Week 7 Friday Playoff Update: Ramapo loss puts Elizabeth in top-seed position in North 5 pending Saturday tilt at Westfield, Old Bridge closer to top two finish in South 5

With Thursday and Friday Week 7 play in the books, Central Jersey Sports Radio is taking a quick look at movement in the playoff standings based on results so far.

There are many Saturday games on the schedule that will change the standings again heading into Cutoff Weekend next weekend, although things will be a lot simpler once the Strength Index values lock in after this week.

You can find all our unofficial standings here.

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.

Below is a breakdown of Week 7 movement after Friday in the North and South Group 5 Supersections.

NORTH GROUP 5:

• Elizabeth (7-0) still has a trip to Westfield on Saturday afternoon, but the Minutemen edged up one spot to second after Ramapo lost, 34-13, at Wayne Hills Friday night. We figures that might happen if the Raiders dropped at least one of their last two games.
• Phillipsburg made a huge jump from nine to four with a 35-14 home win over Bridgewater-Raritan. The Stateliners (5-2) are just behind Ramapo, and drop Piscataway (7-1) to fifth, despite a 35-7 win at Monroe Friday night. It remains to be seen if the Chiefs (7-1) are still in the running for a top seed; they visit Sayreville next Friday in the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Panthers (6-2) drop a smidge from seven to eight, but could still hold on to a top eight seed.
• Union (5-3) holds in tenth despite a 34-19 loss at St. Joseph-Metuchen Friday night, but their UPR drops to 11.2, and they most likely will finish in the bottom eight, starting the playoffs on the road.
• Perth Amboy (6-2) dropped from eleven to 13 after 41-28 home loss to A.L. Johnson. The Panthers should be in the playoffs, 5.2 UPR points ahead of the No. 17 team.
• Plainfield (2-5) still has a game Saturday at home against Watchung Hills, and remains in 15th after Friday action. The Cardinals probably can’t lock up a playoff spot with a victory over Watchung Hills, and they’re still a bubble team.
• Linden dropped three places to 19th after a 41-14 loss at Woodbridge. The Tigers (3-4) are now 2.6 points out of a playoff spot, and a win at Westfield may not be enough to move the needle. They are more likely out than in, but we’ll see if they get any help Saturday.
• Franklin (3-5) edged up to 17, and is just 1.6 UPR out of a playoff spot, behind Bloomfield.
• West Orange (5-1) remains the overall No. 1 here, and plays at Barringer Saturday.

SOUTH GROUP 5:

• Old Bridge (7-1) moves up a spot to third after a 43-0 win over East Brunswick Friday night, coupled with Southern’s 21-20 loss at Middletown North Friday night. But Rancocas Valley holds the second position, now 8-0 after a 52-16 win at Pleasantville that put a little more distance between them and the Knights, as they shrunk their UPR from 2.6 to 2.0, leaving Old Bridge 0.8 UPR points out of a top-two finish. They may be able to get it, though, with a win at Ridge next Friday on Cutoff Weekend.
• Sayreville (6-2) jumps a spot from seven to six after a 44-8 win at North Brunswick. They got helped by a Williamstown 29-21 loss to Northern Burlington, flipping the two. But the Bombers are likely too far out to finish in the top four, but it’s possible if things fall right this weekend and they get some help next week.
• Monroe (4-4) climbs three spots from 17 to 14, despite a 35-7 loss Friday night to Piscataway. They actually move up two spots, but since Kingsway (0-8) is in 13th and has one game left, they won’t meet the two-win minimum to get in the playoffs, so that gives the Falcons an extra bump. Monroe isn’t out of the woods yet, though, as they have a very tough game at Carteret next Friday night.
• South Brunswick dropped a spot to 19th (18th, for the same reason as Monroe) after a 27-25 loss to Franklin Friday night, and the Vikings (3-5) are in dire straits now. With an 18.2 UPR, they are 1.2 points out of a playoff spot behind 17th-place (16th-place) Cherokee. We’re not sure if a win at Colonia (2-6) next week can get them in; we’ll know more once the weekend is fully completed.