Big Central Schedule for Week Four: More Top 10 matchups as we hit midway point of season

Hard to believe, but we already are at the midway point of the 2026 high school football season in New Jersey, and the games keep getting bigger and bigger.

That’s the way the slate goes for Week Four in the Big Central Conference, with a pair of Top Ten matchups on the slate, and other big games this weekend.

Among the highlights: No. 2 Old Bridge (3-1) visits No. 2 Piscataway, as the Knights’ new cast of characters are drawing results similar to last year’s cast, while the Chiefs go for their first 5-0 start since their incredible 13-0 season in 2018, when they went all the way to the North Group 5 Regional Championship and beat Ridgewood, setting a record for single season wins by a Middlesex County team that remains untouched to this day.

The other Top Ten matchup features No. 3 Elizabeth – up four spots this week after knocking off No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen 62-35 Friday night at home – traveling up to play No. 10 Ridge at 6:30 Friday night. The Minutemen are looking to match their 5-0 start from 2011, while Ridge is coming off a close loss in a tight game at then No. 5 Bridgewater-Raritan, 7-3.

There are two Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week broadcasts this week, as Edison travels to Summit for a 6:30 pm start Thursday, while South Plainfield visits the Pit to face Carteret in a classic former GMC matchup Friday night at 7:00. You can listen to both games by clicking here.

And No. 8 Rahway hosts unranked Cranford in a battle of unbeatens Friday night at 6, with Marcus Borden providing updates on Twitter, and postgame reaction on CJSR and our YouTube Channel. Click here to follow him.

Below is a look at the Week Four schedule in the Big Central Conference:

THURSDAY SCHEDULE

• Edison (1-3) at Summit (2-2), 6:30 pm (LISTEN LIVE on CJSR)
• Governor Livingston (2-2) at Lyndhurst (0-4), 6:45 pm

FRIDAY SCHEDULE

• #2 Piscataway (4-0) at #4 Old Bridge (3-1), 6 pm
• #7 Somerville (3-1) at Montgomery (2-2), 6 pm
• Cranford (3-0) at #8 Rahway (4-0), 6 pm (Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for updates)
• Sayreville (3-1) at #9 St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1), 6 pm
• Voorhees (1-3) at East Brunswick (2-2), 6 pm
• Woodbridge (2-2) at Colonia (1-3), 6 pm
• Perth Amboy (3-1) at Metuchen (1-2), 6 pm
• North Plainfield (2-2) at JFK (0-4), 6 pm
• New Providence (3-0) at Roselle (0-3), 6 pm
• JP Stevens (2-2) at Brearley (3-1), 6 pm
• Union (3-1) at Hillsborough (1-3), 6 pm
• Dayton (3-1) at Roselle Park (1-3), 6 pm
• Hillside (4-0) at New Brunswick (0-4), 6 pm
• Monroe (3-1) at South Brunswick (1-3), 6 pm
• Watchung Hills (1-3) at Hunterdon Central (1-3), 6 pm
• #3 Elizabeth (4-0) at #10 Ridge (2-1), 6:30 pm
• South Plainfield (2-2) at Carteret (2-2), 7 pm (LISTEN LIVE on CJSR)
• Bound Brook (0-4) at Belvidere (3-1), 7 pm
• North Hunterdon (0-4) at Scotch Plains-Fanwood (0-4), 7 pm
• Bernards (2-2) at Delaware Valley (3-1), 7 pm
• Middlesex (0-3) at Dunellen (0-3), 7 pm
• South River (0-4) at Highland Park (4-0), 7 pm
• Spotswood (2-2) at Johnson (1-2), 7 pm
• Manville (3-1) at South Hunterdon (3-1), 7 pm
• Linden (2-1) at Plainfield (1-3), 7 pm

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

• #1 Phillipsburg (3-1) at #5 St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-1), 1 pm (Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for updates)
• #6 Bridgewater-Raritan (3-1) at Westfield (1-3), 1 pm
• North Brunswick (1-3) at Franklin (0-4), 2 pm