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 13th in Group 3. Results are calculated using scores on Gridiron New Jersey as of 9:30 am on October 14th:
Summit’s win over Colonia Friday night keeps them in second place with a 1.6 UPR, still solidly in second over the third-place team with a 4.2 UPR, although it’s now Parsippany Hills (5-2) instead of Warren Hills (5-3), which had to take a forfeit loss last night to Montville, and whose game next week against Hackettstown is up in the air, too.
Hillside climbed from No. 8 to sixth place after a win at Delaware Valley, putting them more solidly in the top eight, which guarantees at least a first-round home game. That sets up a big game at 7-1 Carteret next Friday, where a win could boost them even higher.
Cranford’s loss to Linden dropped the Cougars (4-3) from sixth to ninth place, while Governor Livingston held steady in 15th (and their UPR held at 16.2). But the Highlanders drop to 16th even with a win over South River today, since the Rams are winless, not counting anything else other teams may do today, or potential residuals.
Carteret’s win over a 3-5 Rahway team still leaves them one shy of a school record sixth game in a season of 40 or more points (they won 19-15) but it did boost them from 12th all the way up to ninth, and puts them just 0.4 UPR points out of a top four finish. We’ve already mentioned their meeting next week with Hillside as a huge one for the Comets; the same can be said for the Ramblers.
Somerville’s loss to Hillsborough Friday night drops them two spots from ninth to 11th and behind Carteret. The Pioneers are 4-4 with a 10.6 UPR, but are still just 1.4 points out of the top eight, and have a big home game against South Brunswick with 12 residuals next week that could get them in, maybe with some help. (While the Vikings have five wins, the fifth came in Game 8, and residuals only count for an opponents first seven games, so the Pioneers would only get 12 residuals, not 15).