It was a 4-3 day for the Big Central Conference, as Piscataway, Summit, New Providence, and Old Bridge were winners in high school football first-round state playoff action Saturday, while Hillsborough, A.L. Johnson and Plainfield were eliminated.
The second-seeded Chiefs were 29-14 winners over seven-seed Plainfield at Kenny Armwood Stadium Saturday, in a “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Mickye Simmons scored twice on touchdown runs, while QB Landon Pernell threw two scoring strikes, one each to Sean Love and Josiah Zayas. Read more about the game and see postgame reaction via Marcus Borden here.
Later, in the evening, in Central Jersey Group 5, third-seed Old Bridge got four touchdowns from senior QB Brody Nugent and 302 rushing yards to beat sixth-seed Freehold Township, 38-31. Read more and get postgame reaction via Marcus Borden here. The Knights (9-1) will visit second-seed Sayreville (9-1) Friday night in the semifinals.
#2 Summit 24, #7 Warren Hills 7
The Hilltoppers beat the Blue Streaks in their first meeting since they were Warren Hills was still in the Big Central together with them, in 2021. The win is the third straight for Summit, which opened the season 5-0 before dropping back-to-back home games to Somerville and Bernards.
Summit (8-2) now will face third-seed West Essex (6-3) in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 semifinals next Saturday at 1 pm back at Tatlock Field, with a trip to the finals on the line. The other semifinal in that section features fourth-seed Roxbury at top-seed West Morris.
(3) New Providence 38, (6) Secaucus 0
This one was all Pioneers, as they got touchdowns from five different players – and a 22-yard Jack Fitzgerald field goal – to set up a date with Hasbrouck Heights in the semifinals that will be a rematch of last year’s game in that round.
Kevin Reilly scored on a 36-yard TD run in the first quarter, then came Fitzgerald’s three-pointer, and an 18-yard touchdown pass from Reilly to Daniel Poretti to make it 17-0 at the break.
In the second half, James Keneally caught a 12-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, while Mike Petses and Caleb Gordon added one- and six-yard touchdown runs respectively. New Providence ran for 220 yards on the day, and Reilly went 6-of-7 passing for 76 yards and two touchdowns.
New Providence (9-0) – one of just two Big Central schools still undefated, the other being Manville at 10-0 – is off to the North 2, Group 1 semifinals, where they will play at second-seed Hasbrouck Heights Friday night at seven. That’s a rematch of last year’s semifinal in this section, which the Pioneers won 21-14 before falling to Cedar Grove in the final.
Cedar Grove is back in the semis as well. The fourth-seeded Panthers will be at top-seed Mountain Lakes in the other semifinal here, scheduled for 6 pm Friday.
Here’s the Saturday afternoon scoreboard for the first round of the playoffs, for games involving Big Central teams, and others in sections where BCC squads remain:
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 5:
- #2 Piscataway 29, #7 Plainfield 14 (GAME RECAP and VIDEO)
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 5:
- #4 Rancocas Valley 33, #5 Hillsborough 0
- #3 Old Bridge 38, #6 Freehold Twp. 31 (GAME RECAP and VIDEO)
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3:
- #2 Summit 24, #7 Warren Hills 7
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1:
- #4 Manasquan 35, #5 A.L. Johnson 0
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 1:
- #3 New Providence 38, #6 Secaucus 0
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1:
- #6 Point Pleasant Beach 42, #3 Riverside 14
Here are the updated brackets with matchups, dates and times in all public school sections where Big Central teams remain. All games are Friday, unless otherwise noted.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 5:
- #4 Union City (6-3) at #1 Bridgewater Raritan (7-3), 6 pm
- #6 Bayonne (7-3) at #2 Piscataway (8-2), Saturday TBA
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 5:
- #4 Rancocas Valley (6-4) at #1 Washington Twp. (10-0), 6 pm
- #3 Old Bridge (9-1) at #2 Sayreville (9-1), 7 pm
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 4:
- #5 Colonia (7-3) at #1 Phillipsburg (8-1), 7 pm
- #3 Montgomery (7-3) at #2 Woodbridge (8-2), 6 pm
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3:
- #4 Roxbury (7-3) at #1 West Morris (10-0), 7:30 pm
- #3 West Essex (6-3) at #2 Summit (8-2), Saturday 1 pm
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 1:
- #4 Cedar Grove (7-3) at #1 Mountain Lakes (7-2), 6 pm
- #3 New Providence (9-0) at #2 Hasbrouck Heights (8-2), 7 pm
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1:
- #4 Manville (10-0) at #1 Burlington City (9-1), 6 pm
- #6 Point Pleasant Beach (7-2) at #2 Shore (7-2), 7 pm
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