Tag: Bridgewater-Raritan

by Mike Pavlichko

Elizabeth finishes regular season at No. 1, but three upsets juggle the rest in Week 9 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten

It’s all the same teams – and still Elizabeth as No. 1, the only unbeaten team remaining in the Big Central Conference – but a trio of upsets shuffled much of the rest of the Week Nine Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, the final one before the end of the season.

From the top, Elizabeth (8-0) held on to the top spot after a 29-14 come-from-behind home win over Somerville Friday night at Williams Field. The Minutemen got the overall top-seed in the North 5 supersection, and will be the No. 1 seed in North Jersey, Section 2, hosting eight-seed Linden Friday night. Elizabeth beat the Tigers 39-18 when they met on October 12th.

At No. 2 is Old Bridge (8-1), which came up with a huge 28-6 win at previous No. 3 Ridge Friday night. The Red Devils fall to four this week as a result, and will start the playoffs on the road as the five-seed in North 1, Group 4, traveling to fourth-seed Middletown South this Friday night. The Knights are the top-seed in Central Jersey Group 1, and will host eight-seed Lenape Friday night at Lombardi Field.

In fourth, it’s Phillipsburg (6-2), which pounded Hunterdon Central, 41-13, Friday night. This week, they’ll be back home at Maloney Stadium as the third-seed in North 2, Group 5, where they will host six-seed Ridgewood Friday evening at 7.

At No. 5 is Sayreville (7-2), which scored 16 unanswered points to erase a 7-0 first-half deficit and beat then-No. 4 Piscataway, 16-7 Friday night in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Bombers got a three seed in Central Jersey Group 5, and will host sixth-seed Vineland Friday night at 7. Piscataway (7-2) drops to seventh, but still got a first-round home game as the three-seed in North 2, Group 5, and will host sixth-seed Bayonne Saturday at noon, in a game you can also hear live on CJSR.

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In between the Bombers and Chiefs, Bridgewater-Raritan (7-2) checks in at No. 6. The Panthers were 28-7 home winners over Watchung Hills Friday, and the defending North 2, Group 5 champs got a five seed in the section this year. They will visit fourth-seed Passaic Tech Friday night.

Moving up two spots to No. 8 is Hillside (8-1), which spoiled Cranford‘s perfect season (7-1) with a 14-3 road win last week over the then-No. 7 Cougars. The Comets earned a six-seed in North 1, Group 2 and will visit third-seed Rutherford for a 6 pm kickoff Fridya, while Cranford is a two-seed in North 1, Group 3, and will host seven-seed Matawan Friday night at 7:00.

At No. 10, down one spot to make room for Hillside, is Rahway (8-1), which beat Edison 22-7 Friday night at Madden Field. They’ll be back there this Friday as the two-seed in North 2, Group 4, taking on seven-seed Mount Olive at 7 pm.

Below is the complete 2026 Week Nine Bellamy & Son Paving High School Football Top Ten. These are the last rankings before the end of the season.

by Mike Pavlichko

Elizabeth stays No. 1, Hillside replaces Union in Week 8 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten

For a second straight week, there were very little changes in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten. The only change in Week Eight was Hillside replacing Union in the final spot, as the first nine teams all remained the same.

From the top, Elizabeth (8-0) remains No. 1 after a 34-3 win Saturday at Westfield. The Minutemen host Somerville this Friday in their regular season finale, looking to lock up a No. 1 seed in the North Group 5 supersection.

At No. 2 is Old Bridge (7-1). The Knights blanked East Brunswick Friday night, 43-0, and have a huge game at No. 3 Ridge (5-2) Friday night. The Red Devils were 42-19 winners at Hillsborough last week. The Knights appear to have a shot at a No. 1 seed in South 5 if they can flip over Rancocas Valley (8-0), which plays Burlington Twp. (4-4) this week. The Red Devils may need a win to stay in the top eight of North 4 and get a first round home game.

Phillipsburg (5-2) remains fourth after a 35-14 home win over No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan (6-2), leaving a three-way share of the American Silver Division title with Ridge. The Stateliners host Hunterdon Central at Maloney Friday night, while the Panthers host Watchung Hills.

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Piscataway (7-1) checks in at No. 5, after a 35-7 win at Monroe Friday. They play at No. 8 Sayreville Friday at 7 pm in the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Bombers were 44-8 winners at North Brunswick last week.

Cranford (7-0) stays at seven after winning 24-12 at Carteret Friday. The Cougars get Hillside (7-1) this Friday night, with the Comets joining the top ten at No. 10 after beating Manville on the road Friday, 54-7.

And Rahway (7-1) holds at No. 9 after a 41-14 win at Colonia this past Friday night. The Indians host Edison this Friday.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

After big changes the past two weeks, some stability in the Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Top Ten

Yes, the last couple of weeks have been somewhat tumultuous in the Big Central Conference among its top teams, reflected in big changes in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, including a new No. 1 last week.

That’s not quite the case this week., as the top seven all stayed the same, the bottom two shifted around, one team dropped out, and another rejoined the Top Ten after falling out two weeks ago.

It all starts with Elizabeth (7-0), which continued its fantastic season with a 44-0 shutout of Hillsborough at home last Friday, to stay at No. 1. They Minutemen get an extra day of prep this week, as they’ll visit Westfield Saturday afternoon.

Old Bridge (6-1) remains at No. 2, after a 38-20 road win at Monroe last Friday. They’re back at it this Friday with a home game against East Brunswick.

Third-ranked Ridge (4-2) holds its position, thanks to a 34-0 shutout over Westfield last Friday night. The Red Devils visit Hillsborough Friday night.

At No. 4 is Phillipsburg (4-2), holding steady after a bye last week. They started in Week Zero this year, and still have a Thanksgiving Day game against Easton, which gives them a week off in the middle of the season. The Stateliners host No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan (6-1) Friday night at Maloney Stadium, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Radio. The Panthers were 28-7 winners at previous No. 9 Union Friday night, and a win over the Stateliners would give them the American Silver Division title. Should Phillipsburg win, they would get the title on a tiebreaker, but if Ridge beats Hillsborough, it would be a three-way tie, with everyone splitting two games with one another.

Piscataway (6-1) holds in fifth after a 35-14 win at home over then-No. 8 St. Joseph-Metuchen Friday night. The Chiefs are in Monroe this Friday to take on the other Falcons in the BCC.

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At No. 7, it’s Cranford (6-0) holding steady. The Cougars blanked South Plainfield, 14-0, on the road last Friday night, and this Friday, they travel to Carteret.

The last three spots saw some shuffling. Sayreville (5-2) moved up from ten to eight after a 23-16 win at Somerville, and this week are in North Brunswick to take on the Raiders Friday night.

Rahway (6-1) rejoins the rankings at No. 9 after falling out a couple of weeks ago with a loss to Cranford. But the Indians have won two straight since, including last Friday night at Plainfield, a 35-6 victory. This Friday, they visit Colonia.

And dropping one spot to No. 10 is Union (5-2), which lost at No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan last Friday, 28-7. The Farmers play at St. Joe’s this Friday, in the Falcons’ once-a-year Friday night game with temporary lights at Brenner Family Field.

St. Joseph-Metuchen dropped out of the rankings this week after their fourth straight loss, this one to Piscataway; they’re now 2-4.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Where do the Big Central Conference division races stand? Some are settled, but we take a closer at the ones that aren’t

We’re down to the last two weeks of the high school football regular season, with this also being the final week of divisional play in the Big Central Conference, and there are still a number of division titles up for grabs.

Some already have been decided, so we decided to take a look at who’s already been crowned, and which ones still are up for grabs.

Divisional Champs…

Eight of the 12 Big Central Divisions already have been decided, with two outright: Belvidere and Hillside. The other six are decided due to tiebreakers between the division leaders and the next team back. Here’s a closer look.

