North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Final:
When: Friday, 7:30 pm
Where: West Morris High School, Chester, NJ
Matchup: #2 Summit (9-2) at #1 West Morris (11-0)
Weather: 41 degrees, mostly clear, wind NNW 2 mph (crosswind from home stands toward visitor stands)
HEAD COACHES:
Summit: Kevin Kostibos (13th season, 91-40)
West Morris: Kevin Hennelly (28th season, 179-92)
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Summit:
First Round: def. #7 Warren Hills, 24-21
Semifinals: def. #3 West Essex, 31-28
West Morris:
First Round: def. #8 Snyder, 42-6
Semifinals: def. #4 Roxbury, 28-7
Who’s next? The winner of this game will play the North 1, Group 3 winner in the Group 3 semifinals. That title game features top-seed Old Tappan (10-0) hosting second-seed Wayne Hills (9-2) Friday at 6 pm. If Summit advances, they would be either at Old Tappan – the overall No. 1 seed in South Group 3 – or at home against Wayne Hills, which finished sixth in the supersection on Cutoff Weekend.
SERIES HISTORY:
This is just the second meeting between the schools, with the Wolfpack winning both prior matchups, both in the playoffs. The most recent get-together was in 2021, when West Morris won 56-31 at home in the first round of the North 2, Group 3 playoffs. They also met in the semis (first round) of that section in 1982, a 14-9 win for the Wolfpack.
SUMMIT PREVIEW:
FINALS HISTORY:
Summit:
Summit is one of the oldest programs in New Jersey, and has had a good deal of playoff success over the years, winning nine of 13 trips to the sectional finals over the years, with five titles in North 2, Group 3, and four in North 2, Group 2.
They have never reached a sectional final as anything lower than a four-seed, and are 4-1 in the finals as a two-seed, with three of those wins coming over the top seed – in 1976, 1988 and 1994 – with their 2013 win coming over four-seed Parsippany Hills. Their lone loss as a two-seed came in 1992 to Dover,
Ironically, the team the Hilltoppers beat for their first playoff title in 1976 was the same team they beat last week on a field goal as time expired, West Essex. That game was not quite as close, however: a 40-0 Summit triumph.
Playoff Berths: 32
Playoff Record: 35-22
Previous Finals Berths: 13
Sectional Titles: 9
North 2, Group 3:
1976: #2 Summit def. #1 West Essex, 40-0
1980: #3 Summit def. #1 Rahway, 10-7
1986: #2 Randolph def. #4 Summit, 12-7
North 2, Group 2:
1988: #2 Summit def. #1 Dover, 12-6
1992: #1 Dover def. #2 Summit, 22-0
1993: #1 Summit def. #2 Mendham, 26-21
1994: #2 Summit def. #1 Mendham, 26-8
1995: #3 Johnson def. #1 Summit, 21-6
2009: #1 Summit def. #6 Orange, 28-19
2011: #2 Madison def. #1 Summit, 47-7
North 2, Group 3:
2012: #1 Summit def. #3 Palisades Park, 30-0
2013: #2 Summit def. #4 Parsippany Hills, 16-13
2018: #1 Summit def. #3 Rahway, 36-14
lost to Ramapo in North 3 “bowl game,” 42-22 (at MetLife Stadium)
West Morris:
Playoff Berths: 37
Playoff Record: 41-26
Previous Finals Berths: 15
Sectional Titles: 10
West Morris: (CHECK THIS) The Wolfpack have made 15 title game appearances, winning ten of them, with six coming under current head coach Kevin Hennelly. As the No. 1 seed, which they are this year, West Morris is 6-2 in sectional finals.
North 2, Group 2:
1982: #3 West Morris def. #1 Randolph, 10-6
1985: #1 West Morris def. #2 Linden, 19-7
1987: #1 Randolph def. #2 West Morris, 14-13
1990: #1 Scotch Plains-Fanwood def. #2 West Morris, 25-12
1991: #2 West Morris def. #1 Nutley 14-0
1995: #1 West Morris def. #2 Nutley, 21-0
1997: #3 Morristown def. #1 West Morris, 6-0
2000: #2 Warren Hills def. #1 West Morris, 21-13
2001: #1 West Morris def. #3 Mendham, 15-14
2004: #6 West Morris def. #1 Mendham, 10-7
2009: #3 West Morris def. #4 Passaic Valley, 28-19
North 2, Group 4:
2012: #1 West Morris def. #6 Warren Hills, 35-7
North 1, Group 3:
2021: #1 West Morris def. #2 West Essex, 21-0
beat Cranford in North 3 “bowl game,” 53-14 (at MetLife Stadium)
North 2, Group 3:
2022: #1 West Morris def. #3 West Essex, 21-7
lost to Old Tappan in Group 3 semifinals, 21-6
2023: #1 Old Tappan def. #6 West Morris, 21-17
2025 SUMMIT COVERAGE:
- Saturday Big Central Playoff Roundup: Summit gets another game-winning FG to advance, while Piscataway falls at home to Bayonne
- Smoragiewicz plays hero for Summit – again – with game-winning field goal as time expires to send Hilltoppers to first final since 2018
- Saturday Big Central Playoff Roundup: Piscataway, Summit, New Providence win matinees as Old Bridge wins nightcap; Hillsborough, Plainfield, A.L. Johnson bow out
- Summit ends two-game skid with huge upset win at No. 7 Woodbridge to keep Hilltoppers in the chase for a top seed in the playoffs
- No. 4 Bernards rallies in the 4th to pick up 17-14 win at Summit, extends state-best regular season win streak to 32 games
- Saturday Big Central Roundup: Somerville knocks off unbeaten Summit, Manville stays perfect, Dayton wins marathon in triple-OT
- No. 5 Somerville hands Summit first defeat as Pioneers get everyone into the act in 41-20 win
- Schwark, no-huddle attack puts Hillside on its heels, gives Summit 35-20 win over Comets
- Higgins Speed Lab presents the “Speedster of the Week,” honoring the top rushing performances in the Big Central Conference: Summit’s Alex Schwark is 2025’s first honoree!
- Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Plenty of room to grow in United Gold Division for defending champ Summit and others in one of the best top-to-bottom divisions
NEWS & NOTES:
One of the veteran skippers in the finals…
Kevin Kostibos is one of a number of long-tenured Union County coaches who stay where they are. He’s been the head coach at Summit since 2013, and only Eric Rosenmeier of Cranford has been at a Union County school longer, 20 seasons, having debuted in 2005 with the Cougars. Others at their schools a decade or more include Rahway’s Brian Russo, who just wrapped his tenth season with Indians, and Chet Parlavecchio, Jr., who is in his ninth season, and also in the finals Friday night against Cedar Grove in the North 2, Group 1 title tilt.
Discover more from Central Jersey Sports Radio
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.