North 2, Group 5 Final Preview: Phillipsburg Stateliners vs. Passaic Tech Bulldogs

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 Final:
When: Friday, 7 pm
Where: Maloney Stadium, Phillipsburg
Matchup: #4 Passaic Tech (8-3) at #3 Phillipsburg (8-2)
Coverage: LIVE on Central Jersey Sports Radio with Alec Crouthamel, Chris Tsakonas (click here to listen)
Weather: 40 degrees, cloudy with showers likely, wind from NW at 8 mph (gusts to 15 mph)

HEAD COACHES:

Phillipsburg: Frank Duffy (11th season, 93-28)
Passaic Tech: Matt Demarest (15th season, 122-49)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Phillipsburg:
First Round: def. #6 Ridgewood, 38-27
Semifinals: def. #2 East Orange, 31-13

Passaic Tech:
First Round: def. #5 Bridgewater-Raritan, 35-0
Semifinals: def. #1 Elizabeth, 35-0

Who’s next? The winner of this game will play the North 1, Group 5 winner in the Group 5 semifinals. That title game is being played Saturday at 1 pm, when third-seed Piscataway (9-2) plays host to fourth-seed Irvington (7-4) at 1 pm, in a game you can listen to live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Regardless of who wins that game, if Phillipsburg beats Passaic Tech, they would host Friday night as the highest-rated UPR team in North Group 5.

SERIES HISTORY:

This will be the first meeting between the schools.

PREVIEWS:

FINALS HISTORY:

Phillipsburg:

The winningest program in New Jersey didn’t play in the NJSIAA playoffs for many years, since they played a Pennsylvania schedule. But they couldn’t play in the PIAA playoffs either, being an out-of-state team. They won one title in four finals berths from 1975 through 1979 – only missing the title game in 1976 – then after spending time with a Pennsy schedule, joined the NJSIAA in the mid-90s. It took them until 2001 to reach a final, their second overall, and first in a span of seven titles in 11 appearances over nearly two decades from 2001 to 2018.

The Stateliners were in Group 5 for the 2022-2023 cycle, and made the finals both years, falling to sixth-seed West Orange, 28-7, the first of those years, and to No. 2 seed Union City, 24-17 in 2023. Two years ago, they they moved down to Group 4, and beat Northern Highlands for the North 2 sectional title on a game-winning field goal by Alexie Moreira, then beat Ramapo in the state semis 35-6, before falling to Winslow in the state Group 5 final, 35-0; they were the first (and remain the only) Big Central team to qualify for the state finals since they began play in 2022. Last season, Phillipsburg beat Montgomery in the North 2 final, 41-21, but lost to Ramapo in the state semis.

Playoff Berths: 30
Playoff Record: 51-21
Previous Finals Berths: 19
Sectional Titles: 10

North 2, Group 3
1975: #1 Morris Hills def. #2 Phillipsburg, 7-0
1977: #2 Phillipsburg def. #1 Parsippany, 26-0
1978: #4 Rahway def. #3 Phillipsburg, 23-10
1979: #2 Rahway def. #1 Phillipsburg, 14-6
North 2, Group 4
2001: #5 Phillipsburg def. #2 Montclair, 10-7
2004: #1 Piscataway def. #2 Phillipsburg, 27-26 (OT) at Rutgers
2005: #1 Phillipsburg def. #2 Piscataway, 15-6 at Rutgers
2006: #3 Elizabeth def. #1 Phillipsburg, 14-9
North 2, Group 3
2008: #4 Phillipsburg def. #6 Rahway, 20-6
2009: #2 Phillipsburg def. #5 Ridge, 34-7 at Kean
North 2, Group 4
2013: #1 Phillipsburg def. #6 Mendham, 39-0
2014: #2 Phillipsburg def. #1 Colonia, 28-21 (OT) at Rutgers
2015: #1 Middletown South def. #2 Phillipsburg, 35-7
2017: #2 North Hunterdon def. #1 Phillipsburg, 21-20
2018: #1 Phillipsburg def. #3 Irvington, 42-7
North 2, Group 5
2022: #6 West Orange def. #1 Phillipsburg, 28-7
2023: #2 Union City def. #1 Phillipsburg, 24-17
2024: #1 Phillipsburg 13, #3 Northern Highlands 11
def. Ramapo, 35-6, in Group 5 semifinals
lost to Winslow, 35-0, in Group 5 Final
2025: #2 Phillipsburg 41, #3 Montgomery 21
lost to Ramapo, 41-21, in Group 5 semifinals

Passaic Tech:

Playoff Berths: 26
Playoff Record: 35-20
Previous Sectional Finals Berths: 11
Sectional Titles: 6
State Championships: 0 (3 finals appearances)

