Football schedules for the 2025 season are starting to be announced all across the Garden State and High School On SI New Jersey will share these as we see them.

Plainfield High School, under the direction of first-year head coach Donald Jones, a Plainfield alumnus and former defensive back with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots, has announced its 2025 schedule.

The big news surrounding Plainfield’s upcoming schedule is that the annual Thanksgiving Day game vs. Westfield, a rivalry that was the state’s third-longest Turkey Day matchup, dating back to 1899 during the William McKinley Administration, will be played as the season opener in 2025 for both teams on August 28 in Plainfield.

The reason for switching the traditional Thanksgiving Day game vs. Plainfield to the season opener has to do with the ever-expanding NJSIAA state playoffs. The New Jersey high school football playoffs in 2025 will begin on November 7 or 8, for the first round, with the state finals potentially being played at MetLife Stadium or Rutgers University between November 28 and December 3, according to the NJSIAA. This year, Thanksgiving Day will fall on November 27.

“They’ve extended the state playoffs so long that it became a safety concern,” said Westfield High School Director of Athletics James DeSarno. “This was a mutual decision between Plainfield High School and ourselves and one that was made in the interest of safety.”

Westfield leads the all-time series 66-46-7 but the Cardinals snapped the Blue Devils’ 13-game winning streak in the series last season, claiming its first win since 2011 with a hard-fought 14-9 defensive battle on a rain-soaked field in Westfield.

This year’s season-opening tilt vs. Westfield is the first of three straight home games at the historic Hub Stein Sports Complex Stadium, as the Cardinals will then host New Brunswick on September 5 and Woodbridge on September 12. Plainfield’s first road test comes on September 19 at Perth Amboy, followed by another road game the following week at the Haverford School in Pennsylvania on September 27.

After that it’s home tests vs. Franklin (October 3) and Colonia (October 10), before closing out the regular season with road games vs. Somerville (October 17) and Linden (October 25).

Jones played collegiately at Lackawanna, then Youngstown State before being signed as an undrafted free agent by Buffalo in 2010. For the last three years, he’s been the wide receivers coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in nearby Edison, which hasn’t lost a Big Central Conference football game since November of 2020, a 31-game streak.

The first-year Plainfield mentor takes over a program that went 6-4 a year ago which included a second straight appearance in the NJSIAA Playoffs where the Cards dropped an 18-12 decision to Passaic Tech in a North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 quarterfinal round game.

8/28 vs. Westfield 6pm

9/5 vs. New Brunswick 6pm

9/12 vs Woodbridge 6pm

9/19 at Perth Amboy 6:00pm

9/27 at The Haverford School 1:00pm

10/3 vs. Franklin 6:00pm

10/10 vs. Colonia 6:00pm 

10/17 at Somerville 6:00pm 

10/25 at Linden 1:00pm

Follow High School On SI throughout the 2025 high school football season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!

Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.

To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

• The New Jersey Department of Transportation reopened two lanes on Interstate 80 eastbound in Wharton that had been closed by a sinkhole at 10 p.m. on May 21.
• “Reopening two lanes on I-80 eastbound is a major milestone and the first step in restoring full mobility on this critical interstate highway,” said Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement.

As promised, the New Jersey Department of Transportation reopened two lanes on Interstate 80 eastbound in Wharton on May 21. The highway had been closed by a sinkhole and subsequent repairs.

“Two of three lanes are open on eastbound Interstate I-80 through Exit 34,” 511NJ.org said around 10 p.m.

“Reopening two lanes on I-80 eastbound is a major milestone and the first step in restoring full mobility on this critical interstate highway,” said Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement.

Murphy thanked the NJDOT, the State Police and local officials. “And most importantly, we are thankful for the patience of the thousands of New Jerseyans who have been impacted by these sinkholes,” he said.

In a release, the NJDOT said the eastbound detour at Exit 34 will be removed.

“We have all been looking forward to this day – the reopening of I-80 eastbound,” NJDOT Commissioner Fran O’Connor said. “None of this would have been possible without the incredible effort of the NJDOT staff and our contractors for working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for several months to get this highway reopened. The amount of work that has gone into this project is simply astounding.”

When will Route 80 west reopen?

The work on the westbound lanes of Route 80 is progressing and the NJDOT said it expects two lanes to reopen by the end of the next week.

On the 80 west lanes, the concrete slabs are curing now before a sealant can be applied. After that, paving can begin, the NJDOT said.

The highway will then be striped and a “barrier curb will be installed to separate the median work zone from the two lanes of traffic, which will be utilizing the right lane and the shoulder as a travel lane,” the release said.

When all Route 80 lanes reopen?

The DOT expects all lanes to reopen on June 25 as it continues to repair the sinkhole in the median.

Crews are working on rebar installation and framing, while concrete pours have begun on some of the six median slabs, the NJDOT said. After all the concrete has cured, a sealant will be applied and then paving can be done.

What they are saying

“I’m happy to see that we are finally nearing the end of this crisis with the scheduled reopening of two eastbound lanes on I-80 later tonight,” Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco said in the release Wednesday. “This has been an incredibly frustrating situation for commuters, residents, and businesses alike, and I want everyone to know that I’ve heard their concerns every step of the way and cannot express just how much your patience has been appreciated during this extremely disruptive time.”

“Progress on I-80 is a welcome step forward for our residents, commuters, and small businesses who have shown remarkable patience throughout this disruption,” Assemblywoman Aura K. Dunn said. “I am grateful to NJDOT and the dedicated crews working around the clock to keep this critical project on track. When government delivers results, people deserve to see it, and this is one of those moments.”

“With two eastbound lanes opening today after all the headaches endured by the people and work and effort made by NJDOT, the Contractors, and workers on-site, we are finally at a moment of progress,” Assemblyman Christian Barranco said. “This is a delicate time where we need to be especially cautious of the conditions around the newly opened roadway. Take advantage of progress but remain vigilant. The area of the sinkhole is still an ongoing construction effort.”

Check back for updates to this developing story.