Author: Mike Pavlichko

by Mike Pavlichko

LISTEN BACK: It’s the Central Jersey Sports Radio 2026 Playoff Projection Show, presented by Dayton Collision!

Over two-plus hours Saturday night, host Mike Pavlichko and analyst Marcus Borden went through Central Jersey Sports Radio’s official bracket projections for the 2026 NJSIAA High School Football playoffs, complete with analysis and interviews.

Presented here and on our YouTube Channel, a rebroadcast for you including all our projections (we got 160 out of 160!) along with interviews with:

  • Coach Eugene Kline, Elizabeth
  • Coach Matt Donaghue, Old Bridge
  • RB Sherwin Appiah and Coach Mark Poore, Sayreville
  • Coach Mike Gerst, South Brunswick
  • Coach Sean Carty, Montgomery
  • Coach Anthony Conzentino, New Providence
  • Coach Mike Ryan, A.L. Johnson
  • Coach Nick Iannacone, Dayton
  • QB Marcus Smith and Coach Shawn Harrison, Highland Park

Then, we wrap it all up with a phone call from Simeon Pincus of MyCentralJersey.com to get his take on the projected matchups and teams!

by Mike Pavlichko

Small school, big dreams: L.J. Smith talks about his time at Highland Park and beyond as Owls retire his jersey

L.J. Smith was strong, but he was a skinny kid growing up in Highland Park.

But that skinny kid had big dreams, and after has an incredibly successful scholastic career with the Owls, he moved on to Rutgers, bulked up, worked out, studied hard, made the grade, and played for both Terry Shea and Greg Schiano at Rutgers.

Then, it was the NFL, playing for the Eagles, and nearly reaching the ultimate goal. He played in Super Bowl XXXIX against the Patriots.

Through all those years, Smith ever forget where he came from, or the influence of legend Joe Policastro, his head coach then who’s still around the program, maybe mentoring the next Owl to have his jersey retired, and his number hanging from the press box at Jay Dakelman Field.

L.J. Smith’s number 85 hangs atop the press box at Jay Dakelman Field after it was retired by the Owls on October 23, 2026. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

Smith had his number retired Friday night at half time of the team’s Goal Post Trophy Game against arch-rival Metuchen, a 35-0 win that sent the Owl faithful home with smiles all the way around.

Click below to watch L.J. Smith talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden before Friday night’s Highland Park-Metuchen game:

by Mike Pavlichko

NJSIAA releases official H.S. Football Playoff Brackets: 29 teams qualify, 11 will open at home as Elizabeth, Old Bridge earn No. 1 seeds

The official pairings are out from the NJSIAA for the 2026 state football tournament, and – as projected by Central Jersey Sports Radio – 29 Big Central teams qualified. Two got top seeds – Elizabeth in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 got the overall North 5 No. 1 seed, while Old Bridge was the overall two in South 5, and will get the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey Group 5.

In fact, in Central Jersey Sports Radio’s bracket projections, we correctly seeded all 160 public school teams across all 20 eight-team brackets for the second time in the past three seasons.

The 29 teams the league is sending to the playoffs are the most since 2023, when 31 public schools went. The league’s first playoff year, 32 qualified, followed by 30 in 2022. After dipping to 28 in 2024, the league hit a low last season with just 25 public schools making the tournament. Although it did get two champions crowned.

Phillipsburg won North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 last season, while Bridgewater-Raritan won its first ever in four tries, taking the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 title. This year, the two are in the same section the Panthers won last season.

As always, in case there are any issues, discrepancies or other problems, the NJSIAA brackets become official at noon on Monday. Dates and times are set by the home schools right up through the state semifinals, with all games of the state finals set to take place on Thanksgiving Weekend at MetLIfe Stadium in the Meadowlands.

Scroll down for the full brackets, but in the meantime, some quick thoughts on the 2026 draw:

Longest droughts ended…

A couple of long droughts came off the board Sunday when the pairings were announced, though some have known they’d be in for a while.

Franklin got in the playoffs with a big win at Woodbridge Friday, and that snaps the longest active Somerset County postseason drought, with the Warriors’ last playoff appearance coming in 2012. That leaves North Plainfield and Pingry, who last made it in 2014.

Over in Union County, Dayton ended a 24 year playoff drought, with their last appearance also in 2012. (Ironically, current Woodbridge coach Joe Goerge has coached at both schools, Franklin and Dayton.) That leaves Scotch Plains-Fanwood as next up, dating back to 2014 as well.

Highland park is in the dance for the first time since 2010, and while that’s longer than the other two, not the longest in Middlesex County. That mark belongs to JP Stevens, which last made it in 2006. The Hawks finished the regular season at 2-6 at the Cutoff.

Below are the brackets, with last year’s champion in parenthesis. Days (Friday or Saturday) and times have yet to be announced, but as they are, we will update this page.

GROUP 5 (Washington Twp.)

  • North 1 (Passaic Tech)
    • (8) Franklin at (1) Ramapo
    • (7) Union at (2) West Orange, 7 pm Friday
    • (6) Bayonne at (3) Piscataway, 12:30 pm Saturday
    • (5) Perth Amboy at (4) Irvington, 7 pm Friday
  • North 2 (Bridgewater-Raritan)
    • (8) Linden at (1) Elizabeth, 6:30 pm Friday
    • (7) Union City at (2) East Orange
    • (6) Ridgewood at (3) Phillipsburg, 7 pm Friday
    • (5) Bridgewater-Raritan at (4) Passaic Tech
  • Central (Washington Twp.)
    • (8) Lenape at (1) Old Bridge, 6 pm Friday
    • (7) Jackson Twp. at (2) Rancocas Valley
    • (6) Vineland at (3) Sayreville, 7 pm Friday
    • (5) Freehold Twp. at (4) Williamstown
  • South (Kingsway)
    • (8) South Brunswick at (1) Washington Twp., 6 pm Friday
    • (7) Trenton at (2) Southern
    • (6) Manalapan at (3) Toms River North
    • (5) Eastern at (4) Egg Harbor

Group 4 (Winslow)

  • North 1 (Ramapo)
    • (8) Carteret at (1) Roxbury, 7 pm Friday
    • (7) Woodbridge at (2) Northern Highlands
    • (6) Summit at (3) Morris Knolls, 6:30 pm Friday
    • (5) Ridge at (4) Middletown South, 6:30 pm Friday
  • North 2 (Phillipsburg)
    • (8) Watchung Hills at (1) Middletown North, 7 pm Friday
    • (7) Mount Olive at (2) Rahway, 7 pm Friday
    • (6) Montgomery at (3) Chatham
    • (5) Garfield at (4) Teaneck
  • Central (Brick Memorial)
    • (8) Absegami at (1) Brick Memorial
    • (7) Moorestown at (2) Northern Burlington
    • (6) Hammonton at (3) Atlantic City
    • (5) Pennsauken at (4) Millville
  • South (Winslow)
    • (8) Howell at (1) Shawnee
    • (7) Toms River South at (2) Winslow
    • (6) Clearview at (3) Bridgeton
    • (5) Steinert at (4) Marlboro

Group 3 (Cedar Creek)

  • North 1 (Old Tappan)
    • (8) Paramus at (1) Old Tappan
    • (7) Matawan at (2) Cranford, 7 pm Friday
    • (6) Wayne Valley at (3) Shabazz
    • (5) Morris Hills at (4) West Morris
  • North 2 (West Morris)
    • (8) Weequahic at (1) West Essex
    • (7) Parsippany Hills at (2) Wayne Hills
    • (6) Somerville at (3) Holmdel
    • (5) Montville at (4) River Dell
  • Central (Holmdel)
    • (8) Deptford at (1) Hopewell Valley
    • (7) Barnegat at (2) Camden
    • (6) Pleasantville at (3) Ocean City
    • (5) Brick Twp. at (4) Burlington Twp.
  • South (Cedar Creek)
    • (8) Ewing at (1) Seneca
    • (7) Red Bank at (2) Oakcrest
    • (6) Triton at (3) Pinelands
    • (5) Delran at (4) Timber Creek

Group 2 (Camden)

  • North 1 (Westwood)
    • (8) Hackettstown at (1) Westwood
    • (7) High Point at (2) Caldwell
    • (6) Hillside at (3) Rutherford, 6 pm Friday
    • (5) Vernon at (4) Lakeland
  • North 2 (Shabazz)
    • (8) Indian Hills at (1) Waldwick/Midland Park
    • (7) Ramsey at (2) Hoboken
    • (6) Hanover Park at (3) Bernards, 7 pm Friday
    • (5) Becton at (4) New Providence, 6:30 pm Friday
  • Central (Camden)
    • (8) Overbrook at (1) Glassboro
    • (7) Sterling at (2) Rumson-Fair Haven
    • (6) Lower Cape May at (3) Pt. Pleasant Boro
    • (5) Manasquan at (4) Gloucester City
  • South (Haddonfield)
    • (8) Haddon Heights at (1) West Deptford
    • (7) Johnson at (2) Haddonfield, 7 pm Friday
    • (6) Ocean Twp. at (3) Camden Eastside
    • (5) Wall at (4) Monmouth

