Category: Football Top Ten

by Mike Pavlichko

Six unbeaten teams make the Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, with Phillipsburg, Woodbridge, Bernards still 1-2-3; Sayreville joins

It was back to a sense of stability in the top half of the Week Three Bellamy & Son Paving high school football rankings, with the top six teams all staying put, and teams eight and nine moving up after wins. Undefeated Sayreville joins the fray this week, too with eleven teams ranked again for the second week in a row.

Phillipsburg (3-0) remains No. 1 after a 28-6 home win over Ridge, behind another solid defensive effort. The Stateliners visit Hillsborough (1-3) this Friday.

Holding at No. 2 is Woodbridge (4-0), which won it’s bragging rights game with Colonia, 34-21 at home on Friday night. The Barrons – who have won 13 straight regular season games dating back to lsat season’s opener – go to Linden (1-3) this Friday night.

In third is Bernards (4-0), which remains there after a 31-21 win at Voorhees, as the Mountaineers adjust to life without Thomas Diemar, their all-time sack leader, who injured his ACL and meniscus a week ago Friday in a win over Delaware Valley. Winners of 29 straight regular season games – the best in the state – and 27 straight in Big Central play – second-best in the league – Bernards hosts JP Stevens (0-4) Friday night.

St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1) holds in fourth. A 57-45 shootout home win over Franklin Friday night extends their Big Central record win streak to 33 games heading into Friday’s home game with Elizabeth (2-2).

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Holding in fifth is Somerville (3-1), which rebounded from its first loss of the season last week to then-unranked Montgomery with a 20-7 victory at Rahway Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers come back home to host Hillside (1-2) at Brooks Field Friday evening.

At six again this week is Bridgewater-Raritan (4-0), which was a 43-7 winner over then-7th-ranked Hunterdon Central Friday night in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. But starting QB Declan Kurdyla went down in the game with a leg injury, and his status for next week is unknown. The Panthers travel to Ridge (1-2) Friday night.

The next two teams both moved up a spot.

Piscataway (3-1) is up to seventh after a 16-8 win Saturday afternoon over a very tough Ridgewood squad, which employs the Wing-T offense. The Chiefs are at South Brunswick (2-2) Friday, and will have two transfers from St. Thomas Aquinas ready to play, in Josiah Zayas and Mickeye Simmons, who had to sit out 30 days due to NJSIAA transfer rules.

Up one to No. 8 is St. Joseph-Metuchen (3-0). The Falcons are 3-0 for the third time in four seasons under head coach Bill Tracy, following a 41-20 win Saturday afternoon over Elizabeth at Brenner Family Field. They visit Westfield (2-2) Saturday afternoon.

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New this week at No. 9 is Sayreville (4-0), which has beaten Colonia, Linden, Edison, and – last week – Hillsborough, 28-14, the third straight game the Bombers have allowed just 14 points. The Bombers are back in action Friday night at War Memorial Stadium when North Brunswick (0-4) comes to town.

And again this week, two teams are tied for tenth. Montgomery (3-1) held after a 24-8 win over North Hunterdon. While the Lions are 0-4, it was their first loss this season by more than eight points. The Cougars host Watchung Hills (2-2) this Friday night at the newly-named Zoran Milich Field.

Old Bridge (3-1) is the other team in tenth with Monty, rebounding off a loss to Piscataway with authority, picking up a 45-7 win over South Brunswick. This Friday, they’re at East Brunswick (1-3), which just got its first win last week for new head coach Zack Gega, a 36-25 victory at Monroe.

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week Three Top Ten:

Image of a table displaying the Week Three Top Ten rankings for the Big Central Conference, detailing team names, records, and previous rankings.

Dropping out this week was previous No. 7 Hunterdon Central (2-2), which lost its second straight game Friday, falling 43-7 at No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan.

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In the “Also Considered” category, Sayreville jumped into the Top Ten, while Voorhees (3-1) and Summit (4-0) remain, while New Providence is back in, too. The Vikings remain despite a loss to Bernards at home, 31-21 Friday, while the Hilltoppers won at Carteret Friday, 21-0, in the Ramblers first game back at Walt Overholt Stadium after summer renovations. New Providence (3-0) was a 30-0 winner at Metuchen on Saturday.

