Hillsborough and Phillipsburg square off at Phillipsburg’s Maloney Stadium on September 23, 2022. (Photo: Chris Tsakonas)
For the first time this season, there’s a unanimous No. 1 team in the Big Central Media Poll.
In the final rankings before the season is over – with no rankings coming once the playoffs begin – Phillipsburg picked up all five first-place votes in the Week 8 Media Poll.
Cranford and Westfield joined the poll, as the Cougars knocked off previously-unbeaten and No. 2 North Brunswick Friday night with a 34-14 home win, while Westfield beat previous-No. 10 Hillsborough 17-12 Saturday afternoon.
The Raiders’ loss knocked them down to four, and out of the running for a top seed in the playoffs. That opened the door for Hillsborough to get a top seed in the South 5 supersection until their loss to the Blue Devils, which also knocked Hillsborough out of the Media Poll.
The full Week 8 rankings are below:
