Linden and Elizabeth played each other for the 71st time on Friday. The Minutemen defeated the Tigers, 35-28 in the season opener for both teams. Elizabeth now leads the series 44-25-2.
Minutemen Halt Four-Year Skid with 35-28 Win Over Tigers
ELIZABETH, NJ – On Thursday, Linden and Elizabeth resumed their rivalry for the opening day of the 2024 Big Central Conference season. The two schools met for the 71st time since they began playing each other in 1931. Elizabeth held off a fourth-quarter rally by Linden to post a hard-fought 35-28 victory. The Minutemen defeated the Tigers for the first time since 2016.
Before Friday night, Linden had won 5 of the last 7 meetings dating back to 2014 in the series. The Tigers won last year’s opener (27-22) between the two schools at Kean University’s Alumni Stadium. Elizabeth would finish 3-8 overall with all eight defeats by less than 7 points. The Minutemen went on to win the NJSIAA North Jersey Group 5 Invitational Tournament with a victory over Paterson Eastside (27-6). Linden qualified for the North Jersey Section 1 Group 4 Tourney, but lost to Morris Knolls (17-7).
Jamad Lyles and Arique Flemming were the heroes for Elizabeth. Each scored two touchdowns for the Minutemen while Lyles came up with a huge fourth quarter interception to preserve the victory. Linden had scored 22 points in the fourth after trailing 28-6 after three periods. Flemming completed 12 of 18 passes for 172 yards while rushing 11 times for another 95 yards. Tyrone Hinton led Linden in defeat with four scores including three on the ground.
Elizabeth leads the all-time series 44-25-2. Linden won the first 5 meetings between the two schools until Elizabeth won in 1936. The two schools didn’t play each other from 1938-1957. Linden’s head coach, Al Chiola, had won four of Ljnden’s last 6 meetings with Elizabeth before opening night. With its opening-day victory, Elizabeth halted a four-game skid against Linden. Check out the Tigers-Minutemen rivalry at a glance.
| Year | Winner | Winning Score | Loser | Losing Score |
| 1931 | Linden | 7 | Elizabeth | 0 |
| 1932 | Linden | 31 | Elizabeth | 0 |
| 1933 | Linden | 19 | Elizabeth | 6 |
| 1934 | Linden | 12 | Elizabeth | 0 |
| 1935 | Linden | 19 | Elizabeth | 0 |
| 1936 | Elizabeth | 26 | Linden | 0 |
| 1937 | Elizabeth | 12 | Linden | 0 |
| 1958 | Elizabeth | 19 | Linden | 6 |
| 1959 | Linden | 13 | Elizabeth | 7 |
| 1960 | Elizabeth | 13 | Linden | 0 |
| 1961 | Linden | 24 | Elizabeth | 0 |
| 1963 | Linden | 18 | Elizabeth | 7 |
| 1964 | Linden | 14 | Elizabeth | 13 |
| 1965 | Elizabeth | 40 | Linden | 7 |
| 1966 | Elizabeth | 19 | Linden | 19 |
| 1967 | Elizabeth | 20 | Linden | 7 |
| 1968 | Elizabeth | 53 | Linden | 13 |
| 1969 | Elizabeth | 48 | Linden | 0 |
| 1970 | Elizabeth | 44 | Linden | 6 |
| 1971 | Linden | 14 | Elizabeth | 6 |
| 1972 | Linden | 0 | Elizabeth | 0 |
| 1973 | Linden | 23 | Elizabeth | 6 |
| 1974 | Linden | 43 | Elizabeth | 0 |
| 1975 | Elizabeth | 27 | Linden | 0 |
| 1976 | Elizabeth | 21 | Linden | 6 |
| 1977 | Elizabeth | 26 | Linden | 0 |
| 1978 | Elizabeth | 14 | Linden | 0 |
| 1979 | Elizabeth | 38 | Linden | 0 |
| 1980 | Elizabeth | 47 | Linden | 7 |
| 1981 | Elizabeth | 34 | Linden | 0 |
| 1982 | Linden | 14 | Elizabeth | 9 |
| 1983 | Linden | 25 | Elizabeth | 13 |
| 1984 | Elizabeth | 12 | Linden | 0 |
| 1985 | Elizabeth | 6 | Linden | 2 |
| 1986 | Linden | 16 | Elizabeth | 12 |
| 1989 | Elizabeth | 14 | Linden | 7 |
| 1990 | Elizabeth | 14 | Linden | 0 |
| 1991 | Elizabeth | 21 | Linden | 20 |
| 1992 | Linden | 14 | Elizabeth | 12 |
| 1993 | Elizabeth | 20 | Linden | 13 |
| 1994 | Linden | 26 | Elizabeth | 12 |
| 1995 | Elizabeth | 28 | Linden | 0 |
| 1996 | Elizabeth | 20 | Linden | 13 |
| 1997 | Elizabeth | 20 | Linden | 6 |
| 1998 | Elizabeth | 14 | Linden | 8 |
| 1999 | Elizabeth | 32 | Linden | 6 |
| 2000 | Linden | 27 | Elizabeth | 6 |
| 2001 | Elizabeth | 28 | Linden | 18 |
| 2002 | Elizabeth | 13 | Linden | 0 |
| 2002 | Elizabeth | 34 | Linden | 10 |
| 2003 | Elizabeth | 40 | Linden | 15 |
| 2004 | Elizabeth | 23 | Linden | 0 |
| 2005 | Elizabeth | 27 | Linden | 7 |
| 2006 | Elizabeth | 39 | Linden | 0 |
| 2006 | Elizabeth | 21 | Linden | 14 |
| 2007 | Elizabeth | 42 | Linden | 14 |
| 2008 | Elizabeth | 26 | Linden | 0 |
| 2009 | Linden | 26 | Elizabeth | 12 |
| 2010 | Linden | 49 | Elizabeth | 20 |
| 2011 | Elizabeth | 27 | Linden | 14 |
| 2012 | Elizabeth | 42 | Linden | 0 |
| 2013 | Elizabeth | 36 | Linden | 20 |
| 2014 | Elizabeth | 28 | Linden | 19 |
| 2014 | Linden | 27 | Elizabeth | 20 |
| 2015 | Elizabeth | 25 | Linden | 7 |
| 2016 | Elizabeth | 23 | Linden | 10 |
| 2017 | Linden | 42 | Elizabeth | 21 |
| 2018 | Linden | 14 | Elizabeth | 3 |
| 2019 | Linden | 28 | Elizabeth | 14 |
| 2023 | Linden | 27 | Elizabeth | 22 |
| 2024 | Elizabeth | 35 | Linden | 28 |
- Elizabeth leads the overall series 44-25-2 dating back to 1931.
- Elizabeth has outscored Linden by a margin of 1432-894, or by an average of about 20-13 per contest.
- Elizabeth’s first win was in 1936.
- Linden’s first win was in 1931.
- Elizabeth has 18 shutouts.
- Linden has 7 shutouts.
- Longest winning streak: Elizabeth won 10 straight from 2001 to 2008 including playoff victories in 2002 and 2006. Linden won the first five contests from 1931 to 1935.
- Six games have been decided by 7 points or less.
- Most points scored in a game: 53 by Elizabeth in 1968. Linden scored 49 in a victory (49-20) in 2010.
- The largest margin of victory: 48 by Elizabeth (48-0 in 1969). Linden defeated Hunterdon Central by 43 in 1974 (43-0).
- The two schools played for only the second time since 2019 on Friday. Linden won the season opener last year at Kean University (27-22).
