Group 2 playoff analysis: Bernards falls despite win, Del Val and New Providence make gains

Same result on the field, different directions in the playoff standings. That’s the upshot of Week 5 play when it comes to North and South Group 2, as we head into the final three weeks before Cutoff Weekend. Here’s a closer look at both supersections.

NORTH 2 (Click here for official standings)

It happened with power points too, so this in nothing unique to OSI or the whole UPR system, but despite a Bernards win last Friday night over North Plainfield, the Mountaineers dropped from third to seventh in the latest standings. Why? Despite a 5-1 record, that fifth win didn’t amount to much, since North Plainfield is 0-6. That was a 9-point value for power points.

And yet, with residuals from their other opponents they’ve beaten, Bernards actually rose in power points. It was North Plainfield’s OSI that killed them, falling from a 53.52 to a 50.8 as a result.

Otherwise, Westwood (5-0) sits atop the supersection at 5-0 with a UPR of 1, holding a decent lead over Caldwell and Rutherford (both also 5-0). Bernards is the only team in the supersection from the Big Central

SOUTH 3 (Click here for official standings)

Haddonfield and Rumson-Fair Haven are 1-2 in this section, with little separating them from each other (1.4 UPR vs. 1.6) but a decent distance to the third place team, Point Pleasant Boro (3.4 UPR). And Raritan (from the Shore Conference) is even further back at 5.4 UPR.

This week saw a big gain for Delaware Valley (4-1), as the Terriers picked up a 53-6 win at Bound Brook. The winless Crusaders – who have scored six points each in two games this year, and that’s all – didn’t help the cause, teams ahead of them – like Willingboro and Monmouth – both lost and helped make up for it. Ultimately, they went from tenth to seventh, while New Providence (3-3) with a win over Johnson (4-1) moved them from 14th to ninth. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, they dropped from 11th to 13th.

Del Val is a good bet for a top eight seed and first-round home game gauarantee with a UPR of 6.8 and the ninth place Pioneers holding a 10.4 UPR. That’s a lot of ground for them to make up, even with Bernards on the schedule – that’s a tall order.

Johnson, meanwhile wityh a 13.8 UPR and the 17th place team 4.8 UPR points behind them, looks to be in the playoffs if they get back on the winning track. A loss to Hillside at home Friday won’t hurt them, but dropping a game against Spotswood next week or at South River on the Friday of Cutoff Weekend will, severely.

Dayton, in 19th, is likely out of contention, even if not mathematically eliminated. With Spotswood and Metuchen on the schedule, it’s doubtful even a sweep of their last three games – South Hunterdon is sandwiched in between – could help make up enough ground.