Cutoff Weekend Playoff Analysis: Delaware Valley has a shot at a top-four finish in South 1; Manville could make a move; Highland Park will earn first playoff berth in 16 years; South Hunterdon needs a win and some help to get in

It’s Cutoff Weekend in New Jersey, and with just under a half-dozen Thursday night games in the books, we’re taking a section-by-section look at every Big Central team in the playoff hunt.

Our pre-Cutoff analysis estimates 22 BCC squads have unofficially clinched a playoff berth, with eleven more still on the bubble.

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 today, as well as our LIVE Playoff Projection Show, scheduled for Saturday at 6 pm with Mike Pavlichko and Marcus Borden.

SOUTH GROUP 1:

• Let’s start with Delaware Valley (6-2), which will visit Belvidere (7-1) Friday night. This looks fairly clean cut. We believe The Terriers, with a win, are locked into the four-seed, regardless of whether Paulsboro and Salem ahead of them win this weekend. No. 1 Schalick won Thursday night to finish off a 9-0 regular season, and appears locked in as the overall No. 1 seed. That could pit The Terriers and Cougars against each other if we get a 1-2 championship game in the South 1 bracket. A loss, and it looks like DelVal could end up anywhere from five through eight, and if Clayton and Burlington City both win, they could end up as low as the No. 11 position, so a win here is of utmost importance, and against a very good County Seaters squad, that’s not going to be an easy task, for either team. Belvidere is already in the playoffs in North 1.
• Highland Park (8-1) will most assuredly make the playoffs for the first time since 2010, as they have a spot locked up, entering the weekend at nine. A win over Metuchen, and that’s still likely their ceiling; there would have to be some wild stuff happening to get the Owls into the top eight, but they’ll take a playoff game on the road if they have to. A loss would put them in the bottom eight.

• Manville (5-3) appears in, even with a loss, likely still holding in 15th place, even if we give Maple Shade, Woodbury and South Hunterdon wins. A win at Dayton (6-2) could move them as high as ninth, with some help, but that appears to be their ceiling, though they could sneak in at eight with some help, but those might require some upsets. Our take: the Mustangs are safely in, but could end up in anywhere of seven playoff slots, in all cases away from the friendly confines of Ned Panfile Stadium in the opening round.
• Does South Hunterdon (5-3) have a shot? Yes, but a win at Lyndhurst (2-6) Friday won’t be enough on its own. A victory means they will have to scoreboard watch, but if they get losses by Point Pleasant Beach, Clayton, Maple Shade and maybe some others, they could get in at the 15 spot.