Group 1 (Glassboro)

  • North 1 (Cedar Grove)
    • (8) Verona at (1) Newton
    • (7) Belvidere at (2) New Milford, 6:30 pm Friday
    • (6) Hawthorne at (3) Wallkill Valley
    • (5) Kinnelon at (4) Boonton
  • North 2 (Butler)
    • (8) Glen Ridge at (1) Cedar Grove
    • (7) Pompton Lakes at (2) Hasbrouck Heights
    • (6) Dayton at (3) Butler, 7 pm Friday
    • (5) Mountain Lakes at (4) Wood-Ridge
  • Central (Burlington City)
    • (8) Pt. Pleasant Beach at (1) Paulsboro
    • (7) Penns Grove at (2) Salem
    • (6) Highland Park at (3) Woodstown, 6 pm Friday
    • (5) Clayton at (4) Audubon
  • South (Glassboro)
    • (8) Maple Shade at (1) Schalick
    • (7) Gateway at (2) Delaware Valley, 7 pm Friday
    • (6) Burlington City at (3) Pennsville
    • (5) Shore at (4) Manville, 7 pm Friday
by Mike Pavlichko

Here are Central Jersey Sports Radio’s UNOFFICIAL NJSIAA state playoff bracket projections: 29 teams appear to qualify; Elizabeth, Old Bridge projected to earn top seeds

The Big Central Conference appears to have 29 teams qualified for the upcoming NJSIAA state playoffs, with the cutoff to qualify this weekend.

Of those, eleven appear to be in line to play first-round playoff games. It looks like two top seeds will go the BCC: Elizabeth in North 2, Group 5, and Old Bridge in Central Group 5.

And as far as the Cutoff Weekend, four teams on the outside at the start of the weekend appear to have qualified: Franklin and Linden in North 5, South Brunswick in South 5, and Carteret in North 4.

The only Big Central squad that was in the top 16 coming into the weekend to miss the postseason appears to be Monroe. In the field of 16, Monroe ended up tied for 15th with Lenape after they and Trenton both won Saturday. But Lenape got the 15 spot on an OSI tiebreaker.

Then, with winless Kingsway at 17, but ineligible for the playoffs because they don’t have the NJSIIA-required two-win minimum, they get taken out, South Brunswick moved to 17, and because the Vikings beat Monroe head-to-head, they took the 16th and final spot away from the Falcons.

Here are Central Jersey Sports Radio’s projected brackets in all 10 public supersections:

GROUP 5

GROUP 4

GROUP 3

GROUP 2

GROUP 1

by Mike Pavlichko

UNOFFICIAL Updated Football Playoff Standings after Friday night’s games (Updated Saturday 10 am)

With over a hundred games on the Friday night high school football schedule across New Jersey, we’re getting a much clearer picture of where things stand on Cutoff Weekend.

Nearly 150 games have been played, including well over 100 Friday night, leaving some 32 games on the Saturday slate to result in the final movements that will make-or-break some teams, give some home games, or send others on the road in the first round.

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.

We’ll have a closer look at who made moves as a result of wins or losses on Friday night later Saturday morning into early afternoon in a separate story, but for now, here are Central Jersey Sports Radio’s unofficial updated playoff standings following Friday night’s action.

Note: We have updated the standings as of 10 am Saturday morning with minimal changes, however, we have also highlighted teams who play Saturday in purple, so you can see which teams may be affected by those games. Red teams are playoff ineligible, whether due to disqualifications or – in the case of Kingsway – not meeting the two-minimum win requirement (only for teams that fall in the top 16).

This story will be updated throughout late Saturday morning and early afternoon with potential scenarios for Big Central teams. Be sure to check back throughout the day.

Please note, standings are based on results reported to Central Jersey Sports Radio and other media outlets. If you think you see a discrepancy, please email us at mike@cjsportsradio.com or message us on Twitter.

Notes: Elizabeth appears to have clinched the top playoff seed here. Union looks to have survived an upset by Linden to qualify, and the Tigers look to have made it, too. Franklin appears in with their win at Woodbridge.

North 5 Analysis

  • Elizabeth has locked in the overall No. 1 seed with a 9-0 season. That will make the Minutemen the top-seed in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5.
  • Anything else from the 2 to 10 range could change today pending the results of East Orange (5-2) against Newark Central (3-4) and Irvington (5-3) at Seton Hall Prep (3-4). Here’s what we believe will happen:
    • If both win: West Orange jumps up to the No. 2 seed, followed by Ramapo at No. 3 – but Ramapo flips and takes the two based on head-to-head, East Oange at 4, Phillipsburg at 5, Piscataway at 6, Irvington at 7, tied with Passaic Tech, but getting a head-to-head tiebreaker win over PCTI.
    • If both lose: Piscataway jumps Phillipsburg to No. 4 because East Orange would fall behind the Chiefs in power points, elevating Piscataway above the Stateliners; Passaic Tech is 6 and Irvington 7, but the Blue Knights jump PCTI based on head-to-head; Bridgewater at 8; East Orange and Perth Amboy tied at 9, but the Jaguars get the tiebreaker on a higher OSI.
    • If only Irvington wins: Phillipsburg holds at 4 (this appears to be the only way stay in the top four); Piscataway falls to 5, Passaic Tech is at 6, Irvington 7, but the Blue Knights beat them head-to-head and jump to 6; Bridgewater-Raritan at 8; East Orange and Perth Amboy tied for 9, with the Jags getting it on OSI.
    • If only East Orange wins: West Orange becomes the 2, Ramapo the 3, but West Orange jumps due to head-to-head; East Orange at 4, Phillipsburg and Piscataway tied at 6, with the tie-breaker going to OSI, which would be the Stateliners. That tiebreaker is 1) no head-to-head, 2) common opponents: both beat St. Joseph-Metuchen, 3) OSI.)
  • The rest of the field appears to be locked. Teams 11 through 16 have no UPR ties and no head-to-head changes all the way down to 17. That would appear to lock in Union at 14, Franklin at 15 and Linden at 16.
  • We believe Plainfield cannot make it, even with a win over Westfield Saturday afternoon, which would not garner enough power points to get to 17, which is the least they would need to do, since they could have hopped in with a head-to0-head tiebreaker over Linden, which they beat back in September.
Notes: Old Bridge getting a win at Ridge should clinch a top seed for the Knights, regardless of what Rancocas Valley does vs. Burlington Twp. Saturday. Monroe’s win at Carteret gets them in, but South Brunswick’s win over Colonia may not have been enough.

South 5 Analysis:

  • We believe the top eight teams all are locked in, and won’t change regardless of what Rancocas Valley does Saturday against Burlington Twp. That would leave Old Bridge at No. 2 and Sayreville at No. 6, both opening the playoffs at home.
  • Neither South Brunswick nor Monroe have locked in playoff berths yet. They will await Trenton (4-4) at Ewing (5-3) and Lenape (2-6) vs. Pennsauken (5-3).
    • If both win: South Brunswick would get in over Monroe. The Falcons would lose this one in dramatic fashion. They would finish tied with Lenape at 15.2 UPR. With no head-to-head or common opponents, Lenape wins the tiebreaker on a higher OSI, knocking Monroe to 16. Kingsway at 17 is ineligible as a winless team, so that moves South Brunswick up from 18 to 17. But since the Vikings beat Monroe head-to-head, they would take the 16 seed from Monroe, and leave the Falcons out.
    • If both lose: Monroe stays at 14; South Brunswick gets in at 15, Cherokee would be 16, with Kingsway at 17 out, bumping up Lenape to 16, and they would knock out Cherokee, taking the 16th overall seed on head-to-head.
    • If only Lenape wins: Monroe finishes a clean 14 with no ties, and no jumps. South Brunwick finishes a clean 16 behind 15th-place Lenape, with no ties and no jumps.
    • If only Trenton wins: Monroe drops one place to 15, but is safe; Kingsway is at 16, but out, so they get replace by Cherokee and South Brunswick, moving from 17 to 16. With no head-to-head or common opponents, the Chiefs take the 16-seed over the Vikings.
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Notes: Woodbridge appears to have survived a home loss to Franklin Friday night, and the same can be said for Carteret. Watchung Hills may have snuck in despite a loss at Bridgewater-Raritan, thanks to losses by Hackensack and Nutley.

