Category: Football Top Ten

by Mike Pavlichko

Little change in Week 7 CJSR Top Ten; Summit joins the ranks of the ranked

With nine of the teams in the Week 6 Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten winning this weekend, there was very little change in the Week 7 rankings.

In fact, the top nine teams all won, and the top eight teams remained the same, with North Brunswick a unanimous Number One, getting both first place votes.

The only change was newcomer Summit, which got its first votes this week and placed ninth, just ahead of previous-No. 9 Sayreville.

Below are the full Central Jersey Sports Radio Week 7 rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

Ridge remains No. 1 in Big Central Media Poll; Summit joins the mix

There was very little change in the Week 6 Big Central Media Poll, a week after then-top-ranked Phillipsburg’s loss to Hillsborough threw upheaval into the rankings.

Again, North Brunswick got three first-place votes, while St. Thomas Aquinas got two, but it was Ridge that took the top spot based on the poll math: 10 points for a first place votes, 9 for second, etc.

In fact, the top five teams stayed the same, while Montgomery and Watchung Hills flip-flopped after the Cougars’ win over the Warriors Saturday night.

Bernards and Union also flip-flopped – the Farmers falling to Hillsborough at home Friday night – and Summit joins the top ten for the first time ever. (This is the fourth season of the Big Central Media Poll.

Click below for the full Week 6 Big Central Media Poll:

by Mike Pavlichko

North Brunswick takes No. 1 in CJSR Top Ten for second straight week

Things appear to be settling in past the halfway point of the high school football season, at least as far as the rankings are concerned.

In the Week 6 Central Jersey High School Football Top Ten, North Brunswick is at the top of the list for a second straight week. The Raiders are 5-0 after a shutout win over Franklin Friday night, their first of the season.

There was very little movement this week, with the top two teams (North Brunswick and Ridge) staying the same, the third and fourth place teams (Hillsborough and Phillipsburg) flipping, and the two teams tied for sixth (Montgomery and St. Thomas Aquinas) now tied for fifth.

Watchung Hills dropped two places to seventh, while Bernards broke out of a ninth place tie with Sayreville and Hunterdon Central to finish eighth. The Bombers stayed ninth. Union dropped two places to tenth, and Hunterdon Central dropped out.

Below are the full Week 6 Central Jersey Sports Radio high school football rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

North Brunswick, St. Thomas Aquinas take first place votes after Phillipsburg upset, but Ridge gets No. 1 spot in Media Poll

This one was all about the math.

After previously-undefeated No. 1 Phillipsburg was knocked off by No. 8 Hillsborough, and No. 2 North Brunswick survived No. 7 Sayreville in Sunday’s Rumble on the Raritan, the 4-0 Raiders picked up three first-place votes.

St. Thomas Aquinas, which is 5-0, got the two other first place votes.

But the disagreement on who should be No. 1 left neither team with the top spot. It went to Ridge, which got all three second-place votes and two third-place votes, earning them 43 points, two more than the Raiders, who picked up 41 points.

Just like the standard AP Polls in college football and basketball – which give 25 points for a first-place Top 25 vote, 24 for second, 23 for third and so on, the Big Central Media poll awards 10 points for a first-place vote, nine for second, and so on down the line.

Below are the full Big Central Media Poll Week 5 rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg loss, North Brunswick win put Raiders at top of Central Jersey Sports Radio Week 5 Top Ten

Phillipsburg was the No. 1 team in the preseason Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten, and held that spot definitively through its first three games.

But a loss in Game Four, 14-13 to No. 8 Hillsborough Sunday at Rutgers in the Rumble on the Raritan, left the door open for a new No. 1 team.

But who would be that team?

We got our answer just a few hours later, when No. 2 North Brunswick picked off a two-point try pass to seal a 21-20 win over No. 8 and upset-minded Sayreville.

North Brunswick has achieved the No. 1 ranking in each of the last three seasons of the CJSR rankings. The Raiders were No. 1 last year after Week One, and were first in the Week One and Week Two rankings in 2021.

Ridge moved up three placed to second after a big win at No. 9 Hunterdon Central, while the Stateliners fell to third. Hillsborough – which had been No. 8 before the upset win, climbed four spots to fourth, but didn’t overtake P’burg.

Three teams tied for ninth this week, with no teams dropping out, Union making its debut, and all eleven teams that got votes ended up in the rankings thanks to the three-way tie for ninth.

Below are the full Week 5 Central Jersey Sports Radio rankings:

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: