Football Game Preview: Governor Livingston Highlanders vs. South Plainfield Tigers

The Governor Livingston Highlanders will take on the South Plainfield Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Governor Livingston will be strutting in after a victory while South Plainfield will be coming in after a defeat.

Governor Livingston's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. They put the hurt on North Plainfield with a sharp 26-0 win. The Highlanders haven't had any issues with the Canucks recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.

Governor Livingston found their leader in sophomore Elijah Garcia, who rushed for 33 yards and two TDs.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when South Plainfield duked it out with Cranford on Friday. The Tigers came up short against the Cougars, falling 35-14. The Tigers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 28-0.

Despite the loss, South Plainfield saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Dylan Oller forced one fumble and made 14 total tackles (2.0 for loss).

The win got Governor Livingston back to even at 2-2. As for South Plainfield, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 2-2.

Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Governor Livingston has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 180 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like South Plainfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging 181.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.

Governor Livingston strolled past South Plainfield when the teams last played back in September of 2024 by a score of 28-14. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was the Tigers' Jaydon Jones, who rushed for 75 yards and one touchdown on only eight carries. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Highlanders still be able to contain Jones? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.