Saturday Big Central Playoff Roundup: Summit gets another game-winning FG to advance, while Piscataway falls at home to Bayonne

Six Big Central Conference public schools remain alive in the state high school football playoffs, and will vie for five sectional championships next week, after Summit won Saturday to advance to its first sectional title game since 2018.

Meanwhile, Piscataway missed its opportunity to end a similar drought, falling to Bayonne at home Saturday afternoon.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s action with links to full game stories, and the schedule for next week’s finals. The winners will move on to the group semifinals, with the state finals Thanksgiving Weekend at Met Life Stadium in the Meadowlands and Rutgers University in Piscataway.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5: Second-seed Piscataway fell 27-13 to sixth-seed Bayonne at home, leaving points on the board early, and making late game miscues, like a fumble the Bees took to the house for a score and a bad snap on the ensuing drive with about three minutes to go. The Bees will face top-seed Bridgewater-Raritan Friday night in the finals.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: For the second straight week, Summit got a game-winning field goal from Cooper Smoragiewicz – this one as time expired – and beat West Essex at home, 31-28. The finals will be Friday night at 7:30, at top-seed West Essex.

Here’s the full playoff scoreboard from this weekend, in sections where Big Central teams remain

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 5:

• #1 Bridgewater-Raritan 22, #4 Union City 7
• #6 Bayonne 27, #2 Piscataway 13

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 5:

• #3 Old Bridge 28, #2 Sayreville 27
• #1 Washington Twp. 44, #4 Rancocas Valley 26

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 4:

• #1 Phillipsburg 35, #5 Colonia 7
• #3 Montgomery 20, #2 Woodbridge 15

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3:

• #1 West Morris 42, #4 Roxbury 7
• #2 Summit 31, #3 West Essex 28

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 1:

• #3 New Providence 28, #2 Hasbrouck Heights 21 (OT)
• #4 Cedar Grove 22, #1 Mountain Lakes 15

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1:

• #1 Burlington City 52, #4 Manville 21
• #2 Shore 30, #6 Point Pleasant Beach 6

Here’s the schedule for Big Central teams in sectional finals next week:

• North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5: #6 Bayonne at #1 Bridgewater-Raritan, Friday 6 pm
• Central Jersey Group 5: #3 Old Bridge at #1 Washington Twp., Friday 6 pm
• North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: #3 Montgomery at #1 Phillipsburg, Friday 7 pm
• North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: #2 Summit at #1 West Morris, Friday 7:30 pm
• North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1: #4 Cedar Grove at #3 New Providence, Friday 6:30 pm