Phillipsburg is on a ten-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Union City is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Phillipsburg Stateliners will take on the Union City Soaring Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Phillipsburg had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They enjoyed a cozy 42-24 victory over Westfield on Friday. Given Phillipsburg's advantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey football rankings (they are ranked 16th, while Westfield is ranked 75th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
John Wargo continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 185 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 9.7 yards per carry. Another player making a difference was Jett Genovese, who threw for 198 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Union City didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against West Orange on Friday, but they still walked away with a 20-14 win.
Mark Boyd was his usual excellent self, rushing for 119 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries. Boyd was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 52 yards.
Another reason for the win was Union City's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Adrian Villalta was especially locked on to West Orange's QB and sacked him twice.
Phillipsburg's victory bumped their record up to 9-1. As for Union City, their win bumped their record up to an identical 9-1.
Phillipsburg strolled past Union City in their previous matchup back in November of 2021 by a score of 23-6. Will Phillipsburg repeat their success, or does Union City have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
