St. Thomas Aquinas passed over for home game as NJSIAA Non-Public playoff brackets are announced

Despite finishing third in the UPR standings, fourth in OSI, and with the highest power point total in Non-Public Group B, St. Thomas Aquinas was seeded fifth in their section for the state playoffs, as the brackets were announced officially Sunday morning by the NJSIAA and Gridiron New Jersey.

The Trojans were 9-0 in last year’s regular season against smaller public schools before losing in the first round of the playoffs, 45-12 to St. Joseph-Hammonton. This year, they took a major step up in competition – against the likes of Cranford, Summit, Rahway and Edison – and still ran the table in Big Central play. They are 9-1, their lone loss to Timber Creek on Week Zero, and will carry a 17-game league winning streak – tops in the Big Central – into the 2023 season.

Despite all that – and an impressive 27-14 road win at St. John Vianney, a Group A school that was seeded 9th today – the resume apparently wasn’t enough for the NJSIAA committee that seeded the non-public schools, as it has done for a number of years now.

St. Joseph of Metuchen, meanwhile – the only other Non-Public in the Big Central – was awarded an 11-seed in Non-Public Group A.

Out of the Big Central, but locally, Immaculata was seeded seventh in the eight-team Non-Public B field, where seven teams opted out.

In Group A, 14 teams were seeded, with three not participating, including Pingry.

Below are the official pairings released Sunday by the NJSIAA. Home teams set the date and time for each matchup.

Non-Public A:

#9 St. John Vianney at #8 St. Augustine Prep (winner at #1 Don Bosco Prep, which gets a bye)
#10 Hudson Catholic at #7 Donovan Catholic (winner at #2 Bergen Catholic, which gets a bye)
#11 St. Joseph-Metuchen at #6 Delbarton
#12 Pope John at #5 Seton Hall Prep
#13 Paul VI at #4 St. Joseph-Montvale
#14 Notre Dame at #3 St. Peter’s Prep

Non-Public B:

#8 Gloucester Catholic at #1 Red Bank Catholic
#7 Immaculata at #2 DePaul
#6 Immaculate Conception at #3 St. Joseph-Hammonton
#5 St. Thomas Aquinas at #4 Holy Spirit