Belleville, Nutley Mayors Revive Annual High School Football Bet

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of Belleville Township. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

There will be a lot more than neighborhood bragging rights on the line when the Belleville High School Buccaneers renew their football feud with the Nutley Raiders on Friday night.

At stake will be the Mayor’s Cup, a towering trophy that goes to the winner of the longtime rivalry.

This year, Belleville Mayor Michael Melham extended an annual side bet to Nutley Mayor Mauro Tucci, following a conversation about ways in which the two neighboring towns can assist each other in response to Hurricane Ida, as well as petitioning FEMA for a disaster declaration.

“All that said, this Friday night, under our new stadium lights, the Belleville vs Nutley varsity football rivalry is back,” Melham said. “Belleville will host the home opener and feature an official ribbon cutting at 6:30 p.m. for our brand-new turf field.”

The mayor hinted some truth to an ongoing rumor that a former NFL Super Bowl MVP will even be on hand to help cut the ribbon.

“While the Mayor's Cup Trophy will be on the line, this year, I am formally challenging Mayor Tucci to a friendly pizza wager,” Melham said. “As is our tradition, the winning mayor shall receive local pizza provided by the losing mayor at the next scheduled public meeting.”

This is the third time in four years that the so-called “pizza challenge” has been issued. It will be the 79th meeting between Belleville and Nutley.

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Belleville-Nutley Facebook page. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.