There was a lot of great football on Friday Night of Week three around the Big Central, including a trio of fantastic Top Ten matchups.
Seventh-ranked Elizabeth used its speed in a big upset win over American Gold Division rival and No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, No. 5 Old Bridge used an early lead to down eighth-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas, and No. 5 Bridgewater-Raritan picked up its first win in over a decade against No. 9 Ridge.
Scroll down to read more on the Panthers’ win and other games around the Big Central, followed by the full Friday night scoreboard and Saturday afternoon’s schedule.
This story will be updated with remaining scores once they are reported.
Panthers’ pick up long-awaited win over Red Devils
Heading into Friday night’s contest at Basilone Field, No. 9 Ridge had won eight straight over No. 5 Bridgewater-Raritan, dating back to 2018. The teams had not played the two years prior, but the Panthers last beat Ridge in 2015, not once but twice: first, to cap an undefeated regular season, then again in the second round of the North 2, Group 5 playoffs, before finally succumbing to Westfield 10-7 in the sectional final at MetLife Stadium.
This year’ matchup was a tight one, with the Panthers pulling out a 7-3 victory.
Most of the first half was scoreless, until the 1:19 mark in the second quarter, when Jahmier Black scored from seven yards out on third-and-goal, breaking several tackles on a sweep toward the left sideline to make it 7-0.
And much of the second half was the same. In fact, Ridge got on the board with 8:55 to go in the game, making it 7-3 when Herik Villalba-Ozuna connected on a 29-yard field goal.
Things got interesting later, with Ridge getting the ball at their own 21 with 4:32 to go. But they kept the ball for barely over a half-minute before having to punt, done in by a penalty and a solid Bridgewater pass defense. And after another Panther punt, Ridge still had a chance, beginning the drive at their own 40, but Jack Winne cape up with his second pick of the game to nearly seal it.
The Panthers still needed to gain some yardage, and after a Ridge time out before a second down play from the Red Devil 33, Black busted through the line for a 28-yard run to set up first-and-goal at the five, allowing his team to take a knee to close it out.
Click below to hear Bridgewater-Raritan head coach D.J. Catalano talk about the Panthers’ tight win over Ridge Friday night:
Notes and Nuggets…
- Edison got in the win column for the first time this year with a 34-24 win over North Brunswick. Shaun Garland was the star, running for touchdowns of 18, one and seven yards, while also scoring on a 33-yard interception return in the second quarter.
- It had to end somewhere: After 14 straight quarters of shutout ball, Highland Park finally gave up a point in the third quarter, on a field goal, in a 31-6 revenge win over Roselle Park, which beat them 35-12 last October 10th. The win puts the Owls at 4-0 for the first time since 2009, when they beat South River, now-defunct Cardinal McCarrick, Dunellen and Metuchen to start 4-0. They would fall to Robbinsville before picking up wins over Spotswood and Middlesex, then dropping their last two to finish 6-3.
- Bridgewater-Raritan’s win over Ridge was its first in nine tries against the Red Devils, with eight straight losses dating back to 2018. They didn’t play in 2017 or 2016, but in 2015, the Panthers beat them twice: first, to close out a perfect regular season, then again two weeks later in the North 2, Group 5 semifinals. Their only loss would come to undefeated Westfield at MetLife Stadium, 10-7, in the N2G5 title game.
- Perth Amboy is now 3-1 for the first time since 2011, a year they started 3-0 and finished 6-4. They didn’t make the playoffs that season, losing to Phillipsburg in a consolation game, then beating Carteret in Thanksgiving, 29-26. They have not gone 4-1 to start a season since at least prior to 2004, the last year chronological results are readily available online. But a quick look at overall records suggests it was likely at least back into the 1990s, but more likely the 1980s. Amboy won five games in a season twice in the ’90s, and was 6-3 in 1989 and 1987. Their last seven-win season came back in 1967, and they were 8-0-1 in 1965. Stay tuned…
- The 62 points Elizabeth scored in a 62-35 win over St. Joseph-Metuchen was the highest output for the Minutemen in 16 years, and their third highest total in school history, dating back to 1896. Elizabeth last cracked the 60-point plateau in 2010, in a 63-0 rout of Kearney in a consolation game, finishing 5-5 on the season. The school record for points in a game was set in 1917, when the Minutemen beat Rahway 65-0. (Then, it was known as Battin High Schoool, before its co-ed satus broke up in the 1920s, and boys went to Thomas Jefferson High School. The schools merged and again and went co-ed after the 1976-77 school year.)
- Bernards evened up its record at 2-2 after an 0-2 start with a thorough 34-14 home win over South Plainfield. The Mountaineers, with fewer than ten juniors on the squad, saw Nolan Walsh throw touchdown passes of 30 and 36 yards, while also scoring on an 86-yard touchdown run.
Click below to hear Bernards head coach John Simoneau talk about the Mountaineers win over the Tigers with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:
FRIDAY SCHEDULE
- #7 Elizabeth 62, #2 St. Joseph-Metuchen 35 (Recap and Audio via Alec Crouthamel)
- #4 Old Bridge 26, St. Thomas Aquinas 24 v(2-1), 6 pm (Recap via Marcus Borden)
- #1 Phillipsburg 35, Hillsborough 7
- #3 Piscataway 41, South Brunswick 17
- #5 Bridgewater Raritan 7, #9 Ridge 3
- #6 Somerville 55, Watchung Hills 24
- #10 Rahway 42, Linden 14
- Sayreville 41, Franklin 6
- Monroe 28, East Brunswick 0
- Carteret 16, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 12
- Woodbridge 15, Plainfield 8
- New Providence 34, Metuchen 3
- Johnson 51, Roselle 6
- Montgomery 28, Colonia 21
- Edison 34, North Brunswick 24
- Belvidere 40, Middlesex 6
- Manville 47, Dunellen 0
- Cranford 29, Summit 0
- Bernards 34, South Plainfield 14
- Hunterdon Central 42, North Hunterdon 0
- Highland Park 31, Roselle Park 6
- South Hunterdon 20, Bound Brook 14
- Hillside 29, Voorhees, 7
- Perth Amboy 35, Spotswood 7
- Delaware Valley 24, Warren Hills 21
- Union 28, Westfield 17
- Dayton 36, JP Stevens 0
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
- Brearley (2-1) at South River (0-3), 1 pm (Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for updates)
- JFK (0-3) at Governor Livingston (1-2), 2 pm (LIVE on CJSR)
THURSDAY SCORES
- North Plainfield 25, New Brunswick 0
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