Governor Livingston vs. New Providence – Rivalry at a Glance

Posted on by Big Central Gridiron

On Friday night, Governor Livingston travels to nearby Lieder Field in New Providence to take on the Pioneers. The Week 1 meeting between the Highlanders and the Pioneers will be the 43rd meeting between the two schools since 1969. New Providence leads the series 32-8-2.

Pioneers Looking to Win Fifth Straight Over Highlanders

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ – On Friday night, Big Central Gridiron heads up to Leider Field in New Providence to take in the Week 1 contest between the Pioneers and the Highlanders of Governor Livingston. It will be the 43rd time that the Pioneers and Highlanders are meeting. New Providence has dominated the series, and is looking to win its fifth straight over its arch-rival.

Both teams return to action for Week 1 after playing last week in Week 0 games. New Providence knocked off South Plainfield at home (23-7) to begin its season at 1-0. Governor Livingston lost on the road to North Jersey Section 2 Group 2 finalist, Lakeland Regional (35-9). Jack Dally and Lucciano Santamaria stood out in defeat for Governor Livingston while T.J. Munn, A.J. Whitehead, and Mike Pestes led the Pioneers in victory.

New Providence leads the all-time series 32-8-2.  The Pioneers won the first 10 meetings between the two schools until Governor Livingston won in 1984.  The Highlanders had only defeated New Providence three times before 2014. Governor Livingston last won in 2018.  Check out the Pioneers-Highlanders rivalry at a glance.

YearWinnerWinning ScoreLoserLosing Score
1969New Providence26Governor Livingston8
1970New Providence18Governor Livingston0
1973New Providence28Governor Livingston12
1974New Providence26Governor Livingston0
1975New Providence52Governor Livingston0
1976New Providence26Governor Livingston12
1977New Providence32Governor Livingston6
1978New Providence42Governor Livingston7
1982New Providence35Governor Livingston14
1983New Providence6Governor Livingston6
1984Governor Livingston20New Providence16
1985Governor Livingston0New Providence0
1989New Providence28Governor Livingston0
1989New Providence24Governor Livingston0
1990New Providence25Governor Livingston8
1996New Providence26Governor Livingston20
1997Governor Livingston7New Providence0
1998New Providence12Governor Livingston0
1999New Providence25Governor Livingston7
2002New Providence20Governor Livingston7
2003New Providence10Governor Livingston0
2004New Providence19Governor Livingston7
2005Governor Livingston10New Providence0
2006New Providence27Governor Livingston14
2007New Providence17Governor Livingston7
2008New Providence35Governor Livingston28
2009New Providence26Governor Livingston20
2010New Providence35Governor Livingston13
2011New Providence40Governor Livingston26
2012New Providence30Governor Livingston20
2013New Providence22Governor Livingston18
2014Governor Livingston35New Providence14
2015Governor Livingston10New Providence0
2016Governor Livingston40New Providence25
2017Governor Livingston28New Providence13
2018Governor Livingston28New Providence17
2019New Providence14Governor Livingston7
2020New Providence34Governor Livingston14
2021New Providence30Governor Livingston7
2022New Providence29Governor Livingston9
2023New Providence14Governor Livingston7
A look at the rivalry between Governor Livingston and New Providence through the years.
  • Rivalry began in 1969.
  • New Providence leads the series 32-8-2.
  • New Providence has outscored Governor Livingston 918-482 all time or by an average of about 22-11 per game.
  • Teams met twice in 1989 with 2nd meeting in a playoff contest (won by New Providence 24-0).
  • Governor Livingston and New Providence have played every year since 2002.
  • New Providence has won 5 straight and 13 of the last 18 meetings.
  • Before 2014, New Providence had won 26 of 31 meetings.
  • Governor Livingston’s first win in the series was in 1984 (20-16).
  • Governor Livingston’s longest win streak: 5 Years in a row from 2014-18; Only had won 3 times before 2014.
  • New Providence’s longest win streak: 9 straight meetings from 1969-82. Two schools didn’t meet in 1971, 1972, 1979, 1980, and 1981. Pioneers also won 8 years in a row from 2006-13.
  • Both teams have only ended up in one scoreless tie, which was in 1985. The two schools tied twice in 3 years (the other tie was 6-6 in 1983).
  • New Providence has 7 shutouts including twice in 1989; the last one was in 2003.
  • Governor Livingston has 3 shutouts; the last one was in 2015.
  • Largest margin of victory: New Providence won 52-0 in 1975.
  • Governor Livingston’s largest margin of victory: 35-14 in 2014.