Ridge head coach Andy West talks to his team after a 41-13 road win over Hunterdon Central in Flemington on September 22, 2023. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
This one was all about the math.
After previously-undefeated No. 1 Phillipsburg was knocked off by No. 8 Hillsborough, and No. 2 North Brunswick survived No. 7 Sayreville in Sunday’s Rumble on the Raritan, the 4-0 Raiders picked up three first-place votes.
St. Thomas Aquinas, which is 5-0, got the two other first place votes.
But the disagreement on who should be No. 1 left neither team with the top spot. It went to Ridge, which got all three second-place votes and two third-place votes, earning them 43 points, two more than the Raiders, who picked up 41 points.
Just like the standard AP Polls in college football and basketball – which give 25 points for a first-place Top 25 vote, 24 for second, 23 for third and so on, the Big Central Media poll awards 10 points for a first-place vote, nine for second, and so on down the line.
Below are the full Big Central Media Poll Week 5 rankings:
