Friday night in Highland Park’s Joe Policastro Stadium and the newly refurbished Jay Dakelman Field, legendary Owl L.J. Smith was the first athlete in the school’s history to have his No. 85 jersey number retired in a pre-game ceremony in front of family, alumni, the high school football team and the many fans who filled the bleachers to witness this special ceremony for a hometown hero who also represented the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, The Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens.

Highland Park would win the toss and put their offense on the field first while facing long-time Thanksgiving rival Metuchen in the last regular season game of the 2026 season. Senior quarterback Marcus Smith would only need four plays to give the Owls the early lead on a 38-yard quick pass to fellow classmate Ziquan Grier who sprinted untouched for a 7-0 advantage at the 9:22 mark of the the first quarter.

Metuchen’s young team under first-year head coach Joe Riggi would mix the run and pass and move down the field to the Owls 22-yard line on their first drive before turning the ball over on downs.

Once again, Smith would keep the ball in his hands as Highland Park’s nifty signal caller looked to throw to his left, then turned upfield while criss-crossing to the visitor’s sideline out running the Bulldog defense for a 76-yard score and a 14-0 lead just eight seconds into the second quarter!

The Bulldogs would continue running senior Nasir Chaplin while mixing in fellow classmate Luis Vigo and quarterback Rocky Bhatia. However, the Owls defense would force Metuchen to punt with 4:41 remaining in the first half down 14-0.

Smith would only need about a minute and a half to put the home team up 21-0 with his second jaunt to pay dirt, a 31-yard burst down the home sideline while barreling over a few would-be-tacklers along the way.

The two teams would trade punches for the remaining 3:04 minutes with Highland Park having a comfortable 21-0 lead at halftime.

The start to the second half saw the Bulldogs and Owls giving each other the ball with a fumble or interception. After settling down, senior running back Jacob Quiros would score on a one-yard run giving Highland Park a 28-0 lead with four minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Metuchen would be forced to punt on their next series giving the Owls the ball as the third quarter was coming to a close. Quiros would score again from five-yards out at the 10:36 mark of the 4th quarter invoking the running clock rule with a 35-0 lead for playoff-bound Highland Park.

It was all over but the shouting as the alumni, fans, coaches and players waited a long time to pose with The Goal Post Trophy as the drought was over for the proud small town program which has been revived by their head coach Shawn Harrison and proud alumni like L. J. Smith and countless others in attendance on Friday night.

Here are my Week 9 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union County:

Friday night in Perth Amboy’s Waters Stadium with Arthur L. Johnson and the Panthers had a special meaning for the home fans as well as the visitors as an impending storm was on the horizon which could cause havoc for the Senior Night festivities, as well as a meaningful game with a division title on the line for the winner and a potential higher seed for the upcoming playoffs.

Amboy would win the toss and put their offense on the field first. They would move the ball past midfield and be faced with a fourth and one and elected to go for it but the Crusader defense led by Matt Reichenbach and Manny Rendeiro would swallow up the Panthers dangerous quarterback Amauris Peguero and turn the ball over at 9:09 in the first quarter.

Johnson would methodically move the ball in four plays as their bruising senior quarterback Vincent Cilento would waste little time getting on the board with a dive fake to his fullback and then running down the visitors sideline while leveling a would-be-tackler en route for 47-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead at 7:08 in the initial stanza.

The Panthers would get the ball around midfield as Johnson squibbed the ball down the middle of the field. Peguero would complete a quick screen to his left but the Crusader defense forced a fumble recovered by sophomore Cruz Valente for Johnson.

The Crusaders would mix the run with Cilento and his trio of backs which include Majerska at fullback, Rendeiro and Downey at halfbacks. They would use almost the entire quarter with Cilento scoring from five yards out at 51.5 seconds left in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead.

Perth Amboy would get good field position again as AL Johnson squibbed the ball not willing to give the Panthers skilled returners an opportunity to return the kick for a score. The home team would march into Crusader territory but turn the ball over on downs at 10:45 as Johnson’s Sean Volmut swatted down the Peguero pass intended for Ariel Rosario Sime.

Johnson would give it right back as Cilento attempted a rare pass that was intercepted by Amboy’s Quamair Kearse.

