Raiders facing tall order on gridiron

Unbeaten Franklin comes to town

by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
   Things won’t get any easier for the Hillsborough High football team.
   Thursday night, the Raiders (0-2) host a Franklin team that has opened the 2007 season with a major bang. The Warriors (2-0) drubbed Bridgewater-Raritan in a 50-3 rout before winning a huge double-overtime game at Phillipsburg last Friday night. Franklin’s 24-17 triumph at P-burg puts the Warriors atop the Delaware Division standings for the first time in several years.
   Hillsborough has moved the ball well in losses to Group 4 powers Piscataway and Hunterdon Central, the defending sectional champs. However, a combination of big plays and turnovers has doomed the Raiders in the first two games.
   HHS head coach Vinnie Coviello notched his first victory in a thriller at Franklin last September, so the Warriors will be out for revenge. This game caps a brutal opening stretch of games for the Raiders, who will get a much-needed bye week following Thursday night’s contest.
   Kickoff on the David A. Noonan Field turf is set for 7 p.m.