  • American Gold – Elizabeth: The Minutemen are perfect in 2026, 7-0 and No. 1 in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten. And they may be the most high-powered offense in the league, averaging 41.1 points per game, only once scoring fewer than 28 points – in a 19-7 win at Union in their third game of the year. They also have topped 50 twice. It’s a small division – just four teams – so there are only three division games, and their last comes this Saturday when they visit Westfield (1-5). They close at home against Somerville on Cutoff Weekend in a game that should see a lot of points scored.
  • Freedom Silver Division – Belvidere: The County Seaters swept through the division this year, going 5-0, just like they did in 2024, making this their second division title in three seasons, and second all-time in the BCC. Belvidere’s high-powered offense averaged 38 points per game against Freedom Silver opponents – never scoring fewer than 34 points in any of the five – while allowing just under ten a game. Their only loss came in their opening game, a 27-8 defeat at Hackettstown, and they have won eight straight games against Big Central foes, dating back to October 10 of last year. Belvidere has a non-conference game at North Warren this Friday night before hosting Delaware Valley on Saturday of Cutoff Weekend.
  • Liberty Gold – Rahway: The Indians aren’t finished with divisional play yet, but they are 3-0, with a trip to Colonia this Friday. But the only team that could tie them in the division is Woodbridge, and Rahway has the tiebreaker, courtesy of a 42-21 road win back on September 11. Their lone loss this year came three weeks ago at home to Cranford, 14-7; the Cougars remain undefeated. Rahway has won two straight since, 38-20 over South Brunswick and 35-6 at Plainfield Friday night. The Indians close divisional play at Colonia this week before a crossover home game against Edison the week after.
  • Liberty Silver – Montgomery: The Cougars are in the same situation as Rahway, 3-0 in the division, with Somerville behind them at 2-1, but Monty beat The ‘Ville for a second year in a row, 38-35, back on September 25. And, eerily similar to Rahway, they also lost to Cranford, 13-12, two weeks ago. Montgomery has won four of its last five games after an 0-2 start, with wins at Watchung Hills and Hunterdon Central, and at home over Colonia and the Pioneers. Monty visits divisional foe North Hunterdon Friday night, then plays a home crossover Friday of Cutoff Weekend against Hillsborough in the “Carty Bowl.”

  • National Gold – Old Bridge: Ditto here for the Knights, who are 3-0, with Piscataway behind them at 2-1, but Old Bridge beat the Chiefs 27-26 three weeks ago, erasing a 26-0 halftime deficit with four unanswered touchdowns – two on the ground, two through the air – by Chase Rizzo. The Knights (6-1) have won six straight since an eight-point loss to Shawnee in the Battle at the Beach down in Ocean City in Week Zero, and have now won eleven straight contests against Big Central competition, the longest active streak in the league. They play their final division game of the season Friday night at Lombardi Field against East Brunswick before heading up to Ridge on Friday night of Cutoff Weekend.
  • National Silver – Sayreville: The Bombers also are 3-0 in the division, with St. Thomas Aquinas behind them at 2-1, and Sayreville owns the tiebreaker via a 37-21 win over the Trojans three weeks ago. Their only two losses have come in crossovers, 2-17 to Ridge and 14-12 at Old Bridge two weeks ago, but they bounced back with a 23-16 win at Somerville back on Friday in their third straight road game. They will close divisional play this Friday with their fourth straight trip, this time to North Brunswick, before finishing up at home against Piscataway, Friday night of Cutoff Weekend, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
  • Patriot Gold – Hillside: The Comets swept the division, going 4-0 with wins over Delaware Valley, North Plainfield, Voorhees and New Brunswick, their most recent coming Saturday against the Canucks, 26-0, at Conant Street Park. In those four, they scored an average of 31.5 points per game and allowed a total of just ten, with two shutouts, also blanking New Brunswick. In fact, in their six wins this season, they’ve allowed just 17 points, but their lone BCC loss was a 20-19 home defeat at the hands of Bernards last week. Hillside closes with two road crossovers this week at next, first at Manville, then at Cranford.
  • United Silver – Bernards: In a small, four-team division, the Mountaineers are 2-0, with wins over the two teams immediately behind them at 1-1, South Plainfield and Governor Livingston. With those tiebreakers in hand, Bernards is an outright division champ for the fifth straight year. They shared the Division 2A title in a three-way tie with Delaware Valley and Hillside in 2021, and did the same in the COVID-shortened 2020 season with Hillside and Governor Livingston.

Still to be decided…

That leaves four divisions whose champions are yet to be determined, and will be decided this week. Here’s a closer look at the potential scenarios, with one potential three-way tie.