North 1, Group 4
1998: #4 Passaic Tech def. #3 Union Hill, 48-6
2001: #6 Passaic Tech def. #5 Emerson, 40-8
North 1, Group 5
2014: #1 Montclair def. #3 Passaic Tech, 26-14
2015: #2 Passaic Tech def. #1 Ridgewood, 27-0
2016: #1 Ridgewood def. #3 Passaic Tech, 14-13
2019: #1 Ridgewood def. #2 Passaic Tech, 10-7
2021: #1 East Orange def. #3 Passaic Tech, 35-7
2022: #1 Passaic Tech def. #2 Union City, 14-7
def. West Orange, 21-7, in Group 5 semifinals
lost to Toms River North, 28-7, in Group 5 Final
2023: #1 Passaic Tech def. #3 Montclair, 34-27
def. Union City, 14-0, in Group 5 semifinals
lost to Toms River North, 23-13, in Group 5 Final
2024: #1 Union City def. #3 Passaic Tech, 34-29
2025: #2 Passaic Tech def. #1 West Orange, 56-42
def. Bridgewater-Ratian, 23-24, in Group 5 semifinals
lost to Washington Twp., 31-12, in Group 5 Final

2026 PHILLIPSBURG COVERAGE:

A football game in progress with one team in white and yellow uniforms and the other in maroon. The players are positioned on the field, and there are spectators in the background. — *Phillipsburg takes on Colonia in the North 2, Group 4 semifinals at Maloney Stadium in Phillipsburg on November 7, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

NEWS & NOTES:

Home, Sweet Home…

While it’s an impressive feat that Phillipsburg is playing in its fifth straight sectional title game, even more impressive is the fact that all of them have been at home. Part of that is because the Stateliners were the top seed in the first four of those, but this year, they are a surprise host as a third-seed. But that’s because Passaic Tech stunned top-seed Elizabeth on the road last week in the semifinals, 35-0.

While the five straight finals berths are the best in the lifespan of the Big Central Conference (2020-present), it’s also the longest streak by any current member of the BCC since the playoffs expanded to eight teams in 1998, which meant two wins were needed to get to the title game.

Before that, the format was mainly a four-team bracket in each section, so a playoff team only needed to win once to get the chance the play for a championship. In that era, 1974 to 1997, still no one else had been to five straight, nor even six in a row. But those great Union teams of the 1980s coached by the legendary and late Lou Rettino went to seven straight from 1981 through 1987, losing on the first and third of those trips in ’81 and ’83, but then winning four straight from 1984 through 1987.

Easton vs. State Championship…

Since the 2023 season ended, Phillipsburg has set its sights on a state championship. Losing in the sectional finals the previous two seasons with loaded teams that earned the No. 1 seed both years didn’t sit well with the Stateliners, even though they beat Easton on Thanksgiving back-to-back years for the first time since 2002 and 2003.

They got those titles the last two seasons, and yet have failed to beat Easton. Maybe that was because the earlier losses left them an extra week to prepare, rather than playing in a state semifinal. Last year, they got that sectional title, but lost to Easton, making them then 3-6 all-time against the Red Rovers in the nine seasons where they’ve won an NJSIAA championship. That dropped to 3-7 in 2025, when they again took home a sectional title, and lost to Easton on Turkey Day.

In the nine seasons where Phillipsburg has lost in the sectional finals, their record is 2-6-1 against Easton, with those two wins coming in 2022 and 2023. This year, it could get extra tricky if they win the title Friday night, then win again next week in the Group 5 semis. They would have to turn around and play Easton with just five days’ rest, and if they’re in the state finals, would come right back on two day’s rest to play on Sunday at MetLife Stadium for the Group 5 state championship.

Most Wins in New Jersey…

Phillipsburg is one of the oldest and most storied programs in New Jersey, now in its 121th season of football. Last season, in a 55-14 win over Hunterdon Central on September 12th, the Stateliners earned their 750th all-time win, and now have 766.

Repping Warren County…

There are only five football-playing public high schools in Warren County, a fairly sparse part of New Jersey, population-wise. Besides Phillipsburg, there’s North Warren, Warren Hills, Hackettstown and Belvidere. Combined, the county has claimed just 13 sectional titles over the years, with ten – and the last two – going to the Stateliners.

It’s been a while since someone else did it. Warren Hills is the last Warren County school besides Phillipsburg to win a sectional title, and that came 25 years ago, in 2000, in the North 2, Group 3 section. Belvidere won its only title in North 2, Group 1 the year prior, in 1999. And Hackettstown won the North 2, Group 2 title in 1981. North Warren has never won a title.

Until last year’s win, Phillipsburg had been the last Warren County school to win a championship, coming in 2018.