Rahway’s win at Plainfield on October 2, 2026, was its second straight, and helped vault them back into the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten in Week 7. (Source: Hudl)
Yes, the last couple of weeks have been somewhat tumultuous in the Big Central Conference among its top teams, reflected in big changes in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, including a new No. 1 last week.
That’s not quite the case this week., as the top seven all stayed the same, the bottom two shifted around, one team dropped out, and another rejoined the Top Ten after falling out two weeks ago.
It all starts with Elizabeth (7-0), which continued its fantastic season with a 44-0 shutout of Hillsborough at home last Friday, to stay at No. 1. They Minutemen get an extra day of prep this week, as they’ll visit Westfield Saturday afternoon.
Old Bridge (6-1) remains at No. 2, after a 38-20 road win at Monroe last Friday. They’re back at it this Friday with a home game against East Brunswick.
Third-ranked Ridge (4-2) holds its position, thanks to a 34-0 shutout over Westfield last Friday night. The Red Devils visit Hillsborough Friday night.
At No. 4 is Phillipsburg (4-2), holding steady after a bye last week. They started in Week Zero this year, and still have a Thanksgiving Day game against Easton, which gives them a week off in the middle of the season. The Stateliners host No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan (6-1) Friday night at Maloney Stadium, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Radio. The Panthers were 28-7 winners at previous No. 9 Union Friday night, and a win over the Stateliners would give them the American Silver Division title. Should Phillipsburg win, they would get the title on a tiebreaker, but if Ridge beats Hillsborough, it would be a three-way tie, with everyone splitting two games with one another.
Piscataway (6-1) holds in fifth after a 35-14 win at home over then-No. 8 St. Joseph-Metuchen Friday night. The Chiefs are in Monroe this Friday to take on the other Falcons in the BCC.
At No. 7, it’s Cranford (6-0) holding steady. The Cougars blanked South Plainfield, 14-0, on the road last Friday night, and this Friday, they travel to Carteret.
The last three spots saw some shuffling. Sayreville (5-2) moved up from ten to eight after a 23-16 win at Somerville, and this week are in North Brunswick to take on the Raiders Friday night.
Rahway (6-1) rejoins the rankings at No. 9 after falling out a couple of weeks ago with a loss to Cranford. But the Indians have won two straight since, including last Friday night at Plainfield, a 35-6 victory. This Friday, they visit Colonia.
And dropping one spot to No. 10 is Union (5-2), which lost at No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan last Friday, 28-7. The Farmers play at St. Joe’s this Friday, in the Falcons’ once-a-year Friday night game with temporary lights at Brenner Family Field.
St. Joseph-Metuchen dropped out of the rankings this week after their fourth straight loss, this one to Piscataway; they’re now 2-4.
Below is the complete 2026 Week Seven Bellamy & Son Paving High School Football Top Ten:
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