Hillsborough celebrates its South 5 Regional Championship at SHI Stadium in Piscataway on December 4, 2021. (Photo: Max Schiener)
The inaugural season of the fledgling Big Central Conference came at just the wrong time.
With so much excitement for the start of the new league following the 2019 season, the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to that. The NJSIAA took a calculated gamble and allowed fall sports to take place, but limited the season to six weeks plus two “postseason” weeks of pod play, or whatever each league decided to do.
That made 2021’s return to normalcy the real debut of the league, with a full schedule and postseason. And Cranford had a great year, winning a sectional title, with Hillsborough going all the way, winning Central Jersey Group 5 and then the South 5 regional championship, becoming the first Somerset County school to go 13-0.
Those were the only two teams to qualify for sectional title games last year, but in 2022, the league has at least five chances this Friday, and those are just the public schools.
In the parochial realm, St. Joseph-Metuchen was eliminated from the Non-Public Group A playoffs Saturday with a loss to Delbarton, but St. Thomas Aquinas has yet to start its postseason in Group B. The 5th-seeded Trojans visit 4th-seeded Holy Spirit of Absecon next Friday night.
That same night, five Big Central public schools will vie for sectional titles, and try to make it to the first-ever “official” group semifinals the following week: Phillipsburg, Edison, North Hunterdon, Hillside and Brearley.
We thought this weekend that with nine teams in action, we’d get at least four. We were guaranteed one, with North Brunswick and Edison facing each other. We got five. And after a somewhat disappointing opening round, though several games could have gone either way, the BCC has solid representation in the playoffs.
And all of them have a legit shot to bring home some hardware. To wit:
“Will anyone challenge Phillipsburg?” That’s the question I keep hearing around the league, wherever I go. Someone will. But will they beat them? That’s the million dollar question. They have the horses – a lot of them – and I don’t see them getting beat.
North Hunterdon looked in dire straits after a long drive, onside kick list and a short TD drive put them down 14-0 late in the first against Morris Knolls’ ball control offense. And all the Lions did was shut the Golden Eagles down the rest of the way and score 25 unanswered over the next 36 minutes of football to advance to the finals.
The other question I hear: “Is North Hunterdon that good?”
Yes, they are.
Those are your two top seeds. Discount them at your own peril.
I still don’t know what to make of Lenape, whether Atlantic City – which pushed them to the brink Friday – is that good, or what two of Lenape’s losses to St. Augustine and St. Joe’s-Hammonton tell us, but can you ever count out a team like Edison when they did what they did Friday night?
Just as a reminder, down 31-17, they scored a touchdown, recovered an inside kick, scored again, went for two for the win, missed, recovered another onside kick, and won it on a field goal. Selbin Sabio is a tremendous asset, and Matt Yascko has major onions.
Hillside has trailed in both its playoff games, and come back to win with multiple unanswered scores. With two D1 commits, that’s what they do. And they had three picks, including one for a score, Saturday against River Dell in the semis. They’re like Edison, just not as dramatic.
And Brearley has been a beast with Matt Sims all year long. Throw in a guy like Brendan Fitzsimmons, and as long as Sims keeps doing what he does, the unbeaten Bears can bring home another title.
Here’s a look at the Championship Weekend schedule:
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Final:
#6 West Orange at #1 Phllipsburg, Friday at 7 pm
Central Jersey Group 5 Final:
#6 Edison at #1 Lenape, Friday at 7 pm
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Final:
#2 Randolph at #1 North Hunterdon, Friday at 7 pm (LIVE on CJSR)
North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 Final:
#2 Hillside at #1 Old Tappan, Friday at 6 pm
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Final:
#4 Beearley at #2 Mountain Lakes, Friday at 7 pm
Next week will be the Group Semifinals. North 1 and North 2 winners will play at Franklin High School, while South winners will play at Cherokee High School. Games will be Saturday and Sunday, with dates and times to be determined upon completion of the finals.
The playoffs will take a week off for Thanksgiving (though Non-Public finals will be held at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands on Black Friday) with the first-ever Group Finals in football to be played at Rutgers University’s SHI Stadium in Piscataway on Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4.