After seven weeks of play (yes, we’ve only finished Week 6, don’t get us started about “Week 0”) there are 30 teams remaining in New Jersey without a single loss.
Five of them are in the Big Central, including Cranford (5-0), Delaware Valley (6-0), Hillsborough (6-0). St. Thomas Aquinas (5-0), and Woodbridge (6-0). That number will be reduced to four this weekend, after Woodbridge hosts Cranford Friday night on the Big Central Game of the Week driven by Autoland (7 pm on CJSR).
But we decided to take a closer look at those teams and how they stack up against the rest of the state.
(We skipped the two schools – Bogota and Dumont – who are in the NJIC and NJSFC divisions that include schools that requested “schedule relief” and therefore are ineligible for the postseason.)
Of the 28 undefeated teams eligible for the playoffs, St. Thomas Aquinas is the only one to have not allowed a single point all season long. The Trojans are 5-0, pitching shutouts in all five games, against Woodstown, Roselle, Spotswood, Johnson and Belvidere. Their remaining schedule includes a road game against Middlesex this weekend, a home game against Governor Livingston, then a huge test in the regular season finale, hosting Delaware Valley.
Aquinas leads the entire state with its five goose eggs.
Among undefeated teams, Ocean City and Central each have four, but have played six games. Woodstown (5-1) also has four shutouts.
The largest margin of victory among the undefeated teams also belongs to Aquinas, which is winning this season by an average of 41 points per game. And that’s including a 6-0 season-opening win over Woodstown, the Wolverines only loss this season. Five of their six games have been shutouts, four in their favor.
After Aquinas, there are three undefeated teams that have not allowed more than a touchdown in any game this year.
Ocean City, with its four shutouts, has not allowed more than seven points in its other two wins. Rumson-Fair Haven – with one of the toughest schedules in the state – has been even more impressive; the Bulldogs have only two shutouts, but have never allowed more than seven in a game. The same goes for Cedar Creek, the only seven-win team in the state.
The smallest average margin of victory of the 28 teams belongs to Middletown South. And 5-0, they’re the only team that has not scored more than 100 total points this year, outscoring opponents just 96-36, with an average margin of victory of 12.2 points.
Eight teams with unbeaten records have allowed fewer than 20 points in every game this year. In addition to Aquinas, Ocean City, Rumson and Cedar Creek, Middletown South, Delsea, Nottingham and Woodbury are on the list.
Below is the full list. Schools of the same group size are linked by color, starting with Group 5, working down to Group 1, then Non-Public A and B:
When you have so many shut outs- and lopsided scores- I question the character of the programs. It would seem that when you are up by 3-4 scores at the end of the third quarter- it’s time to let the “program” kids play. These are the seniors that have stuck it out but we’re not good enough to get on the field predominately. You combine that with some underclassmen- you often lose the shut out- but have a better program IMO for several reasons. This is coming from a guy that had his sons all start in high school- so not sour grapes. Just believe letting less talented kids the chance to play in front of their family and friends should be celebrated more than the number of shut outs. Something to think about that never gets discussed
I think some teams, but I’m sure not all, are doing that. But I will also say I think part of the problem is a lot of teams are dealing with the lack of development in 2020 due to the short season and COVID. Playoff teams that would have played 11 or 12 games got in 7 or 8. That’s losing almost a half a year. So, I think in some ways, you need to play, and guys are just hungry to get whatever action they can. Even a team that puts the third string in, they’re not taking their foot off the gas either. And that lack of development has hurt the teams on the short side of those scores, too. Look at Piscataway. Those guys did not get to develop either. It’s a little hard for me to criticize this year, but if it continued next year, I’d question it a bit more.