The Last Night Beneath the Lights

Gary Binkiewicz made the most of his last football game. A 2010 graduate of Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, he was one of Union County's four captains in the Union County versus Middlesex County Snapple Bowl at East Brunswick High School on Thursday.

Although Union lost 28-14, its fourth loss to Middlesex in a row, Binkiewicz made key tackles as Union's safety: one in the first quarter – a head-on stop for a loss – and two in the third quarter.

"It was fun to be out here and hitting somebody," he said. Binkiewicz will attend Quinnipiac University in the fall, where he hopes to make the baseball team as a walk-on.

The Union versus Middlesex all-star games, which started in 1994, have raised more than $300,000 for the Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside and the Lakeview School for Cerebral Palsy in Edison. Thursday's game drew a crowd of about 10,000 people.

With Union's loss Thursday, Middlesex now leads the series, 10-7.

SNAPPLE BOWL XVII AT EAST BRUNSWICK

Union County (7-10)                       0     6     8     0 - 14

Middlesex County (10-7)            7     0    13    8 - 28

FIRST QUARTER:

Middlesex – Mauro Tucci 6 run, Steven Moore kick, (M 7-0)

SECOND QUARTER:

Union – Shawn Hillas 32 pass from Trell Myers, kick failed (M 7-6)

THIRD QUARTER:

Union – Matt Padlo 40 pass Trell Myers, Giovanni Smith run (U 14-7)

Middlesex – Mike Muha 1 run, Steven Moore kick (14-14)

Middlesex – Billy Merz 48 pass Robbie Meade, kick failed (M 20-14)

FOURTH QUARTER:

Middlesex – Robbie Meade 6 run, kick failed (M 26-14)

Middlesex – Safety on last play of game (M 28-14)