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg moves into Top Ten of NJ Power Rankings, climbs ahead of St. Thomas Aquinas in Big Central Conference

Now that Gridiron New Jersey has released the official Strength Index numbers for all teams in the Garden State – and we’ve been able to figure out out-of-state opponents based on the latest standings and some simple math – there have been some adjustments in the state and Big Central power rankings.

Previous rankings by CJSR based on unofficial, projected SI numbers saw some changes, since we didn’t have information on out-of-state teams prior to their release after Week Two of play, per NJSIAA rules.

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

With the new OOS numbers released, St. Thomas Aquinas having fallen to Catholic Memorial (PA) in Week One, and Phillipsburg’s 48-point win over Hunterdon Central, the Stateliners take the new top spot this week in the Big Central power rankings. The Trojans move to No. 2, while Bernards moved up to three and Somerville fell to fourth after a Friday night home loss to Montgomery. Ridge rounds out the top five, moving up three places.

New Providence, Woodbridge, St. Joseph-Metuchen, Elizabeth and Piscataway round out the Top Ten in the league. And 18 of the league’s teams are in the Top 100.

A table displaying the Big Central Power Rankings for 2025 Week 2, listing schools, their Strength Index (SI) values, and state rankings.

Meanwhile, three Big Central teams continue to be ranked in the Top 25 statewide, with St. Thomas Aquinas the highest of them for a second straight week, holding at No. 6. (Keep in mind, their SI could not be updated this week since they played an out-of-state opponent. Phillipsburg climbs from 17 to 12, while Somerville dropped from 11 to 13.

Around the state, the out-of-state SI release and Week Two results brought some big changes.

The new No. 1 is Glassboro, which now has the state’s longest active win streak at 16 games after Rumson-Fair Haven had its 15-game streak snapped with a loss Friday night to Holmdel, dropping them all the way down to seven. (Both teams happen to be the Bulldogs, by the way.)

Bergen Catholic moves from five to two, likely based in part on the OOS SI numbers coming our, followed by Washington Twp (up five spots to third), DePaul (holding in fourth) and Don Bosco Prep (up from ninth to No. 5).

Only two Big Central teams remain in the state Top 25, as Phillipsburg rose from 12th to 10th place, while St. Thomas Aquinas dropped from No. 6 to 16. Somerville dropped out with its loss to Montgomery.

Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly has last week’s rankings included.

Table displaying the New Jersey Power Rankings for Week 2 of 2025, listing schools and their corresponding Strength Index (SI) values.

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

Week 2 upsets knock some teams down a peg, while Montgomery joins, Piscataway rejoins Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten

Stability was the name of the game in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten in the first two weeks of the season, Weeks Zero and One.

The third week, Week Two, was another story.

Big wins by Piscataway and Montgomery put both in the rankings this week, with the Chiefs returning after a one-week absence, and the Cougars making their debut this season.

Phillipsburg (2-0) remains in the top spot after dismantling Hunterdon Central Friday in Flemington, 55-7, for the 750th win in program history. The Stateliners are back in action Friday against Ridge (1-1) at Maloney Stadium. Ridge was the only team to beat P’burg last year as they went all the way to the state Group 4 final.

The next three teams all moved up a notch after Somerville’s loss to previously-unranked Montgomery. Woodbridge (3-0) moves up to second following a 27-18 win at Plainfield back on Friday. The Barrons play in their bragging rights game against Colonia (1-2) at home this Friday evening.

Bernards (3-0) moved up as well after a 43-7 home win over Delaware Valley. They’ll face another unbeaten team this week when they travel out to Glen Gardner to take on Voorhees (0-3).

And St. Thomas Aquinas (2-1) is up to No. 4 after getting back to its winning ways with a 50-8 rout of North Brunswick at home last Friday night. Franklin (2-1) hosts the Trojans this week.

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Somerville (2-1) falls to fifth with a 22-15 home loss to Montgomery, which joins the list further down. The defeat snapped an 11-game regular season win streak for the Pioneers, whose last loss had come to Hillsborough and Kevin Carty, Jr., a Somerville alum. The Cougars are coached by his brother Sean, who also played for Somerville. The Pioneers are back at it Saturday when they visit Rahway (2-1).

Checking in at No. 6 is Bridgewater-Raritan (2-1), which is up two spots after a 27-21 non-conference win Friday night at home over Morris Knolls. The Panthers are on the “Big Central Game of the Week” this Friday at 6 pm when they take on Hunterdon Central (2-1). The Red Devils took a 55-7 home defeat to Phillipsburg last week for their first loss of the season.

At No. 8, it’s Piscataway (2-1), which returns to the rankings in the same spot they left after Week Zero, following a huge upset win over then-No. 6 Old Bridge at home, 28-21. The Chiefs play a non-conference game this Saturday against Ridgewood out of the Super Football Conference. Ridgewood beat P’way at their place last year, 14-13, their first meeting since their 2018 clash in the North Group 5 Bowl Championship, which the Chiefs won to become the first Middlesesx County school to go 13-0, a feat none has matched since.

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St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0) hold in ninth after a 28-21 win at Union Friday night. The Falcons will entertain Elizabeth Saturday afternoon.

And, we have a tie for tenth between Montgomery and Old Bridge, both of whom are 2-1 for different reasons. The Cougars upset previously-No. 2 Somerville, winning on the road, 22-15, while the Knights lost to previously-unranked Piscataway on the road, 28-21. Monty will host North Hunterdon (0-3) this Friday night, while the Knights host South Brunswick (2-1).

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week Two Top Ten:

Graphic showing the Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Conference Week Two Top Ten standings with team names, records, and previous rankings.

Dropping out this week – on no fault of its own, mainly because of the upsets by Piscataway and Montgomery – was No. 10 New Providence. The Pioneers are 2-0, and beat Johnson 34-17 this week; they’ll visit Metuchen (1-2) this Saturday afternoon.

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In the “Also Considered” category, the same four teams remain: Sayreville, Voorhees, and Summit (all 3-0) along with Elizabeth (2-1). Sayreville has a big home game with Hillsborough (1-2) Friday, with a lot on the line for both squads. Voorhees hosts No. 4 Bernards (3-0) Friday, while Summit goes on the road to play Carteret (1-1) and Elizabeth meets No. 9 St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0) Saturday afternoon.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central Conference, New Jersey Power Rankings: Phillipsburg and Somerville flip-flop in BCC rankings, Rumson rises to No. 1 in NJ*

St. Thomas Aquinas – for now – remains the No. 1 team in the Big Central Conference power rankings, but likely would remain there anyway, despite a Week One loss Friday to the top-ranked MaxPreps team from Massachusetts, Catholic Memorial. But a shutout win at Westfield propelled Phillipsburg up over Somerville into the No. 2 spot, with the Pioneers’ winning a much closer tussle at home Friday over Cranford.

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

Please note, our calculations are typically unofficial, with all results based on scores reported to Gridiron New Jersey, which does the official SI calculations for the NJSIAA.

In addition, out-of-state opponent SI values have not been officially released by Gridiron New Jersey, but are scheduled to come out, per the NJSIAA’s football regulations, after this weekend’s Week 2 games, in conjunction with the site’s initial UPR release, which also will include the official SI numbers for all New Jersey teams.

Big Central Conference Power Rankings for 2025 Week 1, listing schools, their Strength Index (SI) values, and state rankings.

Meanwhile, three Big Central teams continue to be ranked in the Top 25 statewide, with St. Thomas Aquinas the highest of them for a second straight week, holding at No. 6. (Keep in mind, their SI could not be updated this week since they played an out-of-state opponent. Phillipsburg climbs from 17 to 12, while Somerville dropped from 11 to 13.

Around the state, Rumson-Fair Haven moved up from No. 2 – with an asterisk, since those out-of-state games have not been calculated into SI yet by CJSR – and wrested the top spot away from Winslow Twp., which will face Bergen Catholic this weekend, while Rumson hosts Holmdel. Glassboro pulls up from No. 5 to No. 2, while Winslow drops to third. DePaul fell one spot to fourth and Bergen Catholic fell to 5, but both also faced out-of-state opponents this week.

A table displaying the New Jersey High School Power Rankings for Week 1 of 2025, listing schools and their respective Strength Index (SI) values.

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

Stability at the top, chaos at the bottom of Week One Bellamy & Son Paving Football Rankings

While a good chunk of the first five teams in the Bellamy & Son Paving football rankings won this weekend (only St. Thomas Aquinas lost, and to the No. 1 team in Massachusetts) teams seven through nine all dropped out while three teams that haven’t lost yet made their first appearances.

Through it all, the top six and the tenth team all held their positions, while Hunterdon Central, Bridgewater-Raritan and St. Joseph of Metuchen – the first and last of which were in the “Also Considered” category last week – all joined the Top Ten after Week One of play.

Phillipsburg remains in the top spot after winning its opener Saturday afternoon, blanking Westfield 28-0 behind a 219 rushing yard performance from Sam Dech, who scored the first three touchdowns in the win. The Stateliners will visit Hunterdon Central (2-0) Friday night.

Somerville (2-0) remains in second following a 28-12 home win over Cranford at Brooks Field Friday night. The Pioneers got 182 yards and three scores from Aidan Vesuvio-Bush in the win. Next up, Montgomery (1-1) comes to town Friday night, with Somerville putting a 12-game regular season winning streak on the line.

Woodbridge (2-0) hangs tight in third after a 26-23 win at Watchung Hills, the Barrons third win over the Warriors in two seasons, having beaten them in the regular season and the playoffs last year. Woodbridge – winners of 11 straight regular season contests – visits Plainfield (1-1) next Friday night.

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Holding in fourth is Bernards (2-0), which took two days to beat Hillside on the road, 24-14, after thunderstorms in the area suspended Saturday’s game at halftime. The Mountaineers had to finish it off Sunday, and extended their state-best regular season winning streak to 27 games.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1-1) took a tough home loss Saturday, falling 35-7 to Catholic Memorial (MA), the No. 1 ranked MaxPreps team in the Bay State, but holds on to the No. 5 spot with an out-of-state loss to a very good team. They’ll host struggling North Brunswick (0-2) Friday night in North Edison.

Old Bridge (2-0) remains in sixth after a 28-6 road win at Edison Friday night. The Knights will have a big test when they visit Piscataway (1-1) Friday night.

Next up are three teams making their 2025 debuts in the rankings.

Hunterdon Central (2-0) joins the fray at No. 7. The Red Devils were 41-13 winners at Monroe Friday night behind a big offense. QB Drew Cella threw for 171 yards, while Jayden Cozze caught four passes for 110 yards and a touchdown and Reggie Osae-Aye ran 15 times for 197 yard and four scores. Central will host No. 1 Phillipsburg (1-0) Friday night.

Checking in at No. 8 is Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0). The Panthers followed up a season-opening win over Notre Dame with a 34-27 win over Piscataway, sweeping a home-and-home going back to last year. Bridgewater hosts Morristown (1-1) in non-conference action on Friday before welcoming in Hunterdon Central on the 19th in a game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

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In ninth is St. Joseph-Metuchen (1-0). The Falcons won their opener, 24-7 at Ridge on Friday night, behind a 102-yard, one-touchdown passing performance from senior quarterback Justin Scaramuzzo. The Joe’s will visit Union (0-2) Friday night.

And finally, New Providence (1-0) holds in tenth after winning Saturday at Governor Livingston, 42-7. In his first varsity start, junior Quarterback Kevin Reilly threw for 171 yards and a touchdown, while A.J. Whitehead scored two rushing touchdowns. The Pioneers will host Johnson (1-0) Friday night.

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week One Top Ten:

A table displaying the Week One rankings for the Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Conference, including team names, their records, and previous rankings.

Dropping out this week were No. 7 Ridge (0-1) after a 24-7 home loss to St. Joseph, No. 8 Piscataway (1-1) after a 34-27 loss at Bridgewater-Raritan, and No. 9 Elizabeth (1-1) after a 26-21 loss to Bayonne.

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In the “Also Considered” category, Sayreville (2-0) is there for a second straight week after a 28-14 win over Linden. So is Voorhees (2-0), which put up big numbers – including a 224-yard rushing effort from Matteo Tramutolo – in a 43-14 win at JFK. Summit (2-0) also get some attention after a 31-28 win at Montgomery. And Elizabeth – which was No. 9 last week, but lost to Bayonne, 26-21 – remains in consideration.

Next week, Sayreville travels to Edison (1-1), Voorhees goes to JP Stevens (0-2), and Elizabeth hosts Westfield (1-1), all on Friday night. Summit hosts Hillside (0-1) on Saturday.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central Conference, New Jersey Power Rankings: St. Thomas Aquinas overtakes Somerville in BCC, moves into NJ Top 10

St. Thomas Aquinas’ 53-6 blowout win over Montclair in the season opener Friday night has propelled the Trojans to the top of the Week 0 Big Central Conference Power Rankings, while moving them into the top ten statewide.

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

Please note, our calculations are typically unofficial, with all results based on scores reported to Gridiron New Jersey, which does the official SI calculations for the NJSIAA.

Also, while we initially thought there might be some inaccuracies since the SI values of out-of-state opponents were not readily available, and many teams played non-New Jersey competition, the SI of the New Jersey schools that played them were unchanged on Gridiron New Jersey, which officially calculates the playoff formula for the NJSIAA. That said, we believe the following numbers to be correct.

A table showing the Big Central Power Rankings for 2025 Week Zero, with schools ranked by their WK 0 and STATE values.

Meanwhile, three Big Central teams are ranked in the Top 25 statewide, but now St. Thomas Aquinas is the highest of them, moving from 13 to No. 6. Somerville hung in at No. 11 after a season-opening win at Schalick. And Phillipsburg – despite being idle in Week Zero – dropped two spots to 17.

Around the state, defending Group 4 champion Winslow remained No. 1 for now, but could have fallen behind Rumson-Fair Haven – which is just 0.9 points behind – depending on how Winslow’s game against IMG Academy (FL) shook out in the rankings. IMG would likely be very high in the MaxPreps national rankings – which is how out-of-state opponents’ SIs are figured, but we don’t have that number available at this moment. Defending Group 1 champ Glassboro beat Haddonfield Saturday night in the Battle at the Beach, but dropped to No. 5.

A table displaying the New Jersey Power Rankings for Week 0, featuring the names of schools and their corresponding scores.

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

Week Zero Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten sees few changes near the top, but Elizabeth joins

Though most did, not every Big Central Conference school opened the season in Week Zero, including three teams in the Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten. That includes Phillipsburg, which remains at No. 1, and with many others winning their openers, the top five remained the same thiss week.

Phillipsburg (0-0) typically doesn’t start in Week Zero since they have their big Thanksgiving Day rivalry game against Easton. The Stateliners open up at Westfield (1-0) Saturday at 1 pm at Kehler Stadium. The Blue Devils beat arch-rival Plainfield, 21-14, in their season-opener Thursday.

Somerville (1-0) holds at No. 2 after a 34-17 season-opening win at Schalick Friday night, behind three touchdowns and 120 yards from senior RB Aidan Bush. The Pioneers are back in action this Friday when they host Cranford (0-1) at 6:30 pm.

Woodbridge (1-0) remains in third, coming off a 14-0 season-opening shutout win over Union. They’ve won eleven straight against the Big Central Conference, and will visit Watchung Hills Friday for a 7 pm game against the Warriors, who they beat twice last season, the second time coming in the first round of the playoffs.

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Bernards (1-0) won its opener, 27-15 over Cranford Friday, and stays in third in this week’s rankings. The Mountaineers have won 24 straight against the BCC – the second-best active streak in the league – and now will face the last league team to beat them. They visit Hillside Saturday at 1 pm, in a game you can follow with Marcus Borden on Twitter, with postgame reaction to follow on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1-0) put up a ton of points in a 56-3 rout of Montclair Friday night in North Edison, behind 260 passing yards from Zymere Weaver, and giving new head coach Shamir Bearfield a win his first time out in grand fashion. This weekend, they’ll host Catholic Memorial of Massachusetts, which was 12-1 last season.

Moving up from ninth to sixth after a big non-conference win down at the Battle at the Beach was Old Bridge (1-0). The Knights were 21-7 winners over Cedar Creek, getting 168 rushing yards and three touchdowns from senior quarterback Brody Nugent. Old Bridge will visit Edison (0-1) at 7 pm Friday for the first of back-to-back road games.

Ridge (0-0) drops to seventh, having sat out Week Zero. The Red Devils and new head coach Jeff Sutherland play Friday at home at 7 pm when St. Joseph-Metuchen (0-0) comes to town in the season opener for both schools.

Piscataway (1-0) holds steady in eighth after a 31-14, come-from-behind win over Edison Friday night. The Chiefs will travel to play Bridgewater-Raritan Friday night at six, in a rematch of a game heard last year on Central Jersey Sports Radio that saw the teams combine for 100 points and four kick returns for touchdowns, in a 52-48 Panthers’ victory.

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Making its debut this week is Elizabeth (1-0). The Minutemen impressed Friday night with a 42-7 road win at Linden in which junior quarterback Arique Fleming threw for 272 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for a fifth. Next up, Elizabeth gets Bayonne at home at Williams Field, 6 pm Friday.

Rounding out the group is New Providence (0-0), which held in tenth despite not opening up in Week Zero. The Pioneers will play Saturday at 1 pm at Governor Livingston in the season opener for bot schools, which you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Bookmark this link to listen!

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week Zero Top Ten:

Big Central Conference Week Zero Top Ten rankings table featuring team names, records, and previous rankings.

Rahway (0-1) dropped out this week after a 35-33 home loss to Willingboro.

In the “Also Considered” category, Sayreville (1-0) got a nod after a 26-18 win at Colonia Thursday night. The Bombers got 150 yards rushing and four touchdowns from Shaun Jackson, and next host Linden (0-1) Friday at 7 pm.

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Hunterdon Central (1-0) also merits a look after a 36-28 season-opening win at North Hunterdon Friday night. The Red Devils got 158 rushing yards from Reggie Osae-Aye in the win, and will visit Monroe Friday night at 7:00.

And St. Joseph-Metuchen remains in this category, having not played in Week Zero. They visit Ridge Friday night at 7 in the season opener for both schools.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central Conference, New Jersey Power Rankings: 2025 Preseason lists find three BCC teams ranked statewide

Every week this season – as we have for the last two years – Central Jersey Sports Radio will publish the Big Central and New Jersey Power Rankings.

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

Please note, our calculations are typically unofficial, with all results based on scores reported to Gridiron New Jersey, which does the official SI calculations for the NJSIAA. However, the preseason power rankings use the official 2025 starting SI numbers, as reported on July 17th by Gridiron New Jersey.

Meanwhile, three Big Central teams are ranked in the Top 25 statewide, with defending Central Jersey Group 3 champion Somerville leading the way at No. 11, followed by St. Thomas Aquinas at No. 13, and Phillipsburg – defending North 2, Group 4 champs – at No. 17 in the rankings.

In addition to the three from the Big Central, two West Jersey Football League teams – defending Group 4 champion Winslow and defending Group 1 champ Glassboro – are ranked No. 1 and 2, with the WJFL having eight teams represented in the Top 25. The Super Football Conference has the most, with eleven. The Shore Conference has two teams, while the NJIC has one, Butler.

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio unveils preseason Big Central Conference Top Ten: Mainstays mostly remain, while newcomers will have to earn it

This was an easy Top Ten to figure out, but it wasn’t. Probably even more than the 13 teams presented here – ten ranked, three “also being considered” – will be in and out of the rankings all season.

For now, the 2025 preseason Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten features many of the same teams in the final 2024 rankings, with one exception. And the few we have on the outside looking in could be just as worthy as anyone else, but we’ll leave it like that for now, and see if they can earn their way in.

After all, it’s not where you start the season – everyone is undefeated on August 25th – but where you finish.

So if the team you root for – or the team you play on – isn’t here, go get some of those dubs, and the rankings will take care of themselves.

And now, the preseason Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Top Ten for 2025:

Just like those “also being considered” will have to earn their way in, the top spot is Phillipsburg‘s to lose. The Stateliners finished last year 11-3, and though they didn’t win their division, they did win the North 2, Group 4 title, and became the first Big Central team to make the state finals, in its third season of existence in 2024. Gone are some big names – Jett Genovese, Felix Matos, Matthew Scerbo, Jr. – but they have plenty left, and that’s not even counting the newcomers. P’burg doesn’t rebuild, they just reload.

The next couple of teams lost a lot, too. That starts with No. 2 Somerville, which went 12-1 last year – with an undefeated regular season – and won the Central Jersey Group 3 title as well as the Liberty Silver Division flag. But like the ‘Liners, they also lose some huge talent in Brenden Pacheco, Terrell Mitchell and Brady Scheier. But this is an excellent coaching staff, and the teams behind them that were their peers last year are in much of the same boat.

Woodbridge remains at No. 3 to start the year, after a 10-1 campaign, a perfect regular season, and a Liberty Gold Division title. The Anderson twins – Derek and Bryan – are gone, but there are still experienced players on the roster, and now Joe Goerge – in his second year as head coach – will run more option than he did last year, when he deftly sprinkled it into an offense that already was running well, and just got better.

Bernards went 11-1 last year and also had a perfect regular season; they won the Patriot Gold Division and made the North 1, Group 2 finals. This program is humming along right now, and like the others, loses some key pieces, but has some big ones back, too – including the school’s sack leader, Thomas Diemar. Opposing quarterbacks better stock up on ice.