Peguero would use his legs to get the Perth Amboy offense into scoring position running to the outside on sweeps or sprint action. He would get the Panthers to the Johnson 15 and then hand off to senior Ricardo Henriquez who barreled up the middle of the defense for a 15-yard touchdown at 8:01 in the second quarter. The PAT was blocked making the score 14-6.

Amboy would squib the ball themselves trying to recover the ball which was recovered by the Crusaders on the 22 along the visitor sideline. Cilento would need one play to go 78-yards on a dive fake left to Majerska cutting up field and down the visitor sideline for a 20-6 lead at 7:39 remaining before halftime.

Johnson would squib kick the ball down the middle of the field which was recovered by lineman TJ Kershaw. Cilento would find Zaire Majerska for a 35-yard touchdown pass and a 27-6 lead with 4:21 before halftime.

Peguero would use his legs and Henriquez to get into scoring position. He would then hit Ronald Esteves on a quick stop route which he took to the Johnson one-yard line. Peguero would score from the one but come up short on the two-point attempt making the halftime score 27-12.

Johnson would get the ball to start the second half taking their time as they moved into Panther territory but were forced to turn it over on downs at the 7:45 mark of the third quarter as Perth Amboy was not about to give up knowing that their senior quarterback could close the gap quickly with his arm or his legs.

Peguero would do just that marching his team down towards the scoreboard end of the field with fourth and six at the Johnson 17-yard line. He would toss a dart between two defenders at around the five-yard line but the receiver couldn’t hang with 2:51 remaining in the third quarter still down 27-12.

Quarterback Vincent Cilento would use his trio of backs to engineer a time consuming drive while facing a third and eight from a around midfield. The shifty field general would orchestrate a perfect counter flip to Matt Rendeiro who would get he first down and more down the visitor sideline. The Crusaders would extend their lead to 34-12 with Majerska’s one-yard plunge with 8:48 remaining in the game.

The Panthers wasted little time taking the squib kick into Crusaders territory as Peguero performed his magic finding Yendi Linaries on a 22-yard laser shot down the middle of the Johnson defense followed by his two-point scamper making it a two score game at 34-20 with 6:39 remaining in the contest.

Johnson would answer the bell by moving the ball and snapping as the referee starting signaling the five-second count before a delay of game penalty would be called. Majerska would score on a 20-yard burst through the middle of the Panthers defense with 3:12 remaining in the game making it a three-score advantage at 41-20.

Peguero would score one more time on a one-yard run and two-point conversion pass making the final score 41-28 as the AL Johnson Crusaders sealed the victory and a share of the Patriot Silver Division title after starting the season at 0-2.

Here are my Week 8 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union County:

My Thursday night game in Middlesex against Manville was two offenses diametrically opposed to each other as the Blue Jays are an uptempo, NASCAR, no-huddle offense, while the Mustangs are a Wing-T offense that relies on grinding it out while using the play action pass to surprise their opponent’s defense.

Middlesex would win the toss and defer to the second half. They would find themselves down 7-0 after the visitors would milk the clock on a nearly eight-minute drive with Elijah Bennett scoring on a one-yard run from the fullback spot as the Mustangs were without Sophomore Matthew Gorbatuk.

Middlesex would waste little time getting on the board with Quarterback Matthew Petti, Jr. scoring on a seven-yard scamper at the 1:57 mark of the first quarter however the PAT would fail making the score 7-6. The Mustangs would run four plays as the first stanza came to an end with a one-point advantage.

Run-happy Manville would set up the Blue Jays with a Belly and Sweep before Senior QB Jonathan Gosh faked the handoff on the waggle and then hit speedster Cassius Carter on a 59-yard bomb down the middle of the field for a touchdown and a 14-6 lead with 10:17 on the clock in the second quarter.

Both teams would move the ball into each other’s territory but the defenses were up to the challenge thwarting each others’ offenses on fourth down as the both headed to the locker room with Manville having a 14-6 lead.

Middlesex would come out of the locker fired up as the combination of Petti, Jr. and the physical running back Brian Cilento would use their legs to get the Blue Jays to within 14-12 as Cilento would score on a three-yard run with 6:36 remaining in the third quarter.

Gosk and Manville would go to the air again this time the senior signal caller would hook up with running back Aidan Johnson on an 18-yard play action touchdown pass for a 21-12 lead with 3:27 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Middlesex would move the ball but be forced to punt at the 11:06 mark of the fourth quarter. They would then proceed to get the ball back as Manville would get to the Blue Jays eleven yard line but a touchdown was called back and then they were stopped on 4th down with 6:28 remaining in the game.

The home team would waste little time as Senior JoJo Pham would score on a 40-yard jet sweep followed by a Cilento two-point conversion drawing the Blue Jays to within 21-20 with 5:31 remaining in the game.

The run-heavy Mustangs would rely on their stable of backs to take time off the clock before Carter would score his 2nd touchdown of the night on a 25-yard burst to the end zone for a 28-20 lead with 2:10 remaining in the game.

Middlesex would not give up and drive to the Manville 5-yard line with 18 seconds remaining in the game. On 4th down they would roll left and proceed to lateral the ball back and forth like a Rugby scrum with the Mustangs tackling the final ball carrier for a hard-fought 28-20 win.

Friday night, I was in East Brunswick to see the Bears host South Brunswick under the Vikings new head coach Mike Gerst.

South Brunswick would win the toss and defer the choice to the second half. Vikings Jaylen Brundidge would intercept a Bears’ tipped pass at the 9:37 mark of the first quarter at around midfield.

The Vikings would only need four plays to score quickly as Brundidge in the wildcat would show his athleticism by reversing field on a 21-yard sweep to pay dirt for a 7-0 lead.

The Bears would turn the ball over on downs on their next series while subsequently giving the visitors great field position. They would stiffen defensively forcing the Vikings Greg Schifrin to kick a 30-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 3:42 remaining in the 1st quarter.

East Brunswick would be forced to punt on their next series as South’s Senior Terry Bynes would lead the way for an aggressive Vikings defense that kept the Bears at bay with a 10-point lead as the 1st quarter came to a close.

Quarterback Brenden Shearstone would engineer a drive by scoring on a 7-yard run up the middle of the Bears defense for a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter.

A stifling South Brunswick defense would force the Bears to punt four times while their offense would score twice on an 11-yard run from the wildcat by Zi’yon Collins and a Shearstone 93-yard quick screen to Kamari Toney for a 31-0 advantage with 4:20 remaining before intermission.

The Bears would score on a seven-yard pass from Senior quarterback Sean Christie to fellow classmate Ezra Franklin making the score 31-6 at halftime.

South Brunswick would spoil the Bears homecoming celebration by forcing a running clock at the 4:35 mark of the third quarter as Brundidge would score from three yards and run in the two-point conversion for a 39-6 advantage for the Vikings. Toney would make the score 45-6 on a 26-yard run with 45 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

East Brunswick’s Jayden Charles would return the ensuing kickoff 94-yards followed by a Christie run for the two-point conversion making 45-14 at the end of the third quarter.

The home team would make the final score 45-22 as Christie would find Franklin for a diving 18-yard fade pattern followed by a two-point conversion to Gabe Marquez. East Brunswick would fall to 3-4 while the Vikings would improve to 3-4 with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

Here are my Week 7 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union County:

My Friday night game in South Plainfield on Senior Night for the Marching Band, Cheerleaders and the Football Team was full of big plays as the visiting Raiders of Scotch Plains Fanwood let everyone know they were better than their 1-4 record entering the contest.

The visitors would win the toss and elected to receive. They would find themselves forced to punt on their first series as the kick was slightly blocked by the Tigers Aiden Noblecilla and Michael Fiore.

South Plainfield would waste little time scoring on their third offensive play which was a play action pass to a dragging Noblecilla off the sweep action for a 19-yard touchdown and the early lead at the 9:41 mark of the 1st quarter.

Both teams would trade possessions with the Raiders moving towards midfield as the first quarter ended with the Tigers having a 7-0 advantage. Scotch Plains QB Junior Marcus Schomberg would launch a bomb to his receiver who was running a corner route but the pass went through his hands and into the arms of South Plainfield’s Nick France who raced down the home sideline on what many thought was a defensive score. He was ruled out of bounds at about midfield.

Sophomore QB Lucas Habe would execute a perfect waggle screen pass rolling to his right, pulling up and throwing back to the left to his senior TE Noblecilla and a convoy of lineman for a 33-yard score and a 14-0 lead less than 2 minutes into the second quarter.

The Raiders would mix the run and pass on their next possession with Senior wide receiver Yasir Oates putting the pressure on the Tigers defense and getting a pass interference call setting up fellow classmate Avery Snow for a 7-yard scamper to pay dirt closing the gap to 14-7.

The visitors would thwart a South Plainfield scoring threat at 29 seconds before intermission as both teams headed to the locker room with the hosts leading 14-7.

Both South Plainfield and Scotch Plains would try to establish the run and mix in the play action pass in the 3rd quarter but both turned the ball over on downs while going for it on 4th down entering the final quarter with the home team having a 14-7 advantage.

The Tigers would put the ball in the hands of a bevy of backs moving in to scoring position when Senior Micah Anderson scored on a 2-yard plunge up the middle of the Raiders defense at 7:08 remaining in the game for a 21-7 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff Raiders Senior WR/DB Jayden Sanders took the bouncing kick to the house from around the 15-yard line weaving his way avoiding would-be-tacklers at 6:53 remaining in the game making it a seven point game again at 21-14.

The fireworks were not over as South Plainfield’s true freshman Mason Smith would show his track speed as he made one cut upfield while bursting for a 70-yard touchdown a 6:11 in the fourth quarter and a 28-14 lead.

Schomberg and Oates would not give up but the Raiders would turn it over on downs as South Plainfield would run out the clock improving to 4-2 on the season.

Saturday’s game between South River and Dunellen was a 2:00 p.m. Homecoming event which featured both teams seeking their first win of the season. Dunellen would win the toss and defer to the second half.

Both teams would try to feel each other out with the Rams punting three times and the Destroyers fumbling on their first possession, punting once and driving as the 1st quarter came to an end with no score.

Dunellen would get close to the Red Zone and call a time out to decide if they would go for it on 4th down or punt. They decided to line up in punt formation as the punter faked the ball being snapped over his head while Colin DaSilva took the short snap and hit Geramiah Burgess for a first down at the Rams 26-yard line.

On the ensuing play Sophomore QB Kayson Boyd would roll left and pull up and throw a dart to Junior WR Jermal Goodridge who was dragging to the right for a 26-yard touchdown pass. Boyd would score on a 1 and a half yard 2-point conversion up the middle of the South River defense as the Rams were offsides on the PAT attempt making it 8-0 at the 8:45 mark of the 2nd quarter.

South River would drive to the Destroyers 4 yard line behind the running of Dominic Harris and Ethan Chamberlain. They would turn it over on downs as Dunellen would run out the clock and go into the locker room up 8-0 at halftime.

The visitors would take the 2nd half kickoff and be forced to punt at 9:06 in the 3rd quarter up 8-0. The punt was shanked as the Rams were pressuring the kicker. South River would get a big run on their first play but it was called back. They would be forced to punt and tried to run for the first down coming up short at 7:15 in the 3rd quarter down 8-0.

The Rams would drive to the Destroyers 31-yard line and attempt their own punt fake but their punter was swallowed up by the Dunellen defense.

South River would force Dunellen to punt again on their next series and they received the short kick around midfield. Ethan Chamberlain would take the toss down the visitors sideline for a 48-yard score with 3:24 remaining in the 3rd quarter but the two-point conversion attempt to tie the game failed making the score 8-6 late in the 3rd quarter.

The Rams would have multiple chances to take the lead as their defense would recover two fumbles but the Destroyers were up to the challenge intercepting a Rams pass as well as forcing them to turn it over on downs multiple times in the 4th quarter.

Dunellen would stop South River one more time with 2:09 remaining in the game up 8-6. The Rams would use their timeouts and force Dunellen to either punt on 4th and 4 or go for it.

Boyd would break the huddle and look to run for the the first down marker being chased by the Rams defense while casually tossing to Goodridge who a was wide-open in the flat for the first down.

The celebration was on as there were loud cheers from the Dunellen fans and players as they rushed to the end zone opposite the scoreboard shedding tears of joy as they washed away the stigma of a 24-game losing streak for this young team under their new head coach.

Here are my Week 6 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union County:

My Friday night game in Rahway at Madden Field was everything you would want in a battle of unbeaten teams as the Indians hosted the Cranford Cougars in a thriller if you like games that come down to the wire!

Cranford would win the toss and defer the choice to the second half. Rahway would be forced to punt on their first series as the Cougar defense was up to the challenge early in the first quarter.

The Cougar offense would run inside and outside while Senior Gabe Worrell burst a down the visitor sideline for a 27-yard touchdown and 7-0 lead at the 6:09 mark of the first quarter.

The Cougars would come up short two more times in the red zone turning the ball over on downs while keeping Rahway off balanced with their shifting defense. Cranford would take a 7-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The visitors would start the second half mixing the inside and outside run while methodically keeping the ball out of the hands of Rahway’s explosive offense. Worrell would cap a nearly 10 minute drive with a 5-yard burst up the middle of the Indians defense and a 14-0 lead.

WATCH: Postgame reaction from Marcus Borden’s coverage of Cranford-Rahway

Rahway would get back in the game quickly as the Robinson to Robertson toss throwback to the quarterback at 11:11 in the fourth quarter made the score 14-7.

Cranford would be forced to punt and then lose Worrell to a leg injury with about five minutes remaining in the game. They would then stop a Rahway threat with an interception however they would have to punt on their ensuing drive.

Rahway would get to the Cougars 5-yard line with 5 seconds remaining on the clock. The sprint pass and throw from Robinson to Jaylen Eastman was out of bounds with :00.3 seconds on the home score board. The officials concurred that the game was over and that time had expired with Cranford hanging on to win 14-7.

Monday I was at St. Joseph’s Brenner Family Field for a 3:00 pm make-up game with Phillipsburg, which was postponed due to the Nor’easter which began late Friday and ended Monday around 1 pm. Needless to say the crowd was not as large as it could have been if the game was played on Saturday.

Phillipsburg would get on the board first as Junior LB David Pacewicz intercepted a pass and returned it for a 46-yard touchdown at the 8:28 mark in the first quarter. The Falcons would respond with a 5-yard Julian Colon run knotting the score at 7-7 with 35 seconds in the initial stanza.

Both teams traded punches on their next series until St, Joseph’s QB Cole Seyler hit WR Dillon Diaz on a 47-yard quick screen and a 14-7 lead with 7:10 remaining in the second quarter.

Phillipsburg’s RB Shane Moore would tie the game at 14-14 with his 45-yard burst to pay dirt with 2:36 before halftime. Both teams would trade punts on their next series while the Falcons ran a hurry-up after a Stateliner punt with 1:30 still on the clock.

Seyler would find a leaping Diaz for an 8-yard fade pattern as time expired giving St. Joseph a 21-14 lead at the half.

Phillipsburg would take the 2nd half kickoff and march down the field running the football when RB Xavier Campbell-Graham hit inside run for 29-yards tying the game at 21-21 at 6:38 in the third quarter.

Placekicker Austin Loreti would give the Falcons a 24-21 lead on a 22-yard FG however that was short-lived as Markus Jordan would take the ensuing kickoff 90 yards giving the Stateliners la 28-24 lead going into the fourth quarter.

WATCH: Postgame reaction from Marcus Borden’s coverage of Phillipsburg-St. Joseph

St. Joseph would punt on their next series whereas Phillipsburg would add to their lead with a 2-yard Vincent Berger touchdown run at 7:30 remaining in the game.

Cole Seyler would score on a 1-yard plunge with 5:55 remaining on the game clock cutting the deficit to 35-31. Xavier Campbell-Graham would add his second score on a 14-yard jaunt to the end zone and a 42-31 lead with 1:37 remaining in the game.

St. Joseph would turn it over on downs as Phillipsburg took a knee in Victory formation while improving to 4-1 on the season.

Here are my Week 5 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union County:

My Friday night game saw Old Bridge build an early 23-8 halftime lead over Aquinas with a pressure defense and opportunistic offense which mixed the run and pass early knowing they needed to keep the Trojans talented quarterback Zymere Weaver on the sideline.

Like two heavyweight boxers who traded punches in a highly-anticipated matchup, Weaver would strike quickly in the third quarter on a 69-yard pass fake off a power read to the right while a slanting Aaron Crooms would take the dart 69-yards down the Knights sideline for the score. Aquinas would quickly lineup and run Aiden Morse on a quick dive for the two-point conversion closing the gap to 23-16 midway in the 3rd quarter.

Old Bridge would follow the script of putting the ball in the hands of their workhorse Chase Rizzo as they answered with a 37-yard field goal by Arain Mezera increasing the home teams lead to 26-16 late in the 3rd quarter

Aquinas would respond by driving down the field deep into the red zone but turn the ball over on downs as the Knights kept the defensive pressure on the Trojans offense.

Tristan Bester’s interception at 8:23 in the 4th quarter would give the visitors the ball back with Weaver sprinting to his right while pulling up to throw a bomb to sophomore Elijah Delirus who was streaking across the field to the left and then down the visitors sideline. He was tackled at the one yard line. Weaver would hurry up and run it for the touchdown followed by his 2-point conversion making it 26-24 with 7:46 remaining in the game.

Old Bridge would put the ball in Rizzo’s hands as he refused to be taken down by one tackler and finished the night on 27 carries for 252 yards and two scores. The Knights would force the Trojans to use their remaining timeouts as they methodically milked the clock while dealing St. Thomas Aquinas their first defeat of the season.

Saturday I made the short trip to Bill Denny Stadium for a 1:00 p.m. match-up with the David Brearley and South River. The Rams are a youthful squad with several freshmen playing on a team of about 24 players.

The Bears would keep the ball pretty much on the ground using their two backs Monroe Passmore and Nehemiah DeLeon who tallied a combined 252 yards and 3 scores while quarterback Ryan Nelson would toss two TD passes to Rocco Federico and Nate Bonnet.

Brealey would earn every one of their 42 points as the Rams led by seniors Dominic Harris and lineman Junior Funez showed incredible passion and desire as they kept fighting and leading by example for their young teammates. Harris would score on a 53-yard jaunt in the 3rd quarter and a 20-yard dash in the final stanza while Funez did his best to block the opposition.

Here are my Week 4 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union County:

These past two weeks of the Big Central Camp Caravan have been exciting and eye-opening for those who follow high school football.

It has been my pleasure to witness six schools during the first week of official practice, which included John F. Kennedy, Spotswood, Delaware Valley, East Brunswick, New Brunswick and St. Thomas Aquinas.

I am extremely grateful to all the coaches who welcomed me and afforded me the opportunity to interview their players and themselves. I met many outstanding leaders who shared their team’s philosophy and vision for the upcoming season.

Scrimmage week was just what I expected with high energy, intense, and a much needed opportunity to hit someone in a different color jersey.

The Monday tri-scrimmage at Elizabeth H.S. with Hillside and Toms River North was a track meet when TRN had the ball, as they ran 17 no-huddle plays in a 12-minute sequence. Elizabeth and Hillside had great speed and size with several key returning starters.

Tuesday’s quad scrimmage at Somerville featured Woodbridge, Ridge and Wall. The Pioneers proved they could match athleticism and size with schools that have much larger enrollments. There were plenty of big plays by all three BCC teams, which should have their fans excited.

Wednesday’s trip to Montgomery was another quad scrimmage with Hillsborough, Linden and Nottingham. The Tigers showed incredible improvement since their first round playoff loss to Bridgewater last year as they had an entire off-season with their coaching staff. The Cartys look to continue the family legacy of winning.

Thursday at Edison saw the Eagles battle Watching Hills in game conditions. Each team is looking to improve from last year with a solid running game and opportunistic defense. They both possess playmakers.

The double-header at Old Bridge versus Red Bank Catholic was moved up from 6 pm to 2 pm due to the impending thunderstorms. I made it there with fifteen minutes to spare. The Caseys were the dominant team which should come to no surprise that know their program. Old Bridge was in the midst of a pre-season quarterback duel as they prepare to open up at the Battle of the Beach versus Shawnee this Friday at 4 pm in Ocean City.

This past Friday, the Caravan traveled to Westfield as the Blue Devils hosted neighboring Cranford in similar game-like conditions. The Cougars looked impressive in their first scrimmage as they open up Week 1 at Bernards. Westfield opens with Scotch Plains-Fanwood this week.

The last stop of the 2026 preseason Camp Caravan was at Bound Brook, where the Crusaders played two full quarters of game conditions with Point Pleasant Beach. Both teams were looking to stay healthy as they are small schools with lower numbers. There were several playmakers on both squads as they worked in their youngsters in the second half.

So, now you will ask me, “Why isn’t my school in your Preseason Top 10?”

Well as the football analyst for Central Jersey Sports Radio, I have had the honor to see all 59 teams during my stint as a sideline reporter/videographer.

It is not an exact science, nevertheless, I can say their are some teams who are perennially in the mix for the playoffs and post-season championships. (And, I’ll have additional county/regional Top Tens throughout the year.)

If I may, just let me remind you of this, it is not where you start the season, it is where you finish it!

Good luck to all 59 Big Central Conference football programs in 2026. Keep working hard!