Four Big Central Conference teams will play for sectional titles next week – the second-best showing in the league’s four-year playoff history (with no playoffs in its inaugural 2020 season due to COVID) – while Woodbridge suffered its first loss of the season and was knocked out of the playoffs.
Meanwhile, St. Thomas Aquinas won its first playoff game in 23 years, crushing St. Mary-Rutherford in North Edison Friday night.
Here’s a look at Friday night’s action, and a projection ahead to next week’s sectional title games for Phillipsburg, Somerville, Bernards and New Providence.
Group 5
All four Big Central teams left in Group 5 were eliminated Friday night.
In the North 2 section, fourth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan got thumped by top-seed Union City – a heavy favorite to win the group – 61-10 on the rooftop up in Hudson County. The Panthers trailed 34-10 at the half before Union City scored 26 unanswered in the second half. Joe Squicciarini kicked a 44-yard field goal in the second quarter, and Nicholas DiEsso caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Declan Kurdyla in the same frame. Bridgewater finishes its season 4-7, while Union City (9-1) will go on to play host to third-seed Passaic Tech in the sectional finals. PCTI topped second-seed Elizabeth on the road, 35-26. The Minutemen countered every Bulldog punch through three quarters, trailing 22-20 heading into the fourth on two touchdown runs from Arique Fleming and a touchdown pass to Antoine Blount. But Passaic Tech outscored Elizabeth in the fourth for the win.
In North 1, Group 5, third-seed Piscataway was handled by second-seed West Orange, as the Mountaineers shut out the Chiefs 35-0. After a scoreless first quarter, West Orange put up 21 in the second quarter and added two more scores in the third. The Mounatineers (9-2) will host fourth-seed East Orange (8-2) in the final, after the Jaguars upset top-seed Ridgewood on the road, 14-3.
And in South Group 5, third-seed Hillsborough fell at second-seed Rancocas Valley, 35-30. Read the full recap with postgame audio from Raiders’ head coach Kevin Carty here. The Red Devils will visit top-seed Toms River North (11-0) next week; the Mariners escaped 5th-seed Kingsway Friday night, rallying from a 14-7 second quarter deficit to come out with a 21-14 win.
Group 4
Of the three Big Central teams left in Group 4, only Phillipsburg came out a winner. The top-seed in North 2, Group 4 beat fifth-seed Chatham 31-14, and will play host next Friday night in the title game to third-seed Northern Highlands, which handed second-seed Woodbridge its first loss of the season Friday night, 26-7.
Click here for the recap and postgame reaction from Phillipsburg’s win.
Click here to for the recap and postgame reaction from Northern Highlands’ win over Woodbridge.
Meanwhile, in North 1, Group 4, Ridge was knocked out in the sectional semifinals for the sixth year in a row, as the second-seeded Red Devils were knocked off by third-seed Ramapo at home, 28-27, ending their season at 8-2. Ridge led 20-7 at the half, and 27-14 after three, but Liam Hayward’s two fourth-quarter touchdowns – a 22-yard run and a 13-yard catch – proved to be the difference. Connor McLachlan threw a touchdown pass in defeat, while Aidan Stieglitz rushed for 187 yards on 23 carries and three touchdowns. Ramapo will play the winner of Saturday’s other semifinal game in that section, which features fourth-seed Mount Olive at top-seed Morris Knolls in a 1 pm game.
Group 3
Somerville advanced to its first sectional final since 2019, as the top-seeded Pioneers topped Fourth-seed Ocean City 30-14 at Brooks Field. Click here for a recap and postgame reaction from head coach Matt Bloom. Somerville will host seventh-seed Delsea (4-6) Friday night at 7 at Brooks Field in the Central Jersey Group 3 title game; the Crusaders are one of three two-win teams to qualify for the playoffs this season, but changed offensive schemes to the wing-T about a month ago, rejuvenating the team.
Also in Group 3, in the North 2 section, fourth-seed Cranford fell at top-seed Old Tappan. Quarterback Zach Miceli had touchdown runs in the first and third quarters, while throwing a 14-yard TD strike in the second, to build a 22-0 lead. Cranford battled back in the fourth with a six-yard run from Amari Petgrave, and a 44-yard scoop-and-score fumble recovery by Brandon DiPaolo, but it was not enough. The Cougars end their season at 7-3, while the Golden Knights (9-1) will host second-seed West Essex, a 28-14 winner over third-seed West Morris at home Friday night.
North 1, Group 2
For the first time in school history, Bernards is in the sectional finals back-to-back years. A year after winning its first sectional title in the playoff era – in three tries – the second-seeded Mountaineers topped third-seed Pequannock to reach the finals. Click here for a recap and postgame reaction from head coach Jon Simoneau. Also for the second year in a row, Bernards will host the final after an upset in the other semifinal, which saw fifth-seed Shabazz (8-2) shock top-seed Westwood on the road, 14-6. The final will be Friday at 7 pm.
North 2, Group 1
Second-seed New Providence clinched its first finals berth since 2010 – in its first sectional semi since 2011 – with a 21-14 home win over third-seed Hasbrouck Heights. The Pioneers got three touchdown runs from impossible-to-bring-down senior quarterback T.J. Munn. Click here for a recap and postgame video reaction, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen. The Pioneers will play at top-seed Cedar Grove (11-0) Friday night at 7 after the Panthers took out fourth-seed Verona – one of only two teams to beat New Providence this season – 42-14 in the other semifinal.
Non-Public Group B
The only non-public in the Big Central Conference in action Friday night was St. Thomas Aquinas, and the fifth-seeded Trojans left no doubt about their opening round game. With offensive coordinator Chris Young – the father of star back Chase Young – back on the sidelines after a weeks-long stay in the hospital, the Trojans blew out 12th-seed St. Mary-Rutherford in what very well may be one of the earliest running clocks this season. They put up 41 points in the first quarter alone en route to a 61-6 win. That puts them in the quarterfinals on the road next week against fourth-seed Holy Spirit down in Absecon. The Spartans were a 38-0 winner over 13th-seed Donovan Catholic Friday night in their opening round game.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
Here are projected sectional title game matchups next week involving Big Central Conference schools, as well as the next round of non-public matchups. Dates and times are estimated based on earlier round game times and days, and may be subject to change.
North 2, Group 4
(3) Northern Highlands (6-4) at (1) Phillipsburg (9-1)
Friday at 7 pm
Central Group 3
(7) Delsea (4-6) at (1) Somerville (11-0)
Friday at 7 pm
North 1, Group 2
(5) Shabazz (8-2) at (2) Bernards (11-0)
Friday at 7 pm
North 2, Group 1
(2) New Providence (9-2) at (1) Cedar Grove (11-0)
Friday at 7 pm
Non-Public Group B
(8) Paul VI at (1) DePaul, Friday at 6 pm
(5) St. Thomas Aquinas at (4) Holy Spirit, Friday at 6 pm
(3) Paramus Catholic vs. (6) Pope John/(11) Camden Catholic, Friday at 7 pm
(10) St. John Vianney at (2) Red Bank Catholic, Friday at 7 pm
Non-Public Group A
(8) Seton Hall Prep at (1) Bergen Catholic, Saturday at 1 pm
(5) St. Peter’s Prep at (4) St. Joseph-Montvale, Saturday at 1 pm
(6) St. Augustine at (3) Delbarton, Saturday at 1 pm
(7) St. Joseph-Metuchen at (2) Don Bosco Prep, Friday at 7 pm
Discover more from Central Jersey Sports Radio
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.