St. Thomas Aquinas has the longest active win streak against Big Central competition – 31 games, while Bernards is No. 2 at 23 – but has a new coach and lost some key players to transfer, and drops one spot to No. 5. Still, the defending National Silver Division champs should be very good, and new mentor Shamir Bearfield – out of St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City – has an outgoing attitude that should work well in North Edison.

Ridge holds at No. 6 after an 8-2 year in which they beat Phillipsburg in the regular season, and wound up winning the American Silver Division. Andy West stepped down as head coach after the season, and fellow alum Jeff Sutherland takes over. Gone is bulldog rusher Adian Stieglitz – also a great baseball pitcher – but Ridge also is a well-oiled machine, and they could stick around in the rankings much of the year.

The winner of last year’s tongue-in-cheek “OMG! He’s Back Another Year” award was Andrew Avent, who this year officially becomes a four-year starter at runningback for Rahway. Last year, he was six carries shy of 200, logging 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Indians check in at No. 7 this year, and could very well make some noise.

Piscataway finished 7-4 last season, and is looking to take one more step up this year, and maybe take home a championship for the first time since their 13-0 season in 2018, when they won the North Group 5 “bowl game” over Ridgewood. With a number of returnees back – and the addition of Josiah Zayas, who has transferred back to his hometown school from St. Thomas Aquinas, but will have to sit the first few weeks – the Chiefs could just do it.

Old Bridge is the only team in the preseason rankings that didn’t finish there last year. But the Knights have high expectations with senior quarterback Brody Nugent returning, and word on the street is this could be a big year for them. We’re not the only one who thinks so, so we’ve put them in at No. 9.

And then, a smaller school at No. 10: New Providence. The Pioneers were 9-3 last season and finished strong, reaching the North 2, Group 1 finals. While exciting dual-threat quarterback T.J. Munn is gone, star runningback A.J. Whitehead and there’s plenty of talent on the roster from a team that put up a lot of points last year, and also turned in some solid defensive efforts.

Here’s the complete 2025 Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central preseason Top Ten:

As for the teams “also considered,” Hillsborough (7-4) finished at No. 9 last year, but loses the player who broke all kinds of records no one ever thought would fall. Jackson Jankowicz, winner of last year’s “Unbreakable Record” award. He topped Shawn Mayer’s rushing TD record of 24, and tied Tommy Amankwaa’s record of 30 total touchdowns in a single season. Head coach Sean Carty – who also coached Amankwaa, and his brothers, said last December, “I thought that might stand forever.” Bottom line: Jankowicz is tough to replace, and the Raiders may be very good. So, right now, they’re being considered.

Cranford (7-3) also had a very solid year, and will lose some key parts, but they always tend to have some good line play, and top runningback Gabe Worrell rushed for over 800 yards last year – as a sophomore! The Cougars made the North 2, Group 3 semifinals last year; we’ll see if they can climb even higher.

And St. Joseph-Metuchen may have finished just 5-5 last year, but they started out hot at 5-0. Things took a turn after a mid-season road loss at Phillipsburg, and just never recovered. But Bill Tracy is a solid coach, and some late-season injuries didn’t help either. Justin Scaramuzzo threw for 1,953 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior last year. He’s back, and we think the Falcons will finish stronger in 2025.

NJSIAA Group 4 Championship
by Marcus Borden

Phillipsburg and St. Thomas Aquinas take No. 1 spots in Coach Borden’s final Big Central Conference and GMC 2024 Top Tens

It is hard to believe the 2024 football season has come to an end with the finals of Group 2 and Group 4 Championships which were held at Rutgers this past Wednesday.

Phillipsburg was the first Big Central Conference team to advance to an Overall Group Championship game in the league’s short history.

When I began the BCC Camp Caravan Tour on August 12, my goal was to be sure I saw all 59 teams over the last two years, whether it was at a preseason practice, scrimmage or game. Mission accomplished!

This year I was able to see in person 48 of the 59 teams in the aforementioned scenarios and 2 others in a 7 vs 7 Passing Tournament.

I am also grateful to Joe Bellamy of Bellamy & Sons Paving, Carleigh Stillwagon of Elite Custom Apparel and Bob Trivosonno of Metro Team Sports for helping me honor 59 players from the BCC as members of the 2024 Borden’s Ballers Football Team.

A BIG THANK YOU TO MIKE PAVLICHKO & THE CREW AT CJSR!

Happy Holidays to all the Coaches, Players, Team Managers and your families!