Montclair sports this weekend come down to one packed Saturday. On Oct. 24, five games take place on home fields, Montclair State holds two Senior Day celebrations, and county tournament games could put Montclair High School and MKA on the field the same afternoon, maybe against each other.
That’s before you count the youth soccer and football games that never make it onto a public schedule.
It all lands on the closing weekend of the Montclair Film Festival, so plan accordingly.
Friday Night Football and the Essex County Cross Country Championships
The weekend starts Friday, Oct. 23, with the Essex County Cross Country Championships at Cedar Grove Park. Five races run between 2:15 and 4:30 p.m. Boys and girls from Montclair High School and MKA are eligible to compete, though neither school had confirmed its entries as of Oct. 18.
At 7 p.m., Mounties football plays at West Orange High School in a league game that counts toward the team’s conference standing.
Montclair needs a better night than its last one. The Mounties lost 35-6 at Nutley on Oct. 16, and West Orange gives them a quick chance to reset on the road.
By Saturday morning, the action comes home.
Montclair High School and MKA Games on Saturday
At 10 a.m., families with ties to both schools have to pick a sideline. Montclair High boys soccer hosts Morristown at MHS, while MKA boys soccer hosts Randolph at Van Brunt Field on the Upper School campus.
Both games could still move. MKA is the No. 4 seed, meaning it ranks fourth in the Essex County boys bracket, and if the Cougars keep winning this week, they would play a county semifinal at West Orange that same morning. Montclair High’s schedule also changed this week with an added Tuesday, Oct. 20 game at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, the county’s top seed, so check the Mounties’ schedule on Friday before you head out.
At 1 p.m., MKA football hosts Poly Prep, the Brooklyn private school, at Van Brunt Field. The Cougars are 4-2 and coming off a 29-7 loss at Pingry on Oct. 16, so Saturday is a chance to get back on track at home.
By noon, the action moves to Montclair State.
Montclair State Senior Day: Volleyball at Noon, Men’s Soccer at Night
Montclair State celebrates two Senior Days on Saturday.
Women’s volleyball goes first, hosting Hunter College at noon at Panzer Athletic Center.
The night game is the one to circle. Montclair State men’s soccer hosts Rutgers-Camden at 7 p.m. at MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field for Senior Night. The Red Hawks rank No. 19 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll for Division III, the NCAA level for schools that don’t offer athletic scholarships. Coaches picked them second in the New Jersey Athletic Conference before the season, and they have played like it.
Rutgers-Camden has a habit of spoiling this night. The Scarlet Raptors tied Montclair State 1-1 on Senior Night in 2024 and played them to another draw on Senior Night in 2025.
Three more Red Hawks teams play on the road Saturday. Football travels to Salisbury University in Maryland and field hockey to The College of New Jersey in Ewing, both at 1 p.m., while women’s soccer plays at Rutgers-Camden.
The biggest drama of the weekend, though, may come out of the county brackets.
Essex County Tournament: Where the Mounties and Cougars Could Play
Results from this week, Oct. 20 to 22, decide whether Montclair High and MKA play for county titles on Saturday. The Essex County Tournament is the county’s postseason for high school teams: seeded brackets, and a loss ends your run.
Girls field hockey has the best storyline. Montclair High, the No. 3 seed, and MKA, the No. 6 seed, could meet in Saturday’s final at West Essex High School. The Mounties already beat MKA 4-2 at MKA on Oct. 8, and each team needs a midweek semifinal win to set up the rematch.
Girls soccer could also send both schools to Saturday. MKA is the No. 2 seed and Montclair High is No. 4, and Tuesday’s quarterfinals decide who moves on to the semifinals at Livingston High School. The final is Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. at Caldwell. The Mounties lost last year’s county semifinal by one goal.
On the boys side, MKA is the only Montclair team among the top eight seeds. If the Cougars advance, they play the semifinals at West Orange, with the final set for Oct. 28 at 4:30 p.m. at Caldwell.
Check the brackets Thursday night before you choose where to spend Saturday.
Montclair Sports Weekend Schedule: Times and Places
Friday, Oct. 23
- 2:15 to 4:30 p.m.: Essex County Cross Country Championships, Cedar Grove Park, 199 Fairview Ave., Cedar Grove
- 7 p.m.: Montclair High football at West Orange, West Orange High School
Saturday, Oct. 24
- 10 a.m.: Montclair High boys soccer vs. Morristown, Montclair High School, 100 Chestnut St.
- 10 a.m.: MKA boys soccer vs. Randolph, Van Brunt Field, 6 Lloyd Road
- Noon: Montclair State women’s volleyball vs. Hunter College (Senior Day), Panzer Athletic Center, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Ave.
- 1 p.m.: MKA football vs. Poly Prep, Van Brunt Field, 6 Lloyd Road
- 1 p.m.: Montclair State football at Salisbury University, Salisbury, Md.
- 1 p.m.: Montclair State field hockey at The College of New Jersey, Ewing, N.J.
- Time TBA: Montclair State women’s soccer at Rutgers-Camden, Camden, N.J.
- 7 p.m.: Montclair State men’s soccer vs. Rutgers-Camden (Senior Night), MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field
- Times TBA: Essex County Tournament girls soccer semifinals at Livingston High School, boys soccer semifinals at West Orange High School and girls field hockey final at West Essex High School
Sunday, Oct. 25
- No Montclair High, MKA or Montclair State games are scheduled. Youth club games may be; check with Montclair United and the Jr. Mounties.
Image credit: Montclair State
