Raritan Prep AC Football Club

They formed in the late 1920s as the Raritan Prep Juniors, an independent club football team willing to take on any squad "from 100 to 150 pounds for games to be played on Saturdays and Sundays, at home or away."

1931 undefeated championship team, photo from my collection

The gridders later changed their name to the Raritan Prep AC Football Club. Uniforms in a distinctive red with white trim, as well as equipment, were provided by Raritan real estate broker William F. Greene. He also gave the boys, most of whom were recent graduates, and star athletes, of Somerville High School, the use of a field which he owned in the still undeveloped western end of town, between today's Weiss Terrace and Meehan Avenue. This became known as Greene's Field.

December 1, 1931, Courier News

The team was dominant right from the start. Their Somerset County Championship in 1928 capped off three consecutive undefeated seasons. Their winning streak was finally broken on October 20, 1929, by a visiting team from Irvington who arrived in Raritan with enough players to field two complete teams.

January 12, 1932, Courier News

For the 1930 season, the Raritan Preps acquired a mascot, as described by the Courier News in a November 18, 1930 blurb:

A black police pup, suitably dressed in a coat of red with the letter R and P in white, took a prominent part in the game on Sunday with the Somerset Indians and started its football career by helping the local team win by a score of 18 to 0.

Their most impressive season was undoubtedly the fall 1931 campaign. They capped off another Somerset County title by utterly destroying the Brooks AC squad of Bound Brook with 2,000 spectators in attendance at the game which was a benefit for St. Ann's Church. The final score of 7 to 6 doesn't accurately describe how the Preps pushed the Brooks around the field, only allowing them the one score which came on a fumble recovery at the 15-yard line. The Brooks only completed 2 passes and had 2 first downs the entire game, compared to the Preps 12 and 12!

September 6, 1933, Courier News

The Raritan Eleven scored 85 points over ten games that season, compared to just 12 for their opponents. The only other team to score 6 against them was Paramount AC in week one. In between, they notched shutouts against Millington AC, Oxford AC, Somerset Indians, Irvington Pheasants, Manville Yellow Jackets, Bound Brook Beavers, Somerville AC, and the Flemington Giants.

The Preps played another season in 1932, but at the beginning of what would have been the 1933 season, the team announced that they were disbanding due to "lack of material and interest of the players".

Past members of the team held many reunions over the decades and were supportive of local school athletes. The last surviving member of the great squad, founding member Nicholas Esposito, passed away in 2007 at the age of 98.