The High School North and South football teams kick off the 2007 season with games on Saturday, September 8.
High School South opens at home against Trenton Central at 1 p.m., and North hosts Ewing starting at noon.
It will be the first games for both teams on the schools’ new artificial turf fields. The new turf was approved by voters in a special referendum last year and installed over the summer.##M:[more]##
For South, the big news happened more than a week before the game with the announcement that star senior linebacker J.B.Fitzgerald made a verbal commitment to attend the University Michigan and play for the Wolverines.
Fitzgerald had also been recruited by Rutgers and Florida. He is ranked as rivals.com’s 117th best player and the number eight outside linebacker in the country.
Following the announcement, Fitzgerald said that despite his excitement over playing for the Wolverines, his main intent is to focus on the high school football season ahead and help the Pirates win a state championship.
Last year the Pirates had a 7-3 record and lost in the first round of the NJSIAA Group IV playoffs.
High School North, meanwhile, despite a disappointing season last year, are hoping to build on a strong victory in their last game of 2006.
Last year, the Knights had a 3-7 record, but notched a 35-0 victory over Allentown in the year’s final contest.
According to Coach Art Stubbs, the win was pivotal in providing motivation for returning players to hot the weight room in the off season. “This was our best ever in the weight room. We got a head start on things.”
