From now through the end of the season, Central Jersey Sports Radio will be updating unofficial playoff standings following Friday night’s games. Full analysis after the weekend will come during the week as the official standings are released by Gridiron New Jersey.
Here’s a look at unofficial standings after games of Friday, October 6th in Group 5. Results are calculated using scores on Gridiron New Jersey as of 11:30 pm on October 6th.
With wins on Friday night, Passaic Tech and Phillipsburg hold in first and second in North 5. Watchung Hills – which plays Saturday at Plainfield – flip-flopped with Union City, with the Warriors dropping from third to fourth, based on other results; Union City also plays Saturday. Union‘s loss to Elizabeth drops them from fifth to seventh, while Plainfield moved up a spot to sixth as a result. A win for Piscataway over winless East Brunswick allowed them to stay in 14th, while Westfield holds in 15th but could jump them with a home win over Somerville Saturday. Despite losing to Phillipsburg at home, Bridgewater-Raritan holds in 17th place with a 16.4 UPR, falling 0.4 points behind 16th place Bayonne, which won Friday night. Elizabeth‘s first win jumped the Minutemen four spots into 19th, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
Hillsborough‘s win over Hunterdon Central Friday allowed the Raiders to stay in fourth place in South 5, and a win by North Brunswick keeps those Raiders in fifth. The loss by Hunterdon Central being to a solid Hillsborough team didn’t hurt them much; their UPR went from 9.6 to 10, but they remain ninth. A loss by South Brunswick at Ridge drops the Vikings one place into 12th. Old Bridge made up ground with a 14-7 win over Monroe, climbing from 22nd to 18th place, thanks also in part to losses by Trenton and Franklin. Edison‘s loss to St. Joseph-Metuchen hurts their playoff hopes, as they dropped from the final spot at No. 16 to 19th. But their Cutoff weekend game against St. Thomas Aquinas – a multiplier this year for the first time – will give them a boost at the end, regardless of the outcome, so they can’t be counted out.