For some, Fall means the return to school, turning of the leaves, and cooler temperatures, for many, however, fall means the start of the football season!

Our own Hunterdon Central varsity football team kicked off the season early this year, with their first game at home on August 26th against crosstown rival, North Hunterdon.  The Red Devils fell short, at a final score of 29-8.  Following this disheartening loss, they bounced back immediately with a win over Piscataway on the road with a shutout of 17-0.  Without letting up, the Devils kept up their momentum for the next week on their home turf, beating Elizabeth, 28-21.  The Devils took on Bridgewater-Raritan on Friday the 16th with a theme of Honoring our Heroes.  Central students arrived in numbers to the home game, decked out in all red, white, and blue, and ready to cheer on our team.  The game that seemed like Devils might have been able to pull through ended in a final score of 14-7 when an interception was thrown to Bridgewater-Raritan just yards away from the end zone with less than two minutes remaining in the 4th quarter.

Not only has high school football made a comeback in the past few weeks, but the 103rd NFL season has kicked off as well.  The first game of the 2022-23 NFL season started off with a possible preview of the next Super Bowl, with the Bills taking on the Rams.  The Bills offense had an explosive performance, with quarterback Josh Allen accounting for four touchdowns and 297 passing yards and the defense racked up seven sacks, holding the Rams to only scoring a touchdown and field goal in the second quarter, keeping the final score to 31-10 resulting in the Bills being the first team to secure a victory this season.  In week 2 of the NFL season, we were able to see the Giants, Jets, Jaguars, and Lions all win on the same day for the first time since the 2011 season. 

But let’s not forget about college football, which returned this fall with Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, and Clemson making up the top 5 after week 3.  All five teams have so far been undefeated this season and have high hopes of making it to the college football playoffs or into a bowl game at the turn of the new year.  Locally, the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights have started out strong, undefeated with a record of 3-0.  Week one was met with a close game at Boston College, resulting in a 22-21 win, week two allowed for a cushiony home opener with a dominating score of 66-7 against Wagner, and week three ended in another close win against Temple in Philadelphia with a score of 16-14.  Rutgers fans can only hope that this success can continue as they move into conference play on September 24th against the Iowa Hawkeyes at home.

Football is an integral part of fall for many families and fans across the country, at all levels from little league up to the NFL.  Fans are hoping for exciting and successful seasons from their teams and look forward to what this season ends up having to offer.