Old Bridge, in return trip to CJ5 title game, faces tough task as unbeaten Rancocas Valley visits Lombardi Field Friday night

Old Bridge, in return trip to CJ5 title game, will face unbeaten Rancocas Valley Friday night

Even when you’ve won ten games in a row, you still have to look at game film, and study the opposing defense, figure out what the quarterback’s tendencies are, but at the end of the day, you don’t change much.

You dance with the one you came to the party with.

Or, to hear head coach Matt Donaghue say it: “We’ve just got to play Old Bridge football.”

That indeed will be the case Friday night, when the Knights – for a second year in a row – will play for the Central Jersey Group 5 championship.

But unlike last year, Old Bridge (10-1) is the top seed, and will avoid a long bus ride to deep South Jersey. They’ll host second-seed and undefeated Rancocas Valley (11-1) Friday night at 6 pm, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Pregame starts at 5:40 pm with Mike Pavlichko calling all the action joined by analyst Max Scheiner; click here to listen.

Old Bridge hasn’t lost since a season-opening defeat in the Battle at the Beach down in Ocean City, where they hung in against – but lost to – Shawnee, 43-35. Rancocas Valley beat them 36-6 three weeks later. But both also beat their other common opponent, with the Knights edging Sayreville 14-12 a few weeks ago, while the Red Devils blanked the Bombers 42-0 last week in the sectional semifinals.

Old Bridge also is coming off a shutout win, beating fourth-seed Williamstown, 35-0, last week in the rain, winning the turnover battle by four. The Braves committed five turnovers – two picks and three fumbles – with two of those fumbles coming on the first play of a drive.

In that game, junior QB Aiden Rios was 7-of-9 passing for 101 yards and three touchdowns, one each to Chase Rizzo, Romeo Roman and Jordan Mercado, while Rizzo ran for 196 yard and a touchdown, and Rios ran for another.

It was an all-around effort, the type that will clearly be needed Friday night – and then some – to beat one of the eight remaining undefeated teams in the state in Rancocas Valley.

Click below to hear Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue talk about Friday night’s Central Jersey Group 5 title game against Rancocas Valley with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: