Tom King

September is here, vacations are done, school is back and the schedule is non-stop from here through Thanksgiving.

How’s that for reality?

We usually like to outline your sports schedule by season, but the fall is so busy, we’ll take it month by month. This month has already begun, but as this edition is for your Labor Day Weekend, we’ll start there for key September dates.

Check these out:

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, SEPT. 2-3

High school football is the deal, and Friday – for those of you who see this then – will want to head over to Stellos Stadium Friday and Saturday night for the Nashua North-Bedford opener for Titan coach Chad Zibolis’ debut. If you’re just seeing this Saturday, there’s still time – run out to Stellos at 6 p.m. for Bishop Guertin-Nashua South. Besides the rivalry, BG is seen as a legitimate title conteder while South wants to reverse last year’s 3-6 record that included a tough 0-3 start. An upset win over BG would be different than 2021, that’s for sure.

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THURSDAY, SEPT. 8

Locally, Stellos Stadium is the place to be as Nashua South and Bishop Guertin tangle for a 4 p.m./6 p.m. boys-girls doubleheader. The Cardinal girls are defending Division I champs while the South boys are the same. The South girls are hoping to be an up and comer, same with the BG boys. Should be fun.

And when you get home, you can tune in to everyone’s Super Bowl pick, the Buffalo Bills, at the defending Super Bowl champion L.A. Rams to officially open the NFL 2022-23 regular season. This will be on NBC, but after this Thursday game most of the remaining Thursdays, other than Thanksgiving Night when the Patriots play at Minnesota, will be streamed on Amazon Prime. Ugh.

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FRIDAY, SEPT. 9

Yes, another high school football night and there’s no question what the big game is: Milford at Souhegan in Division II. Last year’s runner-up (Spartans) vs. one of this year’s favorites (Sabers). Should be fun.

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SATURDAY, SEPT. 10

It’s Rivier University’s home opener for women’s volleyball vs. Wellesley and Castleton in a tri-match. OK, not usually a biggie, but it will be the Muldoon debut for Raiders new head coach Jeff Costa.

For the first time in decades it won’t be Craig Kolek running the Raider bench, as he is focusing on just men’s volleyball and other duties now. A lot of changes in Raider Land.

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SUNDAY, SEPT. 11

Well, besides a day we all will forever hold in reverance from 21 years ago, this is the first of 18 straight Sundays of regular season NFL football and we’ll have meaingful football until the off-week of the Super Bowl (sorry Pro Bowl fans).And your New England Patriots will open up at the Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m., and deal with the extreme heat early while Miami deals with the cold up here in January.

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TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY SEPT. 13-14

It’s the currently reeling Yankees last visit this year to Fenway Park, and of course they’ll be facing what is now a struggling Red Sox team that barring a miracle won’t make the playoffs. Pressure will be on them for next year for sure. Likely for both teams.

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SEPT. 19-SEPT. 23

Here we go, local fans, it’s Battle of the Bridge week for Nashua North and South. On Monday the 19th the Panthers and Titans field hockey teams will clash, but earlier in the day the Co-Ed Unified Soccer teams tangle (3 p.m.), both at Stellos; on Wednessday Sept. 21 it’s girls volleyball at South, on Thursday it’s the boy-girls soccer doubleheader at Stellos, and then of course on Friday is the big North-South football game, 6:30 at Stellos.

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SUNDAY, SEPT. 25

Finally, the New England Patriots are back home at Gillette Stadium after facing Miami and Pittsburgh on the road. The 2022-23 home opener will be against the Baltimore Ravens, who will likely battle the Cincinnati Bengals (maybe, we don’t have the Bengals as a playoff team) for the AFC North division title. Lamar Jackson, etc. Should be a good one.

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TUESDAY, SEPT. 27

Ready for Celtics and Bruins? The Celtics start training camp on this day; it seems like yesterday they were in the NBA Finals with a 2-1 series lead over the Warriors. And the Bruins this night will be back at TD Garden for the first time since Game 6 vs. Carolina last spring vs. the Rangers at 7 p.m. in their second preseason game.

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FRIDAY, SEPT. 30

We end the month with a very big high school football game that is in Division III: Campbell at Trinity. With Pelham’s departure to Division II, this is likely a preview of the Division III title game. It will be a measuring stick for both teams, and should draw a crowd. Enjoy.

That’s it for the first full month of the school year. October will be just as if not busier, believe it.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on twitter @Telegraph _TomK.