New-look Woodbridge looking forward to a challenge in season opener vs. Bridgewater-Raritan

When third-year Woodbridge head coach Joe Goerge approached his team about potentially playing the reigning North 2, Group 5 champions – Bridgewater-Raritan – in the 2026 season opener, the response was definitive: “We want to play them.”

“You’ve got to play the better teams if you want to improve, get to the playoffs, move on, and get to a sectional final,” Goerge said. “We are expecting a very tough, physical game.”

So the No. 8 Barrons will do just that, hosting No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan in a Top Ten matchup for the first 2026 Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Kickoff from Woodbridge is at 6:00 Thursday evening on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame at 5:45. Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe are on the call. Click here to listen.

No stranger to the big game, Woodbridge has gone 18-4 over the past two seasons, reaching the North 2, Group 4 semifinals in 2024 and 2025. This year’s team will feature quite a few new faces, but the Barrons are hoping to reload rather than rebuild.

Joshua Allen graduated after running for 1,579 yards and 20 touchdowns. Dylan Mastrola and Kenny Mongelli combined for 177 tackles, while A’aarow Andrewz, Jhonny Collado, Jeremiah Colon, and Dylan Sabb each had multiple sacks. All have graduated.

Junior quarterback Dylan Stephen is back. He threw for 388 yards and 4 touchdowns last year, while running for another 335 yards and 7 scores.

Senior Kyle Campos is back, too. He was Woodbridge’s second-leading rusher last year (376 yards), tallied 70 tackles, punted, and return punts. Expect him to do it all again this year.

Beyond that, it’s a lot of new faces – and new opportunities – for Woodbridge.

Click below to hear Woodbridge head coach Joe Goerge talk about the 2026 opener against the Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Justin Sontupe: