Category: Football

September 23, 2026September 22, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

“The Big Central in 2 Minutes” – Week 4

Hard to believe, but we’re almost at the halfway point of the 2026 high school football season in NEw Jersey, and Mike Pavlichko takes a closer look on “The Big Central in 2 Minutes” for Week Four!

On this week’s episode, Mike talks about “The Year of the Resurgence” for some Big Central teams – like Elizabeth, Highland Park, Rahway and Perth Amboy. There’s a quick look Bernards’ potentially leaving the Skyland and Big Central Conferences, and a look at some moves in the playoff standings after Week Three of play.

All on this week’s edition of “The Big Central in Two Minutes!

Click below to listen to the 2026 Week 4 edition of “The Big Central in Two Minutes”:

September 22, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Elizabeth nets back-to-back Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week honors, as Qua’Yon Williams scores every which way vs. St. Joe’s

It’s rare that even two different players from the same team will earn a Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week honor. After all, with nine weeks of the regular season and 59 teams in the Big Central Conference, we try to spread it around a little bit.

But sometimes, it’s a no-brainer.

And there are many worthy candidates each week, but big numbers aren’t the only factor. The level of the opponent also has to factor in, and that was the case this week as an Elizabeth player takes the honors for the second straight week – and, to be fair, probably for the last time this season!

In Week Two, it was A’rique Fleming of the Minutemen, not only having a big game at quarterback, but helping seal the victory with a late interception in a tight win against Union.

In Week Three, it’s Qua’Yon Williams, Elizabeth’s uber-talented senior wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner, who just so happened to not only score in three different ways, but did it in a mammoth upset win in one of those crazy, anything-can-happen shootout type games against St. Joseph-Metuchen, it what turned out to be a 62-25 home win over the then-No. 2 Falcons.

Williams scored four touchdowns in the game: two receptions of 38 and eleven yards, a 15-yard run, and a 48-yard punt return. He ended up with 212 all-purpose yards, plus had seven tackles and a pass breakup on defense. All the while, helping Elizabeth to 529 yards of total offense, which head coach Eugene Kline says is the highest single-game total since at least the year 2000.

For his efforts, Qua’Yon Williams of Elizabeth is the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Player of the Week for Week Three.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko with Week Three Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Qua’Yon Williams of Elizabeth:

The Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week is chosen from nominees by Big Central coaches. At the end of the season, one player will be chosen to receive a $500 scholarship courtesy of Bellamy & Son Paving. As always, we will recognize selected “Honorable Mentions,” and recognize all other all nominees in our weekly story.

Honorable Mentions:

Shaun Garland, Edison: It’s one thing to do what the senior did Friday night in a 34-24 home win over North Brunswick. It’s another to do it after being sick the entire previous weekend. But the H-back/tight end hybrid finished the game with four touchdowns – on runs of 18, one and seven yards, along with a 33-yard pick six from his defensive end position – giving him 146 yards on 22 carries, including on 13 consecutive plays at one point in the fourth quarter. On defense, he also had a TFL, 2 QB hurries, and two pass breakups.
Zach Mutton, Montgomery: In a 28-12 win over Colonia in Skillman on Friday, the senior QB and runningback carried the ball 21 times for 122 yards and four touchdowns. He also made a huge throw to receiver Xavier Harrigan for a fourth-down conversion late, then followed it up with a touchdown run to put his team ahead for good,
Dylan Boehm, Somerville: The sophomore quarterback had a big night in a 55-24 win over Watchung Hills on Friday. He threw 18-of-25 for 362 yards and five touchdowns, hitting four different wideouts, three of which went long: for 75, 69 and 46 yards.
Charlie Dickerson, South Hunterdon: The Eagles may not have much in terms of numbers, but they’re making it count en route to a 3-1 start, their first since they went 9-2 in 2023. The senior linebacker recorded 14 tackles and anchored the defense in a double overtime win, 20-14, over Bound Brook.

Other Notable Performances:

Logan Stack, Governor Livingston: The senior inside linebacker “keyed the defense,” according to head coach Pete Ramiccio, with 13 total tackles and 3 1/2 for loss against JFK in a 49-12 home win Saturday, which got the Highlanders back to the .500 mark.
Travis Miles, Hillside: In a 29-7 win at Voorhees on Friday, the senior wide receiver had a 62-yard touchdown catch, and from his defensive back spot, added a 50-yard pick-six, one of two defensive scores in the game for the Comets, who now are 4-0, their best start in three years under head coach Isa Abdul-Quddus, after going 8-11 combined over the past two seasons.
Thomas DeMetrio, Monroe: The senior does it all, playing wide receiver, working out of the wildcat, linebacker, and handling kicking duties for the Falcons, and he was a major contributor to the Falcons’ 28-0 home win over East Brunswick on Friday. At linebacker, he had five tackles, two TFLs and a sack. And while he only had seven touches on offense, he scored three touchdowns – on a 23-yard catch and rushes of three and 13 – plus two booming, 50-yard punts, and went four-for-four on extra points.
Alex Kruszcynski, North Plainfield: The senior was instrumental on both sides of the ball in a 25-0 shutout of New Brunswick on Thursday. He had 19 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown at runningback, then at linebacker had two solo tackles and a TFL for a unit that produced its second whitewash this season, and has allowed just under 4.3 points per game through its first four games.
Chase Rizzo, Old Bridge: The senior runningback went off for 252 yards on 25 carries, for just over ten yards per, including two touchdowns in a 26-24 win over St. Thomas Aquinas. He also added a sack on defense.
Shane Moore, Phillipsburg: The senior runningback carried 13 times for 120 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-7 home win over division foe Hillsborough Friday night.
Walter Price, Rahway: The senior linebacker had eleven solo tackles, one assist two TFLs, a forced fumble, and a recovery for 17 yards in a 42-14 win over neighboring Linden Friday night. He made the first five tackles of the game for a defense that surrendered just 122 total yards to the Tigers.
Sherwin Appiah, Sayreville: The senior halfback rushed 15 times for 144 yards and the Bombers’ first four touchdowns in a 41-6 home win over Franklin Friday night.
Vinny Young, Spotswood: The senior runningback eclipsed 100 yards in his third straight game, albeit a 35-7 loss to Perth Amboy at home on Friday. He carried 19 times for 149, and also had five tackles on defense.

September 22, 2026September 21, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg still No. 1 in Big Central Power Rankings, but Elizabeth, Rahway make make strides, narrow the gap; plus a new No. 1 in New Jersey as Winslow falls

Just as they have been all year long, Phillipsburg remains No. 1 in the Big Central Conference Power Rankings for Week Four, while Elizabeth and Rahway continue to make strides and have narrowed the Stateliners’ lead.

Despite a win over South Brunswick, Piscataway’s SI value fell, and big wins by Elizabeth and Rahway moved the Minutemen and Indians over the Chiefs to take the No. 2 and 3 spots, with Piscataway dropping to four. Somerville joined the top five, knocking out St. Thomas Aquinas, which dropped to six with the win, while Bridgewater-Raritan’s narrow win over Ridge pushed the Panthers down just a bit in SI, but they fell from three to six with the gains made by Elizabeth and Rahway.

The power rankings are simply based on the state’s Strength Index formula, which helps determine a team’s OSI, and is 60% of the UPR playoff formula. SI values and will change each week as games are played. See the methodology at the bottom of this page.

Rounding out the top ten, it’s New Providence up two spots to No. 8, Sayreville up two to nine, and Old Bridge falling one spot to No. 10. St. Joseph-Metuchen fell out of the top ten with its loss at Elizabeth Friday night.

Around the state, there’s a new No. 1, after Winslow lost to St. Augustine, a defeat that also dropped the only team with an SI over 100 back below that mark, leaving Don Bosco Prep in the top spot. Glassboro pulled up to second, and St. Augustine made a massive jump with the win from 15 to No. 3. Winslow fell three spots to four, while Bergen Catholic dropped two spots to fifth, bouncing Donovan Catholic out of the top five.

Once again this week, there were no Big Central teams in the Top 25, but Phillipsburg – which was in it two weeks ago before falling out after a loss to Freedom (PA) of Bethlehem – climbed a bit closer, from 33 to 29 after a blowout home win over Hillsborough. Other Big Central teams made gains, too.

Elizabeth shot up from 67 to 33.
Rahway rose from 59 to 37.
Piscataway checks in at 39, up four spots.
Somerville is at 41, climbing 15 places.
Bridgewater-Raritan fell one spot to 46.

Overall, that’s six Big Central teams in the top 50 in the state.

Strength Index Methodology: Team A and Team B are compared to find the difference between their rankings, which provides the Expected Result. The margin of the final score is figured in positive or negative terms compared to the Expected Result. The difference is divided by five, and the teams increase or decrease by the resulting number.

Example #1: Team A has an SI value of 80, while Team B has an SI value of 60. The Expected Result is +20 for Team A. When the game is played, Team A wins by 30. That is 10 points higher than the expected result. Than number is divided by 5, meaning Team A increases by 2 (Team A now has an SI of 82) while Team B decreases by 2 (Team B now has an SI of 58).

Example #2: In the same scenario, Team A defeats Team B by 20. That is the same as the Expected Result, no there is no change. Team A remains with an SI value of 80, while Team B retains its 60 SI value.

Example #2: Team A defeats Team B by 10. That is 10 points fewer than the expected result. Divide by 5 to get 2, but in this case, Team A drops by 2 points to 78 (because Team A “underperformed”) while Team B increases by 2 points to 62.

Out-of-State Opponent SI: Strength Index ratings for non-New Jersey teams are calculated by finding their MaxPreps national ranking, then averaging the SI ratings of the next New Jersey team above and below them in the MaxPreps rankings.

September 21, 2026September 20, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Two NJ multipliers lose status in Week Three, while two more drop into D category

It wasn’t a great weekend for the multipliers across New Jersey this weekend, and by extension, for those that have lost to them.

Multipliers are considered among the elite non-public teams in the state by the NJSIAA, and they are grouped into four categories: A, B, C and D.

While all multipliers are worth their regular Strength Index value to teams that beat them, those that lose to an A multiplier receive 80-percent of their SI value for a loss. B teams are worth 75, and C and D teams are worth 70 percent.

But those numbers aren’t locked all season. If a multiplier loses to a non-multiplier NJSIAA member school, teams in the A, B and C categories move down to D. Then anyone who either started as a D or got bumped down, if they lost just once, they lose multiplier status entirely.

That means a team that lost to a D multiplier earlier in the year would get 70 percent of the SI value, but if that multiplier loses to a non-multiplier, they value goes back to the normal 50 percent.

Here’s what happened this weekend:

St. Thomas Aquinas began the season as a D multiplier, and has wins over Westfield and Franklin, but a loss Friday night at Old Bridge knocks them out of the multiplier status completely.
- That means Westfield and Franklin only get 50 percent – rather than 70 – of STA’s natural SI value, as will future opponents Sayreville, Somerville, North Brunswick and Edison.
St. Joseph of Metuchen began the season as a B multiplier (75%). Their loss at Elizabeth Friday night means they are now a D (70%), and one more loss to a non-multiplier would boot them out entirely.
- The Falcons have three more such teams on the schedule before the cutoff: Phillipsburg (this Saturday), Piscataway (October 9) and Union (October 16). Losses to Delbarton (October 3) or St. Thomas Aquinas (October 23, Cutoff Weekend) would not affect St. Joseph’s status. That’s despite the fact that St. Thomas is no longer a multiplier. NJSIAA rules say non-publics that start the season as multipliers are still considered so when they play another multiplier.
- As of now, Bridgewater-Raritan and Westfield – both of which lost to the Falcons earlier this year – will get 70 percent of St. Joseph’s SI value instead of 75, as will Phillipsburg, Piscataway and Union, if they lose those games. One more loss, and all those teams would get the natural 50 percent.
Pope John lost to Immaculata this weekend, which knocks the Lions completely out of the multiplier, as it was their second loss to a non-multiplier. Though they have no additional non-multiplier games, they also lost to Washington Twp. in Week Zero in the Battle at the Beach in Ocean City.
St. John Vianney also lost its multiplier status in its first game against a non-multiplier, falling to Holmdel this weekend.
- That means the Lancers are only worth 50 percent for all future non-multipliers who lose to them, including Wall, Middletown North, Manalapan, Brick Twp. and Rusmon-Fair Haven.

Vianney’s loss also will make things much less tricky for UPR calculations on cutoff weekend. That’s because Rumson-Fair Haven had three multipliers on their schedule: Red Bank Catholic, Donovan Catholic and St. John Vianney. But the state only allows two multiplier values to be used, which means the top two values would count, while the lowest would be 50-percent.

With the Lancers no longer a multiplier, that will no longer have to be figured out, as only Red Bank Catholic and Donovan Catholic would count. That’s assuming neither drops another game between now an then.

The Caseys still have Holmdel, Winslow, Rumson and Wall, while the Griffins have Southern, Rumson, Pt. Pleasant Boro and Toms River North.

September 21, 2026 by Marcus Borden

Phillipsburg, Piscataway still 1 and 2 in Marcus Borden’s Week 4 Big Central Top Ten; plus BCC West, Middlesex and Union County rankings

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:

September 21, 2026September 21, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

OFFICIAL NJ Football Strength Index numbers for all teams following Week Three action

At nearly the mid-way point of the high school football season, teams throughout New Jersey are making moves in the playoff standings, with 60 percent of the NJSIAA’s UPR formula being the OSI factor.

Team’s get 100 percent of an opponent’s Strength Index (SI) value for a win, and 50 percent for a loss, with defeats at the hands of some non-public teams (multipliers) worth more, anywhere from 70 to 80 percent.

But it’s all based on the Strength Index value of teams, and we’re the only place you can find all of the numbers in one, handy location.

The values below are all Central Jersey Sports Radio’s calculations, confirmed with the numbers for every single team in the state on NJ.com, which performs the official calculations for the NJSIAA.

Each week, SI values change based on the final score and the rating of the two teams that played. Here’s an example. SI goes up or down depending on how a team did compared to the difference between the two teams. If Team A (80 SI) plays Team B (60 SI) and Team A wins by 20, there’s no change. If Team A wins by 10, they underperformed by 10 points, and Team B overperformed by 10 points. Team B increases by 2 points to become a 62, and Team A drops to a 78. Team A then gets the full value of Team B for its OSI (62) while Team B gets half the value of Team A (39).

Here are Central Jersey Sports Radio’s UNOFFICIAL Strength Index values after Week Three play:

2026 Strength Index (Official) through Week 3 Download

Note: The NJ.com standings also revealed the SI values of out-of-state opponents for games already played. You can find them by going to a team’s power point calculation page.

Changes? NJ.com says that updates will push every morning at 6 am, if there are any. If an incorrect score has been confirmed and changed, that could affect the SI and OSI of multiple teams, depending on how many games have been played, if any, since the error.

September 21, 2026September 20, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Three top-ten matchups force big shuffle in Bellamy & Son Paving Week 4 Top Ten, but Phillipsburg still leads the pack

It was inevitable that at least three ranked Big Central Conference football teams would go down this weekend, with three all-Top Ten matchups on tap. In the end, no one else lost, but those three games helped reshape the Bellamy & Son Paving Week Four rankings, while Phillipsburg remains at the top of the list.

Phillipsburg (3-1) got back on the winning track against its first New Jersey opponent of the year, beating Hillsborough Friday night at Maloney Stadium, 35-7. The Stateliners are back in action at No. 5 St. Joseph of Metuchen this Saturday for a 1 pm matinee against the Falcons.

Piscataway (4-0) edged up one place to No. 2 after a 41-17 win over South Brunswick on Friday, coupled with previous No. 2 St. Joe’s taking a loss. The Chiefs will look to go 5-0 for the first time since 2018, when they finished undefeated at 13-0 – and won the North Group 5 Regional Championship – when they visit No. 4 Old Bridge Friday night at 6 pm. The Knights built an early lead but hung on to beat then-No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas Friday night, 26-24.

Moving from seven to three is Elizabeth, which is 4-0 for the first time since 2011, a year they also started 5-0, following a 62-35 shootout win at home over then-No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen heard Friday night on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Minutemen visit No. 10 Ridge Friday night at 6:30. St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-1) falls to fifth with that loss, and hosts No. 1 Phillipsburg this Saturday at 1:00.

To make room for Elizabeth, Bridgewater-Raritan (3-1) and Somerville (3-1) both edge down one spot, to fifth and sixth, respectively. The Panthers were 7-3 winners over then-No. 9 Ridge Friday night, and visit Westfield for a 1:00 kick Saturday afternoon, while the Pioneers were 55-24 winners against Watchung Hills Friday, and visit Montgomery at 6 pm this Friday.

Rahway (4-0) continues to rise, and finds itself at No. 8 this week, up two spots after a 42-14 win at Linden Friday. The Indians host Cranford at 6:00 this Friday night.

St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1) edges down one spot to No. 9 after taking its first loss of the season, falling to No. 4 Old Bridge, 26-24, Friday night when a second-half rally fell just short. The Trojans are back at it this Friday night as they host Sayreville at 6 pm.

And down one spot to ten is Ridge (2-1), after their 7-3 loss at then-No. 5 Bridgewater-Raritan. The Red Devils entertain third-ranked Elizabeth Friday night, a 6:30 kickoff.

Below is the complete 2026 Week Four Bellamy & Son Paving High School Football Top Ten:

September 20, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: Governor Livingston 49, JFK 12

Connor Jakubowski had a touchdown catch, touchdown run and and interception for a score to lead Governor Livingston past visiting JFK, 49-12, in a Big Central Conference United Silver Division game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Click below to listen to Chris Tsakonas and Nick Hart call all the play-by-play live from Berkeley Heights, NJ, on September 19, 2026:

1st Half

2nd Half

September 20, 2026September 20, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: No. 7 Elizabeth 62, No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen 35

Senior quarterback A’rique Fleming threw for 378 yards and five touchdown passes – two each to Qua’Yon Williams and Eric Cespedes – as the No. 7 Elizabeth Minutemen knocked off No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, 62-35, in a Big Central Conference American Gold Division game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Click below to listen to Alec Crouthamel and Dylan Allen call all the play-by-play live from Williams Field in Elizabeth, NJ, on September 18, 2026:

1st Half

2nd Half

September 19, 2026 by Nick Hart

Governor Livingston climbs back to .500 with dominant, 49-12 home win against JFK

In a game of two teams looking to stabilize their seasons and get back on track, Governor Livingston defeated JFK 49-12 on Saturday at home.

Things looked promising for the Mustangs (0-3, 0-2) early on, taking advantage of a Highlanders (2-2, 1-1 BCC United Silver) miscue on the opening kick. JFK booted it short to the Governor Livingston 34-yard line, the ball took a favorable bounce for the visiting team, and the Mustangs were set up with prime field position on their first offensive drive.

After a short run on its first play, JFK broke out the trickery on its next snap. Senior wide receiver Kamali Walker motioned across the formation and took the handoff on what looked like a typical jet sweep, that was until Walker set his feet and threw a pass. Walker connected with fellow senior receiver Braylon Diaz for a 34-yard touchdown, and just like that the Mustangs took an early 6-0 lead.

The Highlanders answered right back with an impressive rushing attack led by junior Elijah Garcia. Garcia tallied 50 yards on his first two carries of the game, flipping the field and setting up Governor Livingston deep in JFK territory. Junior wide receiver Connor Jakubowski ultimately capped off the drive with a short touchdown run to give his team the 7-6 lead.

With success on their first drive, morale was high for the Mustangs heading into their second possession. Unfortunately, that second possession was cut short when junior defensive back Parker Chatfield jumped his man’s route and was off to the races for a 25-yard pick-six.

Governor Livingston continued its success offensively on the ensuing drive as sophomore quarterback Colin Hughes found Jakubowski for a 54-yard touchdown reception to extend the Highlanders’ lead to 21-6 early in the second quarter.

From that point forward, it was all Governer Livingston, punching in another three touchdowns in the first half to take a commanding 42-6 halftime lead.

JFK started the second half with the ball but faced an uphill battle, being down 36 points and going up against a running clock. To the credit of the Mustangs, sophomore Hayden Morrison and his offense were moving the ball well on the opening drive before it was cut short by an interception.

As they had done all day, the Highlanders took advantage of JFK’s mistake and hit paydirt for the seventh time, this time off of a 53-yard touchdown run from sophomore Jake Rotkel.

Morrison connected with Diaz for a 54-yard score to make it a 49-12 game in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late for the Mustangs.

It was overall a dominant win for Governor Livingston, which saw much of its offensive success come on the ground. Garcia finished with 12 carries for 120 yards and two scores, while the Highlanders rushed for an impressive 218 yards as a team.

For Governor Livingston, they are back to .500 on the year with a matchup against Lynhurst to look forward to next week, while JFK is still in search of its first win with a home matchup against North Plainfield up next.

Click below to hear CJSR’s Chris Tsakonas talk with Governor Livingston head coach Pete Ramiccio following the Highlanders’ victory over JFK, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: