Sports Wrap By William Hathaway
After a month’s delay due to COVID-19, the New Jersey high school football season is ready to begin, with several games lined up for the weekend. The local area teams will play a six week regular season with two additional weeks regarding postseason play. Among the Essex County teams that will go head to head this weekend are Belleville traveling to Millburn and rivals Montclair and Bloomfield going at it. Newark’s Central High will play Shabazz, while Livingston plays East Orange and Barringer hosts Orange.
The NBA Finals are finally set, as the Los Angeles Lakers will play the Miami Heat. The Lakers are the favorites to win the title, and LeBron James will play in his 10th Finals. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars to win the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Finals.
In NFL news, both New York teams put on disappointing performances. The Jets lost on the road to the Indianapolis Colts 36-7. Colts QB Philip Rivers threw his 400th TD pass in the win. As bad as that was, the Giants lost at home to a banged up San Francisco 49ers team 36-6. The Jets are scheduled to host the Denver Broncos at home on Thursday Night Football. Another bad performance could cost Jets coach Adam Gase his job. Meanwhile, the Giants will head out west to play the Los Angeles Rams.
In other news, The Tennessee Titans have shut down their practice facility, as at least eight people affiliated with the team, including at least three players, have tested positive for COVID-19. This prompted the Minnesota Vikings, their opponents from last week, to shut down activities as well as a precautionary measure.
UPDATE: Tennessee’s Oct. 4 game against Pittsburgh has been postponed.
