High School Football Returns To Gloucester Township

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — It has been a two-year wait for the return of Friday night fall football in many American communities, where gathering at the local high school stadium has become a long-standing early school year tradition.

Last year, games were played with limited or no in-person attendance. In New Jersey, there were no playoffs in 2020, but the full high school football experience will be back this year.

This will include the final season of “regional championships” before New Jersey moves to a state championship model next season.

Instead of taking the field last fall, many schools held football season in the spring — which, on school sports calendars, can run anywhere from February through June.

In Illinois, that meant abbreviated six-game schedules and no playoffs. It wasn't exactly the time of year when prep sports enthusiasts are accustomed to getting behind their alma mater on the gridiron.

This year, the season has already begun in some states.

Fall football season at the high school level has already kicked off in Alaska and Utah, according to MaxPreps.com, a site covering high school athletics nationwide. Sixteen more states began playing last weekend, with others, including New Jersey, set to begin either the final weekend of August or in early September.

In New Jersey, teams will play up to 10 regular season games, with the playoffs slated to begin Nov. 5. Regional championships for public schools and state championships for non-public schools will be played the final weekend of November and the first weekend of December at Rutgers University and MetLife Stadium.

The teams in the Black Horse Pike Regional School District — Highland, Timber Creek and Triton — kick off over the next two weekends.

Highland and Timber Creek will compete in the West Jersey Football League's Liberty Division, along with Moorestown, Burlington Township and Pennsauken.

Triton will compete in the West Jersey Football League's National Division against Atlantic City, Bridgeton, Cherry Hill East, Cherry Hill West, and Paul VI.

Check out this year’s gridiron schedules below:

Triton

• Aug. 27: vs. Sterling
• Sept. 3: vs. Highland
• Sept. 10: vs. Cherry Hill West
• Sept. 17: at Deptford
• Sept. 24: at Bridgeton
• Oct. 1: vs. Paul VI
• Oct. 8: vs. Seneca
• Oct. 15: at Atlantic City
• Oct. 23: at Cherry Hill East

Timber Creek

• Aug. 28: vs. Red Bank Catholic
• Sept. 2: vs. Camden
• Sept. 10: at Moorestown
• Sept. 17: vs. Winslow Township
• Sept. 24: vs. Highland
• Oct. 1: vs.Clearview
• Oct. 9: at Woodrow Wilson
• Oct. 16: at Burlington Township
• Oct. 22: vs. Pennsauken
• Nov. 24: vs. Winslow Township

Highland

• Sept. 3: at Triton
• Sept. 10: vs. Burlington Township
• Sept. 17: vs. Millville
• Sept. 24: at Timber Creek
• Oct. 1: vs. Moorestown
• Oct. 8: vs. Eastern
• Oct. 15: at Pennsauken
• Oct. 22: at Hammonton