Here are the football games teams across Westchester, Rockland and Putnam have already circled. Longtime rivalry games head the list. Some are more heated than others. There there are several replays from last fall's playoffs and numerous clashes that will factor into this season's postseason brackets.
Sept. 3
Iona Prep vs. CBA-Syracuse
An unprecedented meeting between the best NYSPHSAA team and the best CHSFL team at the Dome.
Somers at Mamaroneck
It's an unusual matchup between programs that have combined for nearly 60 wins over the last three seasons.
Sept. 4
Stepinac at CBA-Albany
It's publlc vs. private, sort of.
Averill Park at Bronxville
The reigning NYSPHSAA Class C champion Broncos open against the Section 2 Class B runner-up.
Sept. 10
Rye at Clarkstown South
It's a stern early test for the Garnets, who are coming off an NYSPHSAA Class A title.
Mamaroneck at John Jay-East Fishkill
They split last
season, but the Tigers threw a 9-0 shutout in the Section 1 Class AA championship game.
Carmel at Mahopac
Alex Beauchesne, a former Rams standout and newly-hired coach, debuts against the school's forever rival.
Haldane at Tuckahoe
A replay of the 2025 Section 1 Class D final, which the Tigers ran away with.
Nanuet at Pearl River
Getting a grip on the Little Brown Jug is never a simple task.
Yonkers at Scarsdale
It's the first chance for the newly-combined Guardians to show they might be a threat in Class AA.
Sept. 18
Sleepy Hollow at Westlake
Winning the Section 1 Class B championship was hard. Getting by the Wildcats again, then repeating will be harder.
Sept. 25
Dobbs Ferry at Bronxville
The Eagles might be carrying a grudge after falling 56-6 to Bronxville in last year's Section 1 Class C title game.
Sept. 26
Hackley at Rye Country Day
A heated button-down rivalry.
Oct. 2
Rye at Somers
It's a grudge match. The Tuskers want their championship back.
North Rockland at Mamaroneck
The Red Raiders were stunned last November after falling in the semifinals at Mamaroneck by five touchdowns.
Oct. 3
St. Anthony's at Iona Prep
A meeting of traditional CHSFL powers with a history.
Oct. 17
Harrison at Rye
The Game. Simply the best rivalry in the state. The Garnets are looking to make it three in a row.
Oct. 31
Stepinac at Iona Prep
Sparks have flown in the past, but the rivalry is losing momentum in between the lines.
Mike Dougherty covers high school football for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Here are 18 must-see high school football games in the 2026 season
