Category: Football Top Ten

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg still No. 1, Union makes debut in Week 4 Big Central Media Poll

For the fifth straight week, going back to the preseason, Phillipsburg is the unanimous No. 1 team in the Big Central Media Poll, while Union made its first appearance in the rankings, getting votes for the for just the second time this year.

The Stateliners are 3-0 after a 54-7 road win at North Hunterdon. Their next opponent is No. 7 Hillsbrough, which dropped five spots after a 28-7 loss to Ridge Thursday evening. P’burg and the Raiders will square off in the Rumble on the Raritan at Rutgers University’s SHI Stadium in Piscataway in a noon game Sunday you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio, part of a doubleheader that also features North Brunswick and Sayreville, who will play in the second game at 3:30 pm.

Hillsborough and Somerville were the only two teams in the Media Poll to have lost this past week. The Pioneers dropped to 2-1 with a 27-21home loss to Montgomery Friday night, and fell out of the rankings, getting three votes from the five media members.

Union took the opportunity to move into the rankings at No. 10, winning three straight since a season-opening loss to Rancocas Valley in the Battle at the Beach at Ocean City High School in Week Zero.

The Farmers host Somerville Friday night at Cooke Field.

Below is the full Week 4 Big Central Media Poll:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg holds at No. 1, Bernards debuts in Week 4 Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten

Another week, another top finish for Phillipsburg in the Central Jersey Sports Radio Week 4 rankings. The Stateliners are 3-0 after a 54-7 win over North Hunterdon Friday in their first road game of the season.

P’burg is back in action Sunday at noon in the Rumble on the Raritan at Rutgers Univeristy’s SHI Stadium in Piscataway, part of a Big Central doubleheader that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Liners play Hillsborough at noon, while North Brunswick and Sayreville will follow at 3:30 pm.

Mewanwhile, previous No. 9 Colonia (2-2) was knocked out of the top ten with a loss this week, as was previous No. 10 Somerville (3-1).

Bernards (4-0) made its debut in the poll this season, after a 30-6 win over Voorhees on Thursday night.

Below are the full Week 4 Central Jersey Sports Radio rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

Unanimous again: Phillipsburg remains No. 1 in Big Central Media Poll for Week 3

Once again, Phillipsburg got all five first place votes and is a unanimous No. 1 in the Big Central Media Poll for Week Three.

The Stateliners are 2-0 after wins over two ranked teams – Sayreville and Ridge – in its opening two games. Phillipsburg visits 0-3 North Hunterdon this week.

Somerville – which received votes the last two weeks – break into the field in a three-way tie with Montgomery and Sayreville, while Cranford (1-1) dropped out.

Following is the full Week 3 Big Central Media Poll:

by Mike Pavlichko

Another win over a ranked team keeps Phillipsburg No. 1 in CJSR Week 3 Rankings

In its opening game, top-ranked Phillipsburg easily dispatched of No. 2 Sayreville.

Game Two was a bit more challenging, but with a 21-14 win over third-ranked Ridge, the Stateliners are 2-0, passing two early season tests, and hanging on again to the top spot in the Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten.

Ridge remains in the rankings, but at 1-1 now, drops to fourth. Two other one-loss teams are in the Top Ten. Sayreville (2-1) – with the loss to Phillipsburg – is eighth this week, while Colonia – also 2-1, with their loss coming to Sayreville – is right behind them in ninth.

Somerville and Hunterdon Central again tied for tenth, both at 3-0, leaving eleven teams in the rankings.

Following are the full Central Jersey Sports Radio Week 3 rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

Another sweep at No. 1 for Phillipsburg in Week Two Big Central Media Poll

Once again this week, Phillipsburg got all five first-place votes from the media members surveyed in the Big Central Media Poll, as the Stateliners opened their season with a dominant win over Sayreville Friday night, 42-7 at Maloney Stadium.

If the Stateliners can remain No. 1 next week, it’ll be the first time in the history of the poll – now in its fourth season – that the same team that was No. 1 in the preseason or Week Zero was still ranked first after Week Two.

The Bombers were the only team that stayed in the poll to move more than one spot this week, dropping from fifth to seventh after the loss. Previous No. 8 Westfield dropped out after losing to Watchung Hills, which had been tied with the Blue Devils for eighth.

Hunterdon Central joined the Media Poll for the first time since its inception three years ago.

Below is the full Big Central Media Poll for Week Two:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg again No. 1 in CJSR Top Ten; Somerville and Hunterdon Central join rankings

Off to a 2-0 start, Phillipsburg maintained its No. 1 ranking in the Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten for Week Two.

There was little change in this week’s rankings, which narrowed a bit. No. 10 Westfield dropped out after a loss to previously-No. 9 Watchung Hills, which moved up to sixth.

And two new teams joined the poll: Somerville (2-0) tied for tenth with Hunterdon Central (2-0). The Pioneers also received votes last week, while Hunterdon Central got its first-ever vote for the CJSR Top Ten. (CJSR’s first Top Ten came out in our inaugural season, 2020.)

No teams ended up in the Also Received Votes category, as Somerville and Central were the last two vote-getters, and both ended up in the Top Ten.

Below are the full Week Two CJSR H.S. Football Rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

Idle Phillipsburg remains atop Big Central Media Poll, as Watchung Hills and Montgomery make inroads

Three teams who don’t open their season until this Friday night hold the top three spots in the Big Central Media Poll for Week One, while two new teams made their debut.

Watchung Hills and Montgomery made the cut in Week One after receiving votes in the preseason rankings. The Warriors are tied for eighth with Westfield, while Montgomery takes the tenth spot.

Three teams dropped out from last week (there were 11 overall in the rankings, with two teams having been tied for tenth): Colonia, Edison and North Hunterdon, all of whom lost their opening games in Week Zero.

Below are the full Week One Big Central Media Poll rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg retains top spot, Sayreville moves up, Aquinas moves into Week 1 rankings

While Phillipsburg hasn’t opened its 2023 season yet – they host Sayreville this Friday in a highly-anticipated matchup – the Stateliners remain No. 1 in the Week One Central Jersey Sports Radio rankings.

The biggest gains in Week Zero play were made by Sayreville and St. Thomas Aquinas. The previously-No. 4 Bombers were 42-21 winners on the road against No. 8 Colonia, and moved up to No. 2 this week. St. Thomas Aquinas – which also received votes last week – debuted in this week’s rankings at seven.

No. 8 St. Joseph-Metuchen dropped out, despite being idle, making room for the Trojans.

Below are the full Week One Central Jersey Sports Radio H.S. Football rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

Clean sweep for Phillipsburg in Big Central Media Poll as Stateliners take all No. 1 votes

For the second time in the four year history of the Big Central Media Poll, a single team has taken all the first place votes in the preseason survey.

Phillipsburg – coming off an 11-1 year – ascended to the top spot after finishing second last year to North 2, Group 4 sectional champion North Hunterdon.

Four new teams joined the top eleven vote-getters in the preseason, with Sayreville, Colonia, Hillsborough and Westfield in the fray, while Hillside, Watchung Hills and Montgomery dropped out.

Sayreville is the only preseason Top Ten team to have more than four losses last season; the Bombers finished 4-5 in 2022, but have had a lot of preseason buzz among the media.

Overall, 17 teams received votes for the preseason Top Ten.

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg debuts at No. 1 in preseason CJSR rankings; five new teams join the mix

The Phillipsburg Stateliners – fresh of an 11-1 season and their first win over Easton since 2014, with much talent back – are the top team in the preseason Central Jersey Sports Radio High School Football rankings.

But in the rest of the list, there was little continuity from last year. Five teams that were in the 2022 final rankings dropped out, including the two that won state sectional titles – Edison and North Hunterdon – although all five also received votes.

In fact, of the five teams to play in a sectional final last year, only one – P’burg – made the preseason top ten.

Hillsborough, Sayreville, Colonia, St. Joseph-Metuchen and Watchung Hills are the new teams that join carryovers Phillipsburg, Ridge, North Brunswick, Westfield and Montgomery in this year’s preseason Top Ten. In addition to North Hunterdon and Edison, St. Thomas Aquinas, Hillside and Cranford all dropped out, but received votes.

Below are the full 2023 Central Jersey Sports Radio High School Football Rankings: