The NJSIAA has released its public playoff pairings for the 2025 high school football postseason, and 25 Big Central teams made the dance. That’s down three from last year, when 28 teams made it.
Defending North 2, Group 4 champion Phillipsburg earned the overall top-seed in North Group 4, meaning if they repeat as champions, they’ll be home all the way through, except for a potential state final, which would be the Wednesday after Thanksgiving at Rutgers, just like last year. Bridgewater-Raritan took the top seed in North 2, Group 5.
Only five of 22 traditional GMC public schools qualified on what has been a down year in Middlesex County. Though all three had good regular seasons, only two of the three Woodbridge Township schools – Colonia and Woodbridge – qualified, while JFK (6-2) missed the postseason.
Last year, eight GMC schools made it.
Union County led the Big Central with ten of its 17 schools earning playoff berths, the same as last year.
Somerset County had eight of 13 – one more than a year ago – and the Hunterdon/Warren area had two, one in each county – Voorhees and Phillipsburg – out of seven schools in that combined area, after getting three in last season.
Here are the full pairings, as announced by the NJSIAA earlier Sunday via Gridiron New Jersey:
North 1, Group 5
- #8 Passaic at #1 West Orange
- #5 Ridgewood at #4 Livingston
- #6 Bloomfield at #3 East Orange
- #7 Morristown at #2 Passaic Tech
North 2, Group 5
- #8 Linden at #1 Bridgewater-Raritan
- #5 Irvington at #4 Union City
- #6 Bayonne at #3 Elizabeth
- #7 Plainfield at #2 Piscataway
Central Group 5
- #8 Howell at #1 Washington Twp.
- #5 Hillsborough at #4 Rancocas Valley
- #6 Freehold Twp. at #3 Old Bridge
- #7 Trenton at #2 Sayreville
South Group 5
- #8 Cherokee at #1 Atlantic City
- #5 Toms River North at #4 Cherry Hill East
- #6 Eastern at #3 Kingsway
- #7 Williamstown at #2 Southern
North 1, Group 4
- #8 Hackensack at #1 Ramapo
- #5 Chatham at #4 Wayne Valley
- #6 Nutley at #3 Mount Olive
- #7 Morris Knolls at #2 Northern Highlands
North 2, Group 4
- #8 Newark Central at #1 Phillipsburg
- #5 Colonia at #4 Ridge
- #6 Westfield at #3 Montgomery
- #7 Rahway at #2 Woodbridge
Central Group 4
- #8 Marlboro at #1 Brick Memorial
- #5 Steinert at #4 Red Bank
- #6 Middletown South at #3 Middletown North
- #7 Hamilton at #2 Manalapan
South Group 4
- #8 Cumberland at Winslow Twp.
- #5 Pennsauken at #4 Shawnee
- #6 Northern Burlington at #3 Central
- #7 Toms River East at #2 Millville
North 1, Group 3
- #8 River Dell at #1 Old Tappan
- #5 Montville at #4 West Milford
- #6 Pascack Valley at #3 Passaic Valley
- #7 Sparta at #2 Wayne Hills
North 2, Group 3
- #8 Snyder at #1 West Morris
- #5 Cranford at #4 Roxbury
- #6 Mendham at #3 West Essex
- #7 Warren Hills at #2 Summit
Central Group 3
- #8 Cinnaminson at #1 Holmdel
- #5 Neptune at #4 Hopewell Valley
- #6 Ewing at #3 Seneca
- #7 Matawan at #2 Somerville
South Group 3
- #8 Timber Creek at #1 Burlington Township
- #5 Ocean City at #4 Mainland
- #6 Delsea at #3 Pleasantville
- #7 Triton at #2 Cedar Creek
North 1, Group 2
- #8 Newton at #1 Westwood
- #5 Dumont at #4 Caldwell
- #6 High Point at #3 Ramsey
- #7 Waldwick at #2 Glen Rock
North 2, Group 2
- #8 Lyndhurst at #1 Shabazz
- #5 Hoboken at #4 Rutherford
- #6 Becton at #3 Hanover Park
- #7 Madison at #2 Bernards
Central Group 2
- #8 Voorhees at #1 Camden
- #5 Johnson at #4 Manasquan
- #6 Point Pleasant Boro at #3 Rumson-Fair Haven
- #7 Bordentown at #2 Wall
South Group 2
- #8 Willingboro at #1 Haddonfield
- #5 Gloucester City at #4 Lower Cape May
- #6 Overbrook at #3 Delran
- #7 Camden Eastside at #2 West Deptford
North 1, Group 1
- #8 Hawthorne at #1 Butler
- #5 Bogota at #4 New Milford
- #6 Kittatinny at #3 Wallkill Valley
- #7 Park Ridge at #2 Kinnelon
North 2, Group 1
- #8 Brearley at #1 Mountain Lakes
- #5 Glen Ridge at #4 Cedar Grove
- #6 Secaucus at #3 New Providence
- #7 Wood-Ridge at #2 Hasbrouck Heights
Central Group 1
- #8 Bound Brook at #1 Burlington City
- #5 Asbury Park at #4 Manville
- #6 Point Pleasant Beach at #3 Riverside
- #7 New Egypt at #2 Shore
South Group 1
- #8 Audubon at #1 Glassboro
- #5 Salem at #4 KIPP Cooper Norcross
- #6 Schalick at #3 Pennsville
- #7 Woodbury at #2 Paulsboro
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