Power Point Analysis:  Where do all CJSR-area teams stand a week before NJSIAA cutoff??

We’re just one week away from the cutoff for the NJSIAA state tournament, and there have been some significant moves by teams in various sections over the past week, including Middlesex moving into the top spot in Central Jersey Group 1 thanks to a pair of big wins over North Hunterdon and Delbarton in the week gone by.

Today, we look at all sections with teams from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area, incluidng Groups 1 through 4 and all the non-publics. All power points referenced are from NJ.com’s official standings as of May 11, 2025 at 5 pm.

Central Jersey Group 4: While Hunterdon Central (12-5, 26.885 power points) remains the No. 1 by a wide margin, Old Bridge (11-8, 23.873) made a big jump up two spots this week, and the Knights appear to have made it very likely they will end up a top four team, and could end up in the top two, which would guarantee home field advantage through at least the sectional semifinals. East Brunswick (11-7, 22.201) holds the third spot, and New Brunswick (11-2, 21.319) is in fourth. The Zebras have a less than one-point lead over fifth-place Hightstown (14-3-1, 20.439) but at least are on the right side of the top four line. Then, there’s Monroe (8-10, 19.296) up a spot to fifth this week, while Edison (10-9, 18.89) holds in seventh. There’s a decent two-point-plus gap from the Eagles past No. 8 Freehold Township (9-8, 18.516) to No. 9 Hillsborough (7-9, 16.631), so there’s a good chance Edison can hold on to a top eight seed, which gets at least a first round home game. This week’s county tournament play could have a lot to say about that.

There are a number of area teams bunched up in the bottom eight. Sayreville (7-11, 14.706) is in eleventh place and should end up in the bottom eight, followed by Franklin (7-7, 14.357), Montgomery (4-12, 13.161) and North Brunswick (3-13, 13.14). The Raiders started the year 1-12, but have won two of their last three, and ad we always say about teams with few wins, mathematically speaking, one or two can make a world of difference. That’s why they climbed six places this week, more than any other team from the CJSR area, and are now in 14th. South Brunswick – which got knocked out of the GMCT’s championship bracket by South River Saturday – could move into playoff position if they can pick up a win this week – as of now, all they have is West Windsor-Plainsboro North at home on Thursday, which would be worth just under 18 power points, and could boost their average enough to top 16th place Marlboro, which is 3-15 and just 0.301 power points ahead of them.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: There’s been a shakeup at the top here, where Woodbridge (13-4, 25.9) has fallen out of first place, behind Westfield (13-4, 26.598). The Blue Devils are just 0.698 points ahead, and that could change based on county tournament play this week. In third is Ridge (14-4, 25.838), which also dropped one place from last week. Both the Barrons and Red Devils – we believe – are comfortably in the top four, at least for now. Watchung Hills (11-7, 20.967) is significantly behind fourth-place Elizabeth (16-5, 25.838). The next team down is defending Group 4 champion Bridgewater-Raritan (5-13, 17.203), which fell two spots this week, after jumping four places the week prior. Then, there’s Piscataway (5-11, 13.454) at 12, up two places, and Perth Amboy (5-10, 13.129) up four spots this week, from 17 to well into the playoffs at No. 13, even though they were 0-4 in the week gone by. Right behind them is JP Stevens (5-14), which got the top spot in the GMC Ray Cipperly Invitational Tournament Friday. But they’re still not assured a playoff spot, we think, just 0.274 points ahead of 16th place Plainfield (8-8).

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: Last week, it was South Plainfield that was first, but this week Colonia (14-3, 24.52) is in the top spot. They’re a shade ahead of second-place Millburn (10-10, 23.592), which pulled up from fourth, while North Plainfield (12-5, 22.437) dropped one to third, and South Plainfield (12-8, 22.189) is down to fourth. But these teams are so bunched up, with less than two-and-a-half points from first to fourth, that a lot can happen this week; this is far from being set in stone. Then, you have Somerville, which rose two spots this week to get to No. 6 at 9-7, with 19.3 power points. It might be a stretch for the Pioneers to make the top four, but they most likely end up in the top eight, though there’s no guarantee of that either. Behind them are Cranford (10-7, 19.224) and Carteret (9-9, 18.986) and JFK (9-9, 18.609).

