Old Bridge and Rancocas Valley meet for the coin toss in the Central Jersey Group 5 final on November 13, 2026 at Lombardi Field in Old Bridge. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
On a light rainy night at Lombardi Field in Old Bridge, second-seed Rancocas Valley and the top-seeded Knights traded three-and-outs on the first two possessions of the Central Jersey Group 5 championship game.
But, on the first play from scrimmage on the Red Devils second possession, well that’s where the game turned. Hakim Theresa, Jr. – fresh off a career night in the semifinals last week against Sayreville, with 262 rushing yards and five touchdowns – busted off a 68-yard touchdown run to go up 7-0.
That put Rancocas Valley on the path to a big victory, 42-13, by the time all was said and done, giving the Red Devils (12-0) their second sectional championship in program history and first since 1987, when they beat Point Pleasant Boro in the South Group 4 final.
Theresa would score again on a 34-yard touchdown run on the first snap of their next possession with just over two minutes to go in the first quarter, making it 15-0 with a two-point conversion.
From there, the Rancocas defense continued to dominate, pressuring junior QB Aiden Rios all game long, until he got knocked out with an apparent lower leg injury in the second quarter. And an apparent concussion, according to head coach Matt Donaghue, knocked out senior offensive lineman Connor Long, who had to be taken off on a stretcher after a long delay.
In the midst of all that, Rancocas Valley would score three more times before the half, and all three scores belonged to senior receiver/safety Mikey McQueen, caught touchdown passes of 36 and 15 yards from Zach Merhar, then picked off a pass from Old Bridge backup QB Gavin Flynn and returned it 38 yards in the final two minutes of the first half, to take a 35-0 lead going into halftime, meaning a running clock in the second half.
Old Bridge did get on the board, to avoid being the Red Devils’ eighth shutout victim in 12 games this year. Chase Rizzo had a 57-yard touchdown run, and Amari Alsbrook caught a late touchdown pass as well. Those followed a 38-yard touchdown run from Theresa, making the final score 43-0 Rancocas Valley.
The Red Devils will move on to the state Group 5 semifinals where they will face the section’s top overall seed, Washington Township. The Minutemen which beat third-seed Toms River North 41-14 to win the South 5 title, their third straight sectional championship. They also have won 26 straight games, the longest active streak in New Jersey, with their last loss coming in the 2024 Group 4 semis.
Old Bridge – which had won ten straight coming in – finishes its season at 10-2.
Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden with Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
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