Plainfield takes championship at Jets Nike “11-On” 7-on-7 Tournament in Florham Park; Bridgewater-Raritan, Union also shine at two-day competition
All three Big Central Conference participants made it to Day Two of the New York Jets’ “11-On” 7-on-7 High School Football Tournament up at the team’s Atlantic Health Training Center in Florham Park, with Plainfield winning the championship out of the entire 16-team field defeating Curtis (NY) of Staten Island Saturday afternoon, 32-8, in the finale. The Cardinals got a good look at some of their skill players, and played especially good defense at the event. In three games of Saturday’s round-robin playoffs to determine the teams that would play for the title, Plainfield allowed just 19 points, the fewest…
Mini coaching carousel that sent Riggi to Metuchen elevates Sofilkanich to defensive coordinator at St. Joseph
Very few of the dozen head coaching changes at Big Central Conference football schools this off-season came about because of other departures, unlike a couple of years ago. After the 2023 season, Joe LaSala left Woodbridge, Joe Goerge left South Brunswick to take the Barrons’ job, and Ibrahim Halsey left Roselle for the Vikings, leaving Tyrone Turner to take over at Hillside. In the past week, he joined the staff of new head coach Steven Brown at North Plainfield. No, none of that happened this year, but Joe Riggi’s departure as Defensive Coordinator at St. Joseph-Metuchen to take the vacant…
After more than two decades as a source for coaches, fans – and journalists – Gridiron New Jersey shuts down
Forget transfer scandals, playoff format changes, and big upsets. The biggest news to rock the high school football world in New Jersey in recent memory came on Friday, June 26, 2026: the shutdown of Gridiron New Jersey. Since 2002, and especially since 2018 when the NJSIAA drastically altered its football playoff formula in favor of the NJ UPR model – which at the time included the Born Power Index, Jon Fass has run the website Gridiron New Jersey, an easy-to-navigate site, free for all users, featuring all team results, power point calculations, and UPR standings. It also included every single…
Early look at Big Central Football 2026: Slimmer United Gold Division still packs a punch with defending champ Summit, Cranford, Carteret and Scotch Plains-Fanwood
Hillside is out of the Big Central Conference United Gold Division – moving to the Patriot Gold – but the four-team group won’t be any less challenging this year. While Summit may look a little different with the graduation of Alex Schwark, the well-coached group will likely be a preseason favorite to win it, but Cranford and Carteret may have something to say about that, while Scotch Plains-Fanwood will look to make strides in its third season led by Shawn Johnson. Here are the preliminary schedules for the United Gold Division teams – in order of 2025 finish – compiled…
Early look at Big Central Football 2026: Three-way co-champ Somerville seeks third Liberty Silver title; What will Montgomery, Watchung Hills, North Hunterdon have to say as Hunterdon Central joins the fray?
The Big Central Conference’s Liberty Silver Division could be an intriguing one this year. Somerville – after moving out of the big school divisions a couple of seasons ago and winning the Liberty Silver outright in 2024 – ended up in a three-way tie atop the division last season. The Pioneers, Montgomery and Rahway all finished 3-1, with Somerville falling to the Cougars, Montgomery falling to the Indians, and Rahway losing to the Pioneers. Got that? There will be a quiz later. (Just kidding.) This year, Somerville brings a lot back, while North 2, Group 4 finalist Montgomery loses a…
Early look at Big Central Football 2026: Woodbridge, Colonia will need to fill some holes to compete for Liberty Gold supremacy, but don’t count out Linden, Plainfield or newcomer Rahway
Two of the three high school in Woodbridge – Woodbridge and Colonia – help make up the Big Central Conference’s Liberty Gold Division, and both were the cream of the crop last year. But they’ll both have to figure out how to replace some big graduation losses to have the same kind of success in 2026. Then, of course, they’ll also have to hold the rest of the division at bay, which may not be easy, especially with Plainfield going into its second season under Donald Jones, and Linden doing the same under veteran Mark Ciccotelli. And, of course, there’s…
Early look at Big Central Football 2026: Sayreville, St. Thomas Aquinas to duke it out in National Silver, while Edison, Franklin, North Brunswick hope to make strides
The National Silver may no longer feature the team with the longest Big Central win streak – a distinction that now belongs to Bernards – but St. Thomas Aquinas should be right up there with Sayreville in challenging for the division title in 2026. The Bombers showed big improvement in Year Two under alum Mark Poore, who went from 4-6 to 9-2 in 2025, falling by one to Old Bridge in the Central Jersey Group 5 semifinals. But the Trojans also should be improved with more continuity under second-year head coach Shamir Bearfield. Franklin has boosted its coaching staff and…
Early look at Big Central Football 2026: Old Bridge, Piscataway will try to hold off South Brunswick, East Brunswick, Monroe in National Gold
The Big Central Conference realignment in the off season didn’t touch the two big school “GMC” (sort of) Divisions, with no changes made to the National Gold and Silver Divisions for the next two season. (We say “sort of,” of course, because all but one of the ten teams in those divisions are from Middlesex County, the only outlier being Franklin, which at one point years ago attempted to defect from the Skyland Conference to the GMC.) That said, in the National Gold, 2025 champion Piscataway and runner-up Old Bridge both should be in the running for another division title.…
Early look at Big Central Football 2026: American Silver is one team smaller, but no easier for those who remain
When the Big Central Conference did its realignment this off-season, part of a two-year cycle, it pulled Hunterdon Central from the American Silver Division and put them with smaller schools in the Liberty Silver, including Somerville and Montgomery, among others. But that won’t make life any easier for the teams left in the American Silver, as Ridge, Bridgewater-Raritan, Hillsborough and Phillipsburg still get the Red Devils as a crossover – and, of course, still have to play each other. The Stateliners moved up to the North Group 5 supersection due to its new success formula, but that doesn’t affect the…
Early look at Big Central Football 2026: St. Joseph still team to beat in American Gold Division, but has a lot to replace
Having swept the Big Central Conference’s American Gold Division each of the last two seasons, one would have to consider St. Joseph-Metuchen a team that will at least be right back in the thick of things in 2026, but there will be work to be done for Bill Tracy and his program, with some key talent lost to graduation. Their next best competition could very well be Elizabeth, with senior QB Arique Fleming back for his fourth year as the starting signal-caller for the Minutemen. Westfield – coming off a 4-6 season under first-year head coach Matt Andzel – also…
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