Central Jersey Group 2: The top spot is locked up by Governor Livingston (18-0, 33.336, No. 2 in the state), almost 11 points ahead of the nearest competition, A.L. Johnson at 12-5, with 22.731 power points. Spotswood (12-8, 20.652) has pulled up to No. 8, a gain of six spots, one of the biggest gainers in the week gone by. But the Chargers haven’t guaranteed a home game at The Swamp yet. They’re just 0.03 points ahead of ninth-place Raritan (13-7, 20.622) and Cinnaminson (12-8, 20.566) and Allentown (11-8, 20.566) – the latter of whom they fell to, 2-1, Saturday afternoon – are tied for tenth, and within striking distance. As is South River even in 12th, which dropped five places from seventh in the week gone by. East Brunswick Magnet (16-4, 19.773) took a tumble as well, five places from eight to 13.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: West Morris (13-5, 15.404) continues to lead the secton, with Passaic Valley (12-5, 23.82) right behind them. The only area team here is Bernards (8-9, 17.445), and they sit in 11th, down one spot from last week. They will easily be in the playoffs, and should finish in the bottom eight.

Central Jersey Group 1: This is where Middlesex (143-4, 25.676) jumped from No. 2 to No. 1, now ahead of second-place Point Pleasant Beach (15-5, 21.501) by 4.175 power points. That’s a pretty good margin with a week left in the season, all thanks to a pair of wins this week over top-notch opponents in North Hunterdon and Delbarton, the second of which is the fifth-ranked team in the state, according to NJ.com. We think the Jays will end up there, especially with good teams on their schedule this week in the GMCT. Metuchen (14-6, 20.77) drops from first to third. South Amboy (5-12, 14.724) slipped a spot from eight to nine, but still has a shot at the top eight. Somerset Tech (7-6, 14.187) is right behind at No. 10, followed by Manville (9-8, 13.854) at eleven, Dunellen (12-7, 13.354) at 12, and Piscataway Magnet (9-9, 13.238) at 13. All should be in, but it’s going to be a tough road for the first three teams outside the top 16 to make in, including Perth Amboy Magnet (3-11, 9.418) – which is 0.733 behind 16th place Keyport (4-6), followed by Highland Park (3-13, 8.482) in 18th, and Bound Brook (1-13, 7.445) right behind at No. 19.

Non-Public South A: This is a 12-team field if no-one opts out, and Christian Brothers (16-2, 30.133) has a good lead over second-place St. Augustine (13-5, 26.275). The highest team from our area here is Immaculata (11-5, 24.488), holding in fourth place. If that’s where they end up, they should see a first-round bye. Challenging them for that spot is St. Joseph-Metuchen (10-6, 22.255), which could face good teams in the GMCT this week. Pingry (5-14, 12.912) is up two spots to tenth, jumping Camden Catholic (3-16, 11.649, 11th) and Donovan Catholic (2-11, 9.952) after a 3-1 week which saw them beat Hillsborough 12-10.

Non-Public North B: The top two remain the same, with Montclair-Kimberley (12-4, 22.813) followed by St. Mary-Rutherford (12-6, 22.412), while St. Thomas Aquinas has moved up two spots from fifth to third, at 12-6, with 22.052 power points. In a 12-team field, the top four would get byes, and Morristwon-Beard wraps up that grou at 11-6, with 21.092 points, but just 0.192 points behind is Rutgers Prep (10-6, 20.9), so they’ve got a shot to get in here, too. Gill St. Bernard’s (9-8, 17.857) fell a spot to seven here. We also think this could be an 11-team field, as it remains to be seen if Timothy Christian (0-12, 6.803) will play in the tournament.