Week 7 Playoff Analysis: Bernards looks like a top eight finish in North 2, with New Providence in the running; Johnson may need a win at Perth Amboy Friday to hang on to a berth

With just one more week before Cutoff Weekend in New Jersey High School football, we’re taking another detailed look at the standings and scenarios facing every public school in the Big Central Conference that’s in contention for a playoff berth.

Assuming scores are reported in a timely fashion Friday night, we’ll also publish updated standings and some light analysis late Friday or early Saturday morning. Our next update will be next week, leading up to the cutoff.

This season’s playoff coverage – both leading up to and in the postseason – is proudly presented by Dayton Collision on Route 130 in South Brunswick! That includes all our analysis over the next few weeks, as well as our LIVE Playoff Projection Show, scheduled for Saturday evening, October 23rd, and tentatively set for 6 pm.

Here’s a detailed team-by-team look at the Group 2 supersections, North and South as we head into Week 7 play this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

NORTH GROUP 2:

• Westwood (5-1, 1.0 UPR) and Caldwell (6-0, 1.6) currently lead the section and look like they will most likely finish in the top two – even if they flip-flop – and get the two No. 1 seeds. Then, it’s down to five for Bernards (5-2, 5.20). We think the Mountaineers can finish in the top four, just 1.4 UPR points behind Hoboken (6-1, 3.8) and 0.2 more behind third-place Waldwick/Midland Park (6-1, 3.6). If not, we think they’re a pretty solid top eight team right now. They should beat winless JFK, but they might need to beat a very tough Summit (5-2) on the road Saturday of Cutoff Weekend to hang on to that spot. The question is, will it be enough for a top-four finish? It could be, but they might need some help, with the Kennedy game a big detriment at the moment. (Side note: Bernards head coach Jon Simoneau played his high school ball at JFK.)
• New Providence (5-1, 10.0) checks in at No. 9, down three spots this week after the loss to Perth Amboy, their first of the season. That made a dent, but certainly the Panthers’ 6-1 record at the moment prevented the damage from being any worse. Still, that defeat may have cost them a first-round home game, sitting 1.2 UPR points behind High Point (6-1, 8.8). They are probably the only team the Pioneers can catch if they’re going to get into the top eight. Question is, will their schedule allow them to make a move? They’re at Spotswood (3-4) this week and home to Governor Livingston (3-4) next week; a sweep and a High Point loss might do it, but we’ll know a lot more after this week.
• Hillside (6-1) is the last Big Central team in the running here, and it looked like they might be the Spotswood of 2026. (The Chargers last year were 8-1 and missed the playoffs due to a one-point loss to Dayton, on a tiebreaker they lost to three-win Camden Eastside.) But now at 6-1, they made a big jump this week from 19 to 14, and are now squarely in the picture. They haven’t locked anything down yet, but they’re looking good. The schedule is tough – at Manville (5-2) and Cranford (6-0) in the final two weeks – but that also means that a win in either of both not only should be enough to get them in the playoffs, but could improve their standing greatly. They won’t get a first round home game, but they could be in the top half of the bottom eight if they can sweep the Mustangs and Cougars.

SOUTH GROUP 2:

• West Deptford (7-0, 1.6 UPR) and Rumson-Fair Haven (5-2) are pretty good bets for the No. 1 and 2 seeds, but beyond that, there’s just one Big Central team in the running, and it’s A.L. Johnson. The Crusaders are 14th at the moment, just as they were last week, sitting at 4-2 with a 15.0 UPR. It’s only 1.4 points back to No. 17, though, so nothing is set in stone here. The Crusaders are in Perth Amboy Friday night to take on the Panthers (6-1) for the Patriot Silver Division title, and a win could lock up a spot, since they would get 24 power points for that game – six for a win and 18 residuals – a big boost for their current 9.67 power point average. They may need that win to get in the playoffs, since they would only get six points from a victory over winless JFK in the final week. Stay tuned here…