We’re close to the midway point of the season in New Jersey high school football, but there’s still a lot of football to be played.
Some teams are about a third of the way through the season, while others will be playing Game 5 this week. And there will still be a lot of volatility: think of all the 2-2 teams that might end up 6-2 – or 2-6 by the end of the season. There’s a big difference between a .500 team and a six-win team.
Nonetheless, based on the official Gridiron New Jersey UPR standings, which can be found here, we take just a glance this week at the playoff picture, to see who is in good shape and who might have a lot of work to do over the next several week.
At the moment, two Big Central teams sit atop the standings in their respective sections: Woodbridge in North 4 and Somerville in South 3.
One note: the final Week 3 standings could be slightly different, as Clayton and Gloucester Catholic rescheduled their Friday game to 6 pm today.
North Group 5: Despite 2-2 records, both Piscataway and Bridgewater-Raritan sit in the top eight at the moment, and Elizabeth – also 2-2, but having lost two straight since the early-season firing of John Fiore – is right outside at No. 9. They all should make the playoffs, based on their very tough schedules, in particular Bridgewater, which made it last year with three wins. The Panthers have the toughest schedule of the three.
For the record, Ridgewood – which just beat Piscataway 14-13 Friday, the difference being a missed PAT by the Chiefs – is the No. 1 seed, followed by Passaic Tech, West Orange and Union City, all mainstays near the top of this section.
There’s a jumble of Big Central teams on the bubble, and anything can happen with any or all of them. From 16th to 19th it’s Linden (1-3), Union (0-4), Plainfield (2-2), and JP Stevens (1-2). They’ll all have to win some games, and remember, the minimum number of wins to get in the playoffs is two.
South Group 5: Even after their first loss of the season, Franklin (3-1) is the highest-ranked team here, with powerhouse Toms River North (4-0) leading the pack. Another team that suffered its first loss this weekend – South Brunswick (3-1) – is just outside the top eight at No. 10.
Old Bridge is two spots behind at 2-2, then two bubble teams on either side of the line as Hunterdon Central (2-2) and Hillsborough (2-2) are 16th and 17th. The Raiders have a huge game at Phillipsburg Friday, while the Red Devils are at Union.
Monroe (2-2, 21st) helped itself last Friday with a win at East Brunswick, but it might be getting late early for North Brunswick, which is just 1-3 at the moment. The Raiders dropped their first three games of the season this year, the first time that’s happened in the Mike Cipot era. (They lost their first six in 2016, the final year under Don Szak, ultimately going 1-9.)
North Group 4: Little surprise here that Woodbridge (4-0) is atop the pack by a decent margin, followed by Morris Knolls (3-0), then Ridge (2-1), thanks in large part to Friday night’s win over Phillipsburg. The Stateliners (2-1) are in sixth, and there are more teams spread evenly throughout the standings.
Colonia (3-1) is just two spots behind P’burg, with Westfield (2-1) and Watchung Hills (3-1) in 10th and 11th, respectively, followed by Rahway (3-1) in 12th. This is an interesting section, with the Stateliners, Blue Devils and Warriors all moving down from Group 5 this year, so be ready for a heavy dose of the Big Central in this section, with all of those teams looking good.
No one else is really in the mix right now, even JFK, which is 2-2, but sits in 23rd place after Week 3.
South Group 4: There are no Big Central teams here.
North Group 3: Montville and Old Tappan – both 4-0 – lead the pack here, with the highest Big Central team checking in at No. 6. That’s Summit (3-0), which earned the top overall seed here last year.
The next league team is Cranford (2-1) at No. 14, and everyone else is on the wrong side of the bubble, with the closest being Carteret (1-3). It might be tough for the Ramblers, as their schedule gets easier, with Scotch Plains-Fanwood and New Brunswick the next two weeks, a combined 1-7. But it might be too easy, as wins in those games might not help them much, and could even hurt them.
South Group 3: Here’s Somerville (4-0) looking like they’re back in business (we’ve seen them in person) and sitting at No. 1 over Mainland (3-1). The Pioneers are the only Big Central team in this section, and should have a good shot at the top spot by the time we get to cutoff weekend, as long as they keep winning.
North Group 2: Pequannock is No. 1 at 4-0, but Bernards (4-0) is right there with them in second place. The Mountaineers are looking good, but their schedule could hurt them down the road. Hillside is not what they have been, and having JP Stevens and South Plainfield the next two weeks does them no favors. The next one after that could be a big one, though: a Saturday night clash against Summit that is scheduled to be broadcast live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
South Group 2: Rumson-Fair Haven (3-0) – surprise, surprise! – leads the pack here, followed by Camden, and it’s a long way down to 11th to find Metuchen, which is off to a nice start this season at 3-1, taking their first loss of the campaign last week at New Providence.
Three league teams are right near the magic 16th spot. Delaware Valley (2-1) is in 15th place, followed by Voorhees (2-2). Then after Manasquan (2-2) at 17, there’s Spotswood (3-1) in 18th place. The Chargers have Highland Park on the road this Friday night, a game that might have hurt them over the last half decade. But with the Owls 3-0 – and a bit scary, quite frankly – this will be an enormous contest. A loss could sink Spotswood’s playoff hopes.
North Group 1: The only teams in the mix right now are New Providence (3-1) and Belvidere (3-1). And despite their records, they couldn’t be further apart. The Pioneers sit in fourth behind Cedar Grove (4-0), Wood-Ridge (3-1) and New Milford (3-3). The County Seaters are down in 18th, a project of their schedule, which does them no favors the next two weeks, hosting Bound Brook and playing at Dayton. But they’ll also get a good South Hunterdon team on October 11th and Middlesex at home on cutoff weekend. Those might be must-win games for Belvidere.
South Group 1: Woodstown (3-0) leads the pack here, but Middlesex (3-1) is right there with them. Imagine that Group 1 semifinal if it worked out that way? The Blue Jays beat Woodstown in an epic Group 1 baseball semifinal back in 2021, on a walkoff grand slam by Bobby Ulmer. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
At 15 is Highland Park (3-0) and South Hunterdon (2-1) is at 16, right on the proverbial bubble. But the Owls had a number of ejections in their opening game at Dunellen, and may be ineligible for the playoffs.
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