It’s Cutoff Weekend, and we’re the place to get all the updated playoff standings all week long, with our coverage brought to you by My Family Appliances on Route 1 South in the Wick Plaza, Edison.
We’ll have more analysis throughout the day Saturday as scores roll in. And don’t forget to join us for our “Playoff Projection Show” on Saturday at 6:00 pm as Mike Pavlichko brings you all the playoff projections, with analysis and commentary by Marcus Borden, live in studio!
Here’s an updated look at the Group 3 supersections based on Friday night results as reported to Gridiron New Jersey.
NORTH GROUP 3
As we expected, Hillside‘s win over Carteret Friday night at The Pit triggered an odd situation: a team in fourth place (Hillside) that couldn’t jump the two two (Old Tappan and Summit) affecting the top two. The win put the Comets above Old Tappan in power point average, moved them from 4th to 3rd place, but moved Summit ahead of Old Tappan overall. The Golden Knights won Friday night, but against lowly-rated Demarest. And the Hilltoppers have highly-regarded St. Joseph in Metuchen Saturday, where even a loss won’t hurt them. We call Summit the top overall seed. And Hillside looks locked into third.
Cranford is in ninth after a loss to North Brunswick, holding court, and they look to be a lock there, too, regardless what West Essex does Saturday at East Orange.
We also think Governor Livingston is in, at 6-2 and in 16th place, regardless what happens Saturday at home against Bernards, since the Mountaineers are a strong opponent. But we’ll still keep an eye on that game Saturday.
Key Saturday Games to Watch:
- #1 Summit at St. Joseph-Metuchen
- #8 West Essex at East Orange
- #12 Lincoln vs. Orange
- #16 Governor Livingston vs. Bernards
SOUTH GROUP 3
Somerville moved up from 11th to 8th place with a Friday win over South Brunswick at Brooks Field. But hold the phone, because we think they drop to 9th if Manasquan beats Ocean Twp. at home Saturday. That’s the difference between a first-round home game and a road trip.
Carteret fell from 10th to 11th with the loss to a good Hillside team Friday night. Teams may move around them Saturday with a number of games to be played, but they might actually hold in 11th. We think they’ll be no worse than 12.
Key Saturday Games to Watch:
- #9 Manasquan vs. #17 Ocean Township
- #13 Highland Regional at Rancocas Valley
- #14 Burlington Township vs. Willingboro
- #25 Matawan at Freehold Boro
- #19 Nottingham vs. Hamilton