North 4 Analysis:

  • The upper end of the bracket hinges on an intra-supersection game between current No. 3 Morris Knolls (7-1) and No. 8 Chatham (5-3).
    • If Morris Knolls wins: It would appear Rahway moves up to No. 4, knocking Northern Highlands down to No. 5. That’s because Knolls – already at No. 3, but already ahead of Rahway in OSI – would stay there, but jump the Highlanders in OSI. That pushes Northern Highlands behind Rahway.
    • If Chatham wins: That would be more disruptive to the Big Central teams in the bracket. Rahway would still move up to four, but Ridge would drop from 6 to 9 in our projections. But that could also hinge on what Summit – currently at 11 – does at home Saturday against Bernards.
  • Should Summit beat Bernards Saturday, they could move as high as seventh, regardless of whether Chatham beats or loses to Morris Knolls. But they will also have to keep an eye on Mount Olive behind them, which resumes Friday night’s game at 2 pm Saturday; it was suspended due to a power outage, according to the tracker website Sidelinesnj.com.
  • With a Mount Olive loss, Montgomery could move up to 12.
  • We think Woodbridge is locked in at 14, but Carteret could drop to 15 if Newark Central (3-4) wins Saturday at East Orange (5-2), an unlikely scenario.
  • …Watchung Hills may not have locked in the 16th and final playoff berth here, but odds are they get in for the same reason. They’re out is if Newark Central wins at East Orange today. That’s a couple of Jags fans, at leas, in the Big Central Saturday.
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Notes: Cranford appears to stay in the top four despite its first loss of the season. South Plainfield’s loss to Perth Amboy eliminated them.

North 3 Analysis:

  • We say the top seven are all locked in, with no ties or head-to-head jumps, leaving Cranford safely in at No. 4. The West Morris (5-3) game at Mount Olive (4-3) – suspended from last night sue to a power outage, resuming at 2 pm Saturday) won’t affect the top seven.
  • We also believe Somerville is locked in at No. 11 and will open the playoffs on the road. The only other team below them that matters, Paramus, would drop to 17 even win a win today in a 4 pm game against Lincoln at Caven Point.
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Notes: New Providence avoids falling out of the top eight with a win over Governor Livingston. Hillside’s win over Union edged the Comets up a spot.

North 2 Analysis:

  • Bernards appears to be a six-seed with a win, regardless of what Hoboken does at Snyder Saturday. A loss appears to knock them down to No. 8 and bump New Providence up to No. 6. So the Pioneers are rooting for those Mountaineers Saturday just a few miles to up Route 78.
  • Hillside looks to be locked in at 12, and won’t be affected by a Lodi win Saturday, since they can’t get in even with a victory.
Notes: Governor Livingston was eliminated with a Friday night loss at neighboring New Providence.

South 2 Analysis:

  • A.L. Johnson could finish anywhere from 11 – if Sterling and Lower Cape May all lose – to 14 if they both win.
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Notes: Roselle Park’s win over Roselle may not have been enough to get the Panthers in. Brearley was eliminated with a loss at North Plainfield.
Notes: South Hunterdon was eliminated with a loss at Lyndhurst Friday night.
by Mike Pavlichko

Friday Night Big Central Roundup: Elizabeth completes perfect regular season on a wild night, Cranford takes first loss, and several teams get big wins for the playoff push

Cutoff Weekend was a wild one across the Big Central Conference, that’s for sure.

Elizabeth completed an undefeated regular season, finishing 9-0 and earning likely a top-seed in the playoffs in North 5 after erasing a halftime deficit against Somerville, and that was just the start of it.

Monroe beat Carteret at The Pit to likely claim a playoff berth. Franklin won at Woodbridge to help their chances. Hillside spoiled Cranford’s unbeaten run. Manville won a wild one at home over Dayton. Linden helped its cause with a 25-21 upset win at Union. And Old Bridge picked up a huge win over Ridge up in the Somerset Hills.

CLICK HERE FOR UNOFFICIAL PLAYOFF STANDINGS AFTER FRIDAY, AS WELL AS SCENARIOS UPDATING THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON WHAT SATURDAY’S GAMES WILL MEAN TO BIG CENTRAL SCHOOLS!!

Then join us at 6 pm Saturday for our live “Playoff Projection Show,” presented by Dayton Collision, Route 130 South Brunswick! Mike Pavlichko and Marcus Borden will bring the our bracket projections complete with analysis, interviews with coaches, and we’ll talk it all over with Simeon Pincus of MyCentralJersey.

Meanwhile, read on more more recaps, links, scores, Notes and Nuggets, and the rest of the weekend schedule.

Notes and Nuggets…

  • Who made it into the playoffs? Well, we have to take a look at everything around the state from Friday night, but here are some of the notable bubble teams who won Friday night:
    • Monroe needed a win to get in and it looks like they probably did with a 21-12 win over Carteret at The Pit to finish their regular season 5-4, their best win total since 2023. Should they make the field of 16 in North 4, it will be their first playoff berth since 2014, Chris Beagan’s last season before going to his alma mater of Sayreville, and the first under current head coach Nick Isola.
    • Franklin may have played itself in with a stunning 49-40 shootout win at Woodbridge. If they qualify, it will erase Somerset County’s longest playoff drought; the Warriors last made it in 2012.
    • South Brunswick certainly helped its chances with a 35-9 win at Colonia in the first season under head coach Mike Gerst. Last year, he coaches SFC Ivy program Fort Lee to an undefeated season, and the Bridgemen are perfect this year, too.
  • Who dropped out? South Plainfield appears to have been eliminated with a loss to Perth Amboy, who will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Colonia had a shot, but was ousted with a loss to South Brunswick. Governor Livingston should be out after a loss at New Providence, as is Brearley after a loss at North Plainfield. And South Hunterdon missed its chance, getting shutout by Lyndhurst.

FRIDAY SCORES

  • #1 Elizabeth 29, Somerville 14 (Coverage via Alec Crouthamel)
  • #2 Old Bridge 28, #3 Ridge 6
  • #4 Phillipsburg 41, Hunterdon Central 13
  • #8 Sayreville 16, #5 Piscataway 7 (Coverage via Mike Pavlichko)
  • #6 Bridgewater-Raritan 28, Watchung Hills 7
  • #9 Rahway 22, Edison 7
  • #10 Hillside 14, #7 Cranford 3
  • Highland Park 35, Metuchen 0 (Coverage via Marcus Borden)
  • Franklin 49, Woodbridge 40
  • Linden 25, Union 21
  • Perth Amboy 34, South Plainfield 28
  • Montgomery 21, Hillsborough 14
  • Monroe 21, Carteret 12
  • South Brunswick 35, Colonia 9
  • A.L. Johnson 42, JFK 7
  • New Providence 41, Governor Livingston 10
  • Manville 48, Dayton 43
  • North Plainfield 33, Brearley 7
  • Scotch Plains-Fanwood 32, New Brunswick 15
  • Roselle Park 21, Roselle 0
  • St. Thomas Aquinas 37, St. Joseph-Metuchen 13
  • Lyndhurst 41, South Hunterdon 0
  • Secaucus 38, Dunellen 18
  • Middlesex 20, JP Stevens 14
  • North Hunterdon 21, Voorhees 18
  • Spotswood 42, South River 0

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

  • Plainfield (2-5) at Westfield (1-7), 1 pm
  • Bernards (6-2) at Summit (6-2), 1 pm
  • Delaware Valley (6-2) at Belvidere (7-1), 1:30 pm

THURSDAY SCORE

  • North Brunswick 49, East Brunswick 21

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s been a while! Highland Park blanks Metuchen 35-0 for first Goal Post Trophy win since 2017

It’s been nine years since the Goal Post Trophy could be proudly displayed by the Highland Park football team, but now it’s back.

The Owls snapped a seven-game skid against their former Thanksgiving Day rivals – including a “did not play” forfeit win in 2018 – and shutout Metuchen 35-0 Friday night, on an evening when the program also retired the jersey of L.J. Smith, who went on to star at Rutgers and in the NFL.

The win was a bounceback over a 28-20 loss at Dayton last week that spoiled an otherwise perfect season, and gave the Bulldogs their first division title in 17 years. But it also was Highland Park’s sixth shutout of the season in nine games.

After Ziquan Grier’s 38-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Marcus Smith put the Owls up 7-0 in the first quarter, Smith scored twice in the second – on runs of 76 and 31 yards – to give the Owls a 21-0 lead at the half. Jacob Quiros scored on a one-yard run in the third and a five-yard run in the final quarter to round out the scoring.

Highland Park finishes the regular season 8-1, and will be in the South 2 playoffs, their first postseason berth since 2010. Metuchen’s regular season ends at 3-5.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden with Highland Park head coach Shawn Harrison and senior QB Marcus Smith, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 8 Sayreville scores 16 unanswered to topple No. 5 Piscataway, likely earning home field advantage in first round of playoffs

In a series that has been back and forth over their first 40 meetings, Sayreville now has a 21-20 lead.

The eighth-ranked Bombers trailed No. 5 Piscataway 7-0 late in the first, and while they controlled the ball for most of the first half, just couldn’t get in the end zone.

Even on their 18-play, seven-minute drive that ended the first half, they had to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Phillip Sayouwah to cut the Chiefs’ lead to 7-3 as time expired in the first half.

After the Homecoming break, they kept Piscataway off the board, and got two touchdowns to move ahead, and put the game out of reach. The first was a one-yard run by quarterback Marcus Butka, capping an eight-play, 50-yard drive with 40 seconds to go in the third, giving the Bombers their first lead of the game, 10-7.

With 10:13 to go in the fourth, Shewrin Appiah came up with one of the most brilliant runs you’ll see at the high school level. With the ball on the Piscataway 34, he took a handoff, ran towards the middle, saw nothing, and made a 90-degree left turn on a dime. Then, he turned upfield, and with about five defenders scattered in front of him, turned up his speed to eleven and darted through all of them for a touchdown that put them up 16-7, as they missed the extra point.

Piscataway had chances, but missed a 40-yard field goal, and could not find the passing game to complement the run, with Landon Pernell often forced to throw the ball away – or just past everyone downfield – to avoid a sack, with the Sayreville defense hounding the Chief signal caller at every turn.

The Bombers improve to 7-2 on the season, and appear to have wrapped up at least a top eight finish in North Group 4, while Piscataway drops to 7-2, and should also finish in the top eight. Had they won, they would likely have had a No. 1 seed. Instead, the overall No. 1 appears it will go to Elizabeth, which beat Somerville at home Friday night to clinch a perfect 9-0 regular season.

Click below for postgame reaction from Sayreville head coach Mark Poore and runningback Sherwin Appiah with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

by Mike Pavlichko

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.
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  • 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.
by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Playoff Analysis: Dayton, Belvidere are in, should start on the road in North 1; Brearley has a shot but Roselle Park appears out

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.

NORTH GROUP 1:

  • We’ll start with Dayton (6-2), which has a big one against Manville (5-3) Friday night. With a win and some help via losses from Wallkill Valley, Wood-Ridge/Midland Park and New Milford, they could move up into the top eight, but that might also be a stretch on the help side of things. More likely, the Bulldogs finish in the bottom eight, but there are a lot of middle-of-the-pack teams in a tight bunch, so any result could really reshuffle the bunch. Plus, there are a lot of wild swings in power point and OSI average – like Mountain Lakes in the middle of a bunch of teams around a 10-12 power point average, while they’re below nine, so there could be some teams not even in the picture right now that affect the Bulldogs. Ultimately, we think they are most likely to be a bottom eight team, regardless of what they do against the Mustangs; they’re in either way, and we expect them to start on the road.
  • Belvidere (7-1) comes into the day at No. 11, with a big game at Delaware Valley (6-2) Friday night. A win can only help them so much, though, even with losses by the teams around them. It looks like their ceiling might be nine, which means they will be starting off the playoffs on the road. A loss, and we think the best they could do is mid-range of the bottom eight, so the County Seaters are in, it’s just a matter of where they will play next week.
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  • Roselle Park (4-4) enters the weekend at 17, but has Roselle (0-7) on the road Friday. Again, those games have to come somewhere on the schedule, but often get outsized attention this week. Let’s start with just a win, and no other games factored in, and that keeps the Panthers at 17. We’ve thrown every L up on the board we could – for Kinnelon, Verona, Park Ridge and Hawthorne, as well as Glen Ridge, Kittatinny, Brearley and Mountain Lakes, and we don’t see it happening. Maybe there’s a path somewhere, but it looks like Roselle Park is out.
  • But what about Brearley? While the Bears enter the week further back, in 20th, it’s a tight pack there, and if they can beat North Plainfield (4-4) at Krasuche Field Friday night, they could get in, as the Canucks’ four wins allow the Bears more movement than Roselle Park in this situation. Two ways this can go: win, get some help and get in, lose and they’re out.