Rain and thunderstorms in the forecast caused havoc on Friday night in the Big Central, pushing some games earlier in the day, and others to Saturday afternoon, but everyone that played got their games in, and four division titles were settled in the process.
But half of them turned out to be three-way ties, and in both, the team that could have claimed a championship outright came out on the losing end.
First, the simple ones. No. 7 Cranford won 24-12 at Carteret to take the United Gold Division title, going 3-0 against their division foes. And Dayton knocked off unbeaten Highland Park in the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, 28-20 at home, to win the Freedom Gold, the Bulldogs’ first division championship since they won the Union Division of the Mid-State 39 Conference in 2009.
Now, the messy ones.
Perth Amboy could have taken the Patriot Silver with a home win over A.J. Johnson, but the Panthers lost 41-28, and shared the title not only with the Crusaders, but with New Providence, which was a 34-7 winner at Spotswood Friday night.
And Phillipsburg’s 35-14 home win over Bridgewater-Raritan kept those Panthers from taking the American Silver outright; instead, coupled with Ridge’s 42-19 win at Hillsborough Friday night, the Red Devils, Panthers and Stateliners split the title three-ways.
Read on more more recaps, links, scores, Notes and Nuggets, and the rest of the weekend schedule.
Notes and Nuggets…
- With Highland Park taking its first defeat of the season, that leaves two unbeaten teams left in the Big Central Conference. Cranford remained undefeated, improving to 7-0 with a 24-12 win at Carteret, snapping the Ramblers’ two-game win streak. Three different players – Logan Murray, Joey Riccio and Jake Friedman – scored touchdowns, while Joell Quintana kicked a 28-yard field goal. No. 1 Elizabeth (7-0) visits Westfield (1-6) Saturday at 1 pm.
- Though it came in a loss, Hillsborough’s Jeff Progin set a single-game reception record with 12 catches for 138 yards. The senior now has 29 catches for 341 yards and a touchdown this year. That score came in the season opener, a 41-25 loss at Manalapan in Week Zero.
- St. Joseph-Metuchen snapped a four-game skid with a 34-19 win over No. 10 Union, handing the Farmers their second straight loss after a 5-1 start. Over those first six games, they had never allowed more than 19 points in a game, even in a 19-7 loss to high-powered Elizabeth on September 11. But they have now allowed 62 points in two games, including a 28-7 loss to Bridgewater-Raritan last week.
FRIDAY SCORES
- #2 Old Bridge 43, East Brunswick 0
- #3 Ridge 42, Hillsborough 19
- #4 Phillipsburg 35, #6 Bridgewater-Raritan 14
- #5 Piscataway 35, Monroe 7
- #7 Cranford 24, Carteret 12
- #8 Sayreville 44, North Brunswick 8
- #9 Rahway 41, Colonia 14
- St. Joseph-Metuchen 34, #10 Union 19
- Dayton 28, Highland Park 0 (Recap with Audio)
- Johnson 41, Perth Amboy 28 (Coverage via Marcus Borden)
- Hillside 54, Manville 7
- Bernards 42, JFK 20
- Somerville 20, Hunterdon Central 0
- South River 12, JP Stevens 7
- New Providence 34, Spotswood 7
- Bound Brook 21, Middlesex 20
- Franklin 27, South Brunswick 25
- Belvidere 21, North Warren 8
- Delaware Valley 24, North Plainfield 0
- Montgomery 31, North Hunterdon 6
- Voorhees 40, New Brunswick 6
- St. Thomas Aquinas 47, Edison 0
- Summit 42, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 14
- Woodbridge 41, Linden 14
- Metuchen 20, Roselle 16
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
- #1 Elizabeth (7-0) at Westfield (1-6), 1 pm
- Watchung Hills (3-4) at Plainfield (2-5), 1 pm
- Dunellen (1-5) at South Hunterdon (4-3), 1 pm
- South Plainfield (4-3) at Governor Livingston (3-4), 2 pm
THURSDAY SCORE
- Roselle Park 38, Brearley 35
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