North 2, Group 4 Final Preview: Phillipsburg Stateliners vs. Northern Highlands Highlanders

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Final:
When: Friday, 7 pm
Where: Maloney Stadium, Phillipsburg
Matchup: #3 Northern Highlands (6-4) at #1 Phillipsburg (9-1)
Coverage: Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter.
Weather: 47 degrees, clear, wind NNW 6 mph (crosswind from home stands toward visitor stands)

HEAD COACHES:

Phillipsburg: Frank Duffy (9th season, 76-23)
Northern Highlands: Dave Cord (3rd season, 24-11)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Phillipsburg:
First Round: def. #8 Nutley, 42-0
Semifinals: def. #5 Chatham, 31-14

Northern Highlands:
First Round: def. #6 Westfield, 21-0
Semifinals: def. #2 Woodbridge, 26-7 (Woodbridge was 10-0)

Who’s next? The winner of this game will play the North 1, Group 4 winner in the Group 4 semifinals. That title game features top-seed Morris Knolls (10-0) hosting third-seed Ramapo (7-3) Saturday afternoon at 1:00. Ramapo beat Ridge in the semifinals, 28-27, the same Red Devils’ team that beat Phillipsburg 28-21 at home back on September 20th. Morris Knolls was the overall No. 1 seed in the section, so if the Stateliners take the title, they would play at Morris Knolls next Saturday (they don’t have lights) if the Golden Eagles beat Ramapo. Should the Raiders beat Knolls, Phillipsburg would host the Group 4 semifinal next Friday night at Maloney.

SERIES HISTORY:

This will be the first meeting between Phillipsburg and Northern Highlands. Both have beaten Westfield this year: the Stateliners in Week One, 44-17, the Highlanders in the opening round of the playoffs, 21-0.

PREVIEWS:

• Third time’s the charm? Phillipsburg seeks elusive sectional title to cap big three year run as Northern Highlands visits Maloney
• “Underdog mentality?” It works for Phillipsburg, as Stateliners head into North 2, Group 4 title game against Northern Highlands

FINALS HISTORY:

Phillipsburg:

The winningest program in New Jersey didn’t play in the NJSIAA playoffs for many years. They won one title in four finals berths from 1975 through 1979 – only missing the title game in 1976 – then joined the NJSIAA in the mid-90s. It took them until 2001 to reach a final, their second overall, and first in a span of seven titles in 11 appearances over nearly two decades from 2001 to 2018.

The Stateliners have been the No. 1 seed in North 2, Group 5 the last two seasons, but fell to 6-seed West Orange, 28-7, in 2022, and to No. 2 seed Union City, 24-17 last season. Now, they’re back down to Group 4.

Playoff Berths: 40
Playoff Record: 34-33
Previous Finals Berths: 17
Sectional Titles: 8

North 2, Group 3
1975: #1 Morris Hills def. #2 Phillipsburg, 7-0
1977: #2 Phillipsburg def. #1 Parsippany, 26-0
1978: #4 Rahway def. #3 Phillipsburg, 23-10
1979: #2 Rahway def. #1 Phillipsburg, 14-6
North 2, Group 4
2001: #5 Phillipsburg def. #2 Montclair, 10-7
2004: #1 Piscataway def. #2 Phillipsburg, 27-26 (OT) at Rutgers
2005: #1 Phillipsburg def. #2 Piscataway, 15-6 at Rutgers
2006: #3 Elizabeth def. #1 Phillipsburg, 14-9
North 2, Group 3
2008: #4 Phillipsburg def. #6 Rahway, 20-6
2009: #2 Phillipsburg def. #5 Ridge, 34-7 at Kean
North 2, Group 4
2013: #1 Phillipsburg def. #6 Mendham, 39-0
2014: #2 Phillipsburg def. #1 Colonia, 28-21 (OT) at Rutgers
2015: #1 Middletown South def. #2 Phillipsburg, 35-7
2017: #2 North Hunterdon def. #1 Phillipsburg, 21-20
2018: #1 Phillipsburg def. #3 Irvington, 42-7
North 2, Group 5
2022: #6 West Orange def. #1 Phillipsburg, 28-7
2023: #2 Union City def. #1 Phillipsburg, 24-17

Northern Highlands:

Of the eight teams playing in the four sectional title games that include Big Central Conference teams, the Highlanders have more experience past the sectional finals than all the others. The reached the bowl/regional championship games in 2019 and 2021 – two of the three years – and made the first-ever Group 4 finals, falling Millville, in 2022.

They also had some success on the front end, making the finals in 1976, 1976 and 1978, winning their first title in their third trip, knocking off top-seed Pascack Hills, 6-0.

They also beat Woodbridge, which featured star runningback Ali Lee Jr., in 2019’s North 1, Group 4 final up in Allendale.

