the Dr. Roger Saylor special collection at Penn State and Gridiron New Jersey.

Phillipsburg-Easton Series:

The Red Rovers lead the Stateliners 61-50-5 all-time, with the first meeting coming in 1905. This will be the 117th meeting.

In 1907, they played each other twice, and the only year they didn’t play was 2020, the COVID-shortened season. That year, the NJSIAA and state restrictions kept teams from playing out-of-state opponents.

This year will be the first time Phillipsburg has ever played Easton after winning a state sectional title, as all their other championships were won after Thanksgiving. That schedule has changed now, with the expanded playoffs.

A win on Turkey Day, and a win in the state Group 4 Final – which can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio on Wednesday, December 4 at 7 pm from Rutgers University’s SHI Stadium – would give Phillipsburg its 750th win all-time.

No one has ever won more than six straight in the series, which the Red Rovers did from 2015-2021, with no meeting in 2020. Otherwise, Phillipsburg won five-in-a-row from 1945-1949 and again from 1960-1964. They will look to make it three straight for the first time since they won four-in-a-row from 1987-1990.

Easton’s five-game win streaks came from 1936-1940 and 1950-1954.

1905: Easton, 32-0
1906: Easton, 47-0
1907: Easton, 5-0 and 16-0 (played twice)
1908: Easton, 11-0
1910: Phillipsburg, 5-0
1911: Easton, 6-0
1914: Easton, 7-0
1915: Easton, 3-0
1917: Easton, 356-0
1918: Phillipsburg, 9-0
1919: Easton, 13-7
1920: Phillipsburg, 14-7
1921: Easton, 41-7
1922: tie, 7-7
1923: Easton, 31-7
1924: Easton, 21-0
1925: Easton, 27-7
1926: tie, 6-6
1927: Easton, 20-13
1928: Easton, 21-12
1929: Phillipsburg, 13-0
1930: Easton, 20-0
1931: Easton, 7-6
1932: Phillipsburg, 32-0
1933: Phillipsburg, 13-0
1934: Phillipsburg, 13-0
1935: Phillipsburg, 24-0
1936: Easton, 28-0
1937: Easton, 7-0
1938: Easton, 12-7
1939: Easton, 7-0
1940: Easton, 7-2
1941: Phillipsburg, 7-0
1942: Phillipsburg, 12-6
1943: Easton, 7-2
1944: tie, 0-0
1945: Phillipsburg, 6-0
1946: Phillipsburg, 19-0
1947: Phillipsburg, 31-0
1948: Phillipsburg, 46-0
1949: Phillipsburg, 33-7
1950: Easton, 20-13
1951: Easton, 28-13
1952: Easton, 14-7
1953: Easton, 14-7
1954: Easton, 6-7
1955: Phillipsburg, 7-6
1956: Phillipsburg, 18-6
1957: Easton, 20-7
1958: Easton, 26-6
1959: Easton, 21-0
1960: Phillipsburg, 7-6
1961: Phillipsburg, 7-0
1962: Phillipsburg, 9-0
1963: Phillipsburg, 33-6
1964: Phillipsburg, 7-0
1965: Easton, 13-6
1966: Easton, 13-6
1967: tie, 0-0
1968: Easton, 20-0
1969: Phillipsburg, 41-8
1970: Easton, 23-0
1971: Phillipsburg, 8-0
1972: Phillipsburg, 15-13
1973: Phillipsburg, 18-6
1974: Easton, 10-6
1975: Easton, 7-0
1976: Phillipsburg, 28-0
1977: Phillipsburg, 7-6
1978: Easton, 14-7
1979: Easton, 35-22
1980: Easton, 14-3
1981: Phillipsburg, 23-0
1982: Phillipsburg, 32-0
1983: Phillipsburg, 14-7
1984: Phillipsburg, 14-12
1985: Easton, 14-7
1986: Easton, 20-10
1987: Phillipsburg, 19-10
1988: Phillipsburg, 20-15
1989: Phillipsburg, 21-12
1990: Phillipsburg, 28-0
1991: Easton, 24-15
1992: Easton, 29-0
1993: tie, 7-7
1994: Easton, 34-6
1995: Easton, 25-13
1996: Easton, 27-7
1997: Phillipsburg, 26-6
1998: Easton, 34-0
1999: Easton, 41-7
2000: Easton, 17-14
2001: Easton, 28-7
2002: Phillipsburg, 25-0
2003: Phillipsburg, 26-23
2004: Easton, 31-0
2005: Phillipsburg, 17-0
2006: Easton, 21-7
2007: Easton, 17-16
2008: Easton, 35-14
2009: Easton, 26-10
2010: Phillipsburg, 3-0
2011: Easton, 24-8
2012: Easton, 35-18
2013: Easton, 16-7
2014: Phillipsburg, 19-15
2015: Easton, 26-0
2016: Easton, 24-14
2017: Easton, 21-14
2018: Easton, 31-26
2019: Easton, 16-13
2020: No Game (COVID)
2021: Easton, 7-3
2022: Phillipsburg, 35-14
2023: Phillipsburg, 47-12

Westfield-Plainfield Series

Believe it or not, this is an even longer-running series than Phillipsburg and Easton, although they haven’t played as many games. The two first met in 1900, with the Blue Devils leading the Cardinals 54-44-7 heading into this 106th meeting.

Westfield has won 17 straight in the matchup, the longest streak by either team. Plainfield’s longest win streak in the series came when they won 11 straight from 1949 through 1959.

1900: Westfield, 26-0
1903: Plainfield, 15-0
1905: Plainfield, 24-6
1907: tie, 6-6
1907: Westfield, 11-0
1908: Plainfield, 5-0 and 12-0 (played twice)
1909: Plainfield 35-6
1910: Westfield, 6-0
1911: Plainfield, 37-6
1912: Westfield, 19-7
1913: Westfield, 20-6 and 27-7 (played twice)
1914: Plainfield, 19-0
1915: Plainfield, 7-0 and Westfield, 7-3 (played twice)
1916: tie, 0-0 and Plainfield, 7-3 (played twice)
1917: Plainfield, 39-0
1919: Plainfield, 6-0
1921: Plainfield, 28-0
1922: Plainfield, 19-0
1923: Westfield, 3-2
1924: Plainfield, 18-0
1925: Plainfield, 7-2
1926: Plainfield, 20-0
1931: Westfield, 21-0
1932: Westfield, 13-6
1933: tie, 0-0
1934: Westfield, 7-6
1935: Plainfield, 7-0
1936: tie, 0-0
1937: tie, 0-0
1938: Plainfield, 13-0
1939: Westfield, 20-0
1940: Westfield, 13-0
1941: Westfield, by forfeit
1944: Westfield, 12-0
1945: Westfield, 12-6
1946: Plainfield, 6-0
1947: Westfield, 32-12
1948: Westfield, 14-6
1949: Plainfield, 19-6
1950: Plainfield, 33-7
1951: Plainfield, 14-6
1952: Plainfield, 27-14
1953: Plainfield, 25-6
1954: Plainfield, 6-0
1955: Plainfield, 20-0
1956: Plainfield, 19-6
1957: Plainfield, 19-12
1958: Plainfield, 21-0
1959: Plainfield, 7-0
1960: Westfield, 13-7
1961: Westfield, 13-6
1962: Plainfield, 27-7
1963: Westfield, 14-12
1964: Plainfield, 12-6
1965: Westfield, 21-0
1966: Plainfield, 33-14
1967: Plainfield, 12-7
1968: Westfield, 25-21
1969: Westfield, 45-0
1970: Westfield, 49-6
1971: Westfield, 12-6
1972: Westfield, 27-6
1973: Westfield, 20-0
1974: Westfield, 31-14
1975: Westfield, 9-6
1976: Westfield, 34-0 and 14-0 in playoffs (played twice)
1977: Westfield, 38-0
1978: Westfield, 6-2
1979: Westfield, 3-2
1980: Westfield, 14–0
1981: Westfield, 28-6
1982: Plainfield, 21-3
1983: Plainfield, 14-6
1984: Plainfield, 14-0
1985: tie, 0-0
1986: Westfield, 27-14
1987: Westfield, 35-6
1988: Westfield, 7-6
1989: Westfield, 13-6
1990: Westfield, 21-6
1991: Westfield, 28-0
1992: Plainfield, 19-14
1993: tie, 0-0
1994: Westfield, 20-7
1995: Westfield, 28-20
1996: Plainfield, 38-7
1997: Westfield, 22-7
1998: Plainfield, 28-7
1999: Plainfield, 20-14
2000: Westfield, 42-25
2001: Westfield, 24-21
2002: Westfield, 14-6
2003: Plainfield, 9-7
2004: Plainfield, 40-0
2005: Plainfield, 9-6
2006: Westfield, 17-7
2007: Westfield, 28-27
2008: Westfield, 21-19
2009: Westfield, 26-6
2010: Westfield, 35-6
2011: Westfield, 22-21
2012: Westfield, 30-16
2013: Westfield, 34-0
2014: Westfield, 6-0
2015: Westfield, 32-6
2016: Westfield, 30-14
2017: Westfield, 37-7
2018: Westfield, 27-20
2019: Westfield, 24-0
2020: cancelled, COVID
2021: Westfield, 14-0
2022: Westfield, 42-13
2023: Westfield, 28-9

by Mike Pavlichko

For grownups of a certain age, those who attended high school in either Spotswood or South River have their own recollections of the intense rivalry.

Students from Spotswood attended high school in South River until the mid-1970s, when Spotswood opened its own high school in 1976.

When I went to school (and graduated in…. wait, nevermind) the annual rivalry game was a Thanksgiving tradition. For me, I’d call the game on the PA and then head out to an awaiting turkey.

But at that time, many of the parents who’d gone to South River had kids attending Spotswood, and the rivalry wounds were fresh. It’s been 44 years since anyone from Spotswood took a class at South River High School.

And yet, the rivalry is still important.

“When we got into this arranged marriage with the Big Central, I said to [Spotswood athletic director] Mike DelAversano, ‘I don’t care who we play, but we’re playing South River,'” says Cammarano.

“And when they said we may not have a season, I said, ‘I don’t care if we have one game, we’re playing South River,'” he added.

“With people playing an hour away now, you don’t get this kind of juice all the time,” says Cammarano. “It’s a lot of history.”

Spotswood and South River will meet for the 44th time this Saturday at 1 pm, a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio by clicking here, or on the Listen Live button at the top of the page.

The Rams lead the all-time series since 1978 by a 33-to-10 margin, with all but one meeting in 1980 taking place in the regular season. The Chargers had never won back-to-back games against their arch-rivals until winning three straight from 2014-2016. Despite trailing the series by a large margin, Spotswood has won four of the last six in the series, and were victorious in last year’s meeting, 17-14 at Chargers Stadium.

Listen below to Cammarano talking about the rivalry with South River and previewing this weekend’s matchup: