Phillipsburg (N.J.) at Easton (Pa.)Few high school sports rivalries mean as much to the teams and communities involved as this one. These towns, divided by the Delaware River, are meeting on the gridiron Thursday for the 105th time since 1905. Phillipsburg eked out a 3-0 win over Easton in last year's game but still trails the all-time series, 58-41-5. The Stateliners (7-2) have had two weeks off to prepare for Easton after a 41-24 win over Perth Amboy.
Easton (10-2) beat Scranton, 29-20, in the District XI semifinals last week for its eighth consecutive win. The Red Rovers will play Nazareth Saturday night with a trip to the
4A state quarterfinals on the line. How important is it to Easton to keep playing its annual meeting with Phillipsburg on Thanksgiving Day? So important the Red Rovers will play Thursday morning despite having a state playoff game just two days later. It's the third consecutive season this circumstance has arisen. Remarkably, Easton has won its playoff game on just 48 hours rest in both cases.
Mitch Stephens: Phillipsburg 28, Easton 27
Steve Montoya: Easton 21, Phillipsburg 14
Stephen Spiewak: Easton 28, Phillipsburg 27
Kevin Askeland: Easton 28, Phillipsburg 27
Jamie DeMoney: Easton 27, Phillipsburg 18
Easton is currently 10-2.
Photo by Ken Inness