Playoff Berths: 19
Playoff Record: 20-15
Previous Finals Berths: 8
Sectional Titles: 4

North 1, Group 3
1975: #2 Ridgefield Park def. #1 Northern Highlands, 10-8
1976: #2 Ridgefield Park def. #1 Northern Highlands, 7-6
1978: #4 Northern Highlands def. #1 Pascack Hills, 6-0
1984: #1 Wayne Valley def. #2 Northern Highlands, 28-6
North 2, Group 4
2019: #1 Northern Highlands def. #2 Woodbridge, 37-7 (Wayne Valley def. Northern Highlands in North 4 Bowl Championship, 21-17, at Met Life Stadium)
2021: #1 Northern Highlands def. #2 Ramapo, 35-30 (Irvington def. Northern Highlands, 19-14, in North 4 Regional Championship at Rutgers)
2022: #4 Northern Highlands def. #2 Ramapo, 49-42 (Northern Highlands def. North Hunterdon, 21-20, in Group 1 semis) (Millville def. Northern Highlands 18-14 in Group 4 final)
2023: #1 Ramapo def. #3 Northern Highlands, 14-10

2024 PHILLIPSBURG COVERAGE:

• Friday Night Big Central Playoff Roundup: Phillipsburg, Somerville, Bernards and New Providence to play for titles next week, unbeaten Woodbridge takes first loss
• Third time’s a charm? Phillipsburg back in sectional finals again with 31-14 win over Chatham
• Phillipsburg seeking third straight title game berth as Stateliners entertain Chatham Friday
• NJSIAA unveils 2024 football playoff pairings; Phillipsburg, Somerville get top seeds, as expected, while 28 Big Central publics qualify
• Friday Night Big Central Roundup: Phillipsburg appears to clinch a top-seed, Metuchen upset hurts their chances, East Brunswick shocks South
• Dominant six TD performance earns Phillipsburg’s Felix Matos Week 6 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of Week Award
• INSTANT REPLAY:  No. 7 Phillipsburg 49, No. 5 St. Joseph-Metuchen 14
• Matos is masterful as No. 7 Phillipsburg topples No. 5 St. Joseph, handing Falcons first loss
• Phillipsburg continues quest to take care of “unfinished business” as St. Joe’s visits Maloney
• Friday Night Big Central Roundup: Aquinas star collapses at game, Phillipsburg stays unbeaten by edging Hillsborough, No. 1 Woodbridge “picks off” Linden
• INSTANT REPLAY: Ridge 28, No. 1 Phillipsburg 21
• Steiglitz’ 3 TDs, strong ground game, propel Ridge to 28-21 win over No. 1 Phillipsburg
• Streaking through the Big Central: Aquinas, Bernards, Metuchen, Phillipsburg continue to roll
• Idle Phillipsburg still atop Borden’s Big Central Top Ten, but Piscataway and Woodbridge jump Aquinas in Middlesex rankings
• Phillipsburg tops Borden’s preseason Big Central Top Ten; St. Thomas Aquinas tops in Middlesex
• Phillipsburg, St. Thomas Aquinas begin 2024 where they ended 2023: Nos. 1 and 2 in the CJSR Big Central Rankings
• Beating Easton is always the No. 1 goal, but Phillipsburg also is seeking elusive state title

NEWS & NOTES:

Number Ones Involved…

In the last seven title games Phillipsburg has played in, a No. 1 seed has been involved. They won in 2013 as the top seed, then beat No. 1 seed Colonia in overtime to win the 2014 North 2, Group 4 title, 28-21, at Rutgers.

Their next two trips were defeats: in 2015 they lost to top-seed Middletown South, and the next year, they were the No. 1 seed but lost to North Hunterdon.

In 2018, they were the top seed and beat Irvington, but they were also the No. 1 seed the last two seasons, losing to six-seed West Orange in the North 2, Group 5 final in 2022, and two-seed Union City last year.

Phillipsburg is 3-5 all-time in sectional finals when they are the No. 1 seed, 5-4 when they are the second-seed or lower.

Easton vs. State Championship…

Since the 2023 season ended, Phillipsburg has set its sights on a state championship. Losing in the sectional finals the last two seasons with loaded teams that earned the No. 1 seed both years didn’t sit well with the Stateliners, even though they beat Easton on Thanksgiving back-to-back years for the first time since 2002 and 2003.

In the years where Phillipsburg won their eight state sectional titles, Phillipsburg is 3-5 against Easton. In the nine seasons where they lost in the sectional finals, their record is 2-6-1, with those two wins coming in the last two years.

Turn it Up to Seven…

Last year, Phillipsburg scored 431 points, or 35.9 per game, and they topped 40 seven times, with a season-high 54 scored against North Hunterdon (which went winless in 2023).

This year, they have scored 40 or more six times, with two more chances to match last year’s total. This year, they have scored 378 points in ten games, for a 37.8 average.

Defensively, they’ve held six of their 12 opponents to single-digit scoring. And while they have three shutouts to their credit, the lowest point total Phillipsburg has allowed otherwise is 14, three times. Last year’s team had no shutouts, but held half of their 12 opponents to single digits.

Repping Warren County…

There are only five football-playing public high schools in Warren County, a fairly sparse part of New Jersey, population-wise. Besides Phillipsburg, there’s North Warren, Warren Hills, Hackettstown and Belvidere. Combined, the county has claimed just eleven sectional titles over the years, with eight going to the Stateliners.

Warren Hills is the last Warren County school besides Phillipsburg to win a sectional title; that came in 2000, in the North 2, Group 3 section. Belvidere won its only title in North 2, Group 1 in 1999. And Hackettstownwon the North 2, Group 2 title in 1981. North Warren has never won a title.

Phillipsburg is the last Warren County school to win a championship, coming in 2018.