Rivalry at a Glance – Carteret vs. J.F. Kennedy

With its 49-31 victory over J.F. Kennedy in an NJSIAA Crossover at The Pit in Carteret on October 29th, Carteret now leads its all-time series with the Mustangs 26-11.

CARTERET, NJ – Last Wednesday night, October 29th, Carteret hosted neighborhood rival, J.F. Kennedy at The Pit in Carteret.  It was the first time that these old Greater Middlesex Conference White Division rivals played each other since the 2022 season.  Carteret now plays in the Big Central Conference’s United Gold Division, while JFK competes in the BCC’s United Silver Division.

The two teams played in an NJSIAA regional crossover, or consolation game.  It marked the 37th time that the two schools faced each other on the gridiron.  The very first meeting between the two schools in 1964 ended in a 13-6 Carteret win.  The Ramblers lead the all-time series, 26-11, after defeating the Mustangs, 49-31, on October 29th.  The Ramblers overcame a 13-6 first-quarter deficit to win a wild one.

Carteret has won both meetings versus J.F. Kennedy since the formation of the Big Central Conference in 2020.  The Ramblers have won 23 of the last 27 meetings since 1994.  Kennedy won 7 of the first 10 meetings, including six straight from 1977 to 1986.

Take a look at the history of the Carteret vs. J.F. Kennedy rivalry below:

Year	Winning  Team	Winning Score	Losing  Team	Losing Score
1964	Carteret	13	J.F. Kennedy	6
1965	J.F. Kennedy	21	Carteret	6
1975	Carteret	14	J.F. Kennedy	6
1976	Carteret	41	J.F. Kennedy	14
1977	J.F. Kennedy	12	Carteret	7
1982	J.F. Kennedy	43	Carteret	14
1983	J.F. Kennedy	56	Carteret	9
1984	J.F. Kennedy	38	Carteret	6
1985	J.F. Kennedy	12	Carteret	7
1986	J.F. Kennedy	28	Carteret	0
1994	Carteret	28	J.F. Kennedy	15
1995	Carteret	29	J.F. Kennedy	7
1996	Carteret	27	J.F. Kennedy	13
1997	Carteret	39	J.F. Kennedy	2
1998	Carteret	28	J.F. Kennedy	21
1999	J.F. Kennedy	21	Carteret	14
1999	Carteret	39	J.F. Kennedy	8
2000	Carteret	30	J.F. Kennedy	21
2001	Carteret	41	J.F. Kennedy	6
2002	Carteret	47	J.F. Kennedy	7
2003	Carteret	21	J.F. Kennedy	0
2006	Carteret	34	J.F. Kennedy	14
2007	Carteret	25	J.F. Kennedy	6
2008	Carteret	34	J.F. Kennedy	28
2009	J.F. Kennedy	13	Carteret	0
2010	Carteret	12	J.F. Kennedy	7
2011	Carteret	40	J.F. Kennedy	0
2012	Carteret	41	J.F. Kennedy	13
2013	Carteret	19	J.F. Kennedy	10
2014	J.F. Kennedy	22	Carteret	13
2015	J.F. Kennedy	7	Carteret	0
2016	Carteret	28	J.F. Kennedy	7
2017	Carteret	28	J.F. Kennedy	21
2018	Carteret	28	J.F. Kennedy	27
2019	Carteret	21	J.F. Kennedy	6
2022	Carteret	29	J.F. Kennedy	9
2025	Carteret	49	J.F. Kennedy	31

• First Meeting:  1964 (Carteret won 13-6).  The Ramblers won 3 of the first 4 meetings.
• All Time Series Record:  Carteret leads 26-11.
• Carteret Dominance:  The Ramblers’ won 23 of the last 27 meetings since 1994.
• J.F. Kennedy Dominance:  The Mustangs won 7 of the first 10 meetings, including six straight.
• Kennedy’s Last Victory:  Was in 2015 (won 7-0).
• Big Central Conference Era:  Since the formation of the BCC in 2020, Carteret has won both meetings by a combined score of 78-40 or by an average of 39-20.
• Longest Winning Streak:  Carteret won 8 straight from 1999 to 2008.  J.F. Kennedy won six straight from 1999 to 2008.  
• No Meetings:  The two schools didn’t play each other in 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2004, 2005, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024.
• Scoring:  Carteret has outscored J.F. Kennedy by a margin of 861-578 all-time.
• Points Per Game:  Carteret has outscored J.F. Kennedy by an average margin of 7.7 points per game (23.3-15.6)
• Max Points Scored:  J.F. Kennedy scored 56 in a win over Carteret in 1983 (56-9).  Carteret scored 49 in a victory over JFK in 2025 (49-31).
• Largest Margin of Victory:  Kennedy has the largest margin of victory at 47 with its 56-9 victory in 1983.  Carteret’s largest margin of victory was 40 on two occasions, in 2002 (won 47-7) and 2011 (won 40-0).
• Closest Margin of Victory:  Carteret defeated J.F. Kennedy by one, 28-27, in 2018.
• Shutouts:  J.F. Kennedy has three while Carteret has two.
• One-Score Games:  There have been 10 games decided by one score (8 points or less).
• Single-Digit Games:  There have been 13 games decided by 9 points or less.