Cutoff Weekend Friday Playoff Update – Group 3: Summit stands pat, Somerville up, but neither can gain top-seed; South Plainfield looks out

Summit captains get ready for the coin toss before a Big Central United Gold Division home game against Hillside on September 13, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Football Notebook
by Mike Pavlichko

With Friday night’s Cutoff Weekend high school football games all in the books, Central Jersey Sports Radio is updating the unofficial NJSIAA playoff standings as we head into Saturday action.

We’ll have further analysis late morning into the afternoon Saturday, with our 2025 “Playoff Projection Show” scheduled for 6 pm where we give our bracket projections. The full tournament for the public schools will be unveiled on Sunday by the NJSIAA via Gridiron New Jersey. We’ll have them shortly after. The brackets become official at noon on Monday.

NORTH GROUP 3

Table displaying the unofficial NJSIAA playoff standings for North Group 3 high school football teams, including win-loss records and rankings.
  • The top seven teams in the field of 16 all stood pat, including Summit at three, but with Old Tappan and West Morris picking up wins, it looks like the Hilltoppers will have to settle for a two-seed in North 2, Group 3, with West Morris being the No. 1 seed in their section, while Old Tappan will get the overall top-seed, and be No. 1 in North 1, Group 3. That is, unless Summit drops its home game against Scotch Plains-Fanwood Saturday. That would drop them to four overall, assuming West Essex also wins. If not, they hold.
  • Cranford visits Hillside Saturday, but we think they’re in regardless of whether they win or lose. They might even hold their ground.
  • Despite a Friday win over JFK, South Plainfield looks out, finishing in 18th, but just one spot out of the playoffs behind 17th place Snyder, who plays Saturday against Lincoln. But Snyder should win that game. (Weequahic is ineligible due to DQs.)

SOUTH GROUP 3

Table showing the standings for South Group 3 high school football teams, including wins, losses, ties, points average, and other statistics.
  • As expected here, Somerville won, but couldn’t get one of the top two seeds, even though they moved up from fourth to third. Either way, they would have been the two-seed in Central Group 3. That means the path to a repeat sectional title for the Pioneers will go through Holmdel, who will get the top-seed in CJ3 after a 49-38 home win Friday over Middletown North. We think the Pioneers get Matawan at home in the opening round. Ewing is the only team in the running yet to play, hosting Hamilton Saturday.

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