  • American Silver: This will be decided Friday night at Maloney Stadium in Phillipsburg, where the likely well-rested Stateliners – coming off a bye – will host Bridgewater-Raritan in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio this Friday night. But it could get complicated. The Panthers are 2-0 in the four-team division, with just three division games, while Phillipsburg is 1-1. Should Bridgewater-Raritan win, they’d be 3-0 and claim the title outright. If the Stateliners win, both would be 2-1, with Phillipsburg claiming the title on a tiebreaker with one exception. If Ridge wins at Hillsborough Friday – and the Red Devils should be a heavy favorite against the Raiders – there would be a three-way tie. Ridge will have split with Bridgewater and Phillipsburg, Bridgewater would have beaten Ridge but lost to P’burg, and the ‘Liners would have beaten Bridgewater, but lost to Ridge; that defeat came on the final play of their October 2 game at Lee Field.
  • Freedom Gold: This one is a lot simpler. With five division games, to play, and four in the books, it comes down to Highland Park (7-0) and Dayton (5-2) this Friday night in Springfield. The Owls have pitched five shutouts this season – blanking New Brunswick, Middlesex, JP Stevens, South River, and Brearley – while allowing 13 points all season, with just six allowed by the defense; the other seven came via an interception return for a touchdown two weeks ago at Bound Brook. Roselle Park is the only offense to score on them. Dayton’s only two losses have come out of the division, at Governor Livingston in Week Zero and at home to New Providence two weeks ago.
  • Patriot Silver: The resurgent Panthers are 6-1, 4-0 in the division, and will be going for their seventh win this Friday when A.L. Johnson comes to Waters Stadium in the Bay City Friday night; a win would give them their most victories in a season since 1967. But more importantly, the division title is on the line. Both are 4-0 in the division, with wins over Roselle, Spotswood, Governor Livingston and Metuchen, so this one is for all the marbles.
  • United Gold: Undefeated Cranford is 2-0 in this small division, with Summit and Carteret both 1-1. But the Cougars already have beaten Summit – shutting out the Hilltoppers 29-0 on September 18 – so Summit can’t lay claim to the division title if the Cougars (6-0) drop their first game of the year this weekend when they visit The Pit to take on the Ramblers. But if they do, Carteret would get the title, as both would be 2-1 in the United Gold, with the Ramblers owning the tiebreaker.
by Mike Pavlichko

There’s a new team atop the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten after Phillipsburg falls at Ridge, and it’s their first No. 1 ranking in BCC history

For the first time since the formation of the Big Central Conference in 2020, Elizabeth has reached the top of the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week Six.

The Minutemen are 6-0 for the first time since 2012, when they went undefeated, 11-0, and won the first-ever North 2, Group 5 championship, beating Piscataway in the final at Kean University in Union.

Phillipsburg had been No. 1, with their only prior loss coming out of state, to Freedom (PA) out of Bethlehem. But they were knocked off by No. 1 Ridge on the final play of the game Friday, and Elizabeth’s win helped cement the change. All in all, only two teams are in the same positions they were last week.

Elizabeth stayed unbeaten with a 39-18 home win against Linden Friday night, and the Minutemen will put that perfect mark on the line again this Friday when they host Hillsborough (1-4) in a crossover game.

Old Bridge (5-1) edged up a spot to No. 2 after a thrilling 14-12 home victory over then-No. 8 Sayreville Friday night, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. This week, the Knights visit much-improved Monroe (4-2) in a National Gold Division contest.

Ridge (3-2) – which has played four ranked opponents, three of which have been in the top three at one point or another – moved all the way up to No. 3 after knocking off Phillipsburg at home Friday, winning on a touchdown catch off a tipped ball at the goal line on the game’s final play. This week, the Red Devils host Westfield Friday night in a BCC crossover. Phillipsburg (4-2) dropped down to four, and is off this week.

Piscataway (5-1) was a 46-6 winner over Franklin Saturday afternoon in the first meeting of the former Thanksgiving Day rivals in three years. The Chiefs are back at it Friday night at home in a crossover game against No. 8 St. Joseph-Metuchen.

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Holding at six and seven are Bridgewater-Raritan (5-1) and Cranford (5-0). The Falcons were 5-18 winners at Hunterdon Central Friday, and visit Piscataway this Friday. The Cougars remained undefeated with a 13-12 home win over Montgomery Friday, and this Friday night are at South Plainfield for a crossover game.

Down three spots to eight is St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-3), which has dropped three straight after starting 2-0, including an impressive win over Bridgewater-Raritan. Saturday, they lost a non-conference matinee at Delbarton, 56-24. They visit No. 5 Piscataway Friday night in a crossover game.

Making its debut this season is Union (5-1), which already has topped last year’s win total by two. The Farmers won their third strai9ght on Saturday afternoon at Cooke Field, blanking Plainfield, 24-0. This week, they play a home crossover against No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan.

And down two spots to the final position at ten is Sayreville (4-2), which lost 14-12 at Old Bridge Friday night, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Bombers are back at it again this with a crossover matchup Friday, visiting previously-ranked Somerville.

Previous No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas dropped out of the rankings this week, dropping its third straight game – 42-26 at Somerville – after starting the season 3-0. They host North Brunswick in a BCC National Silver Division game Friday night in North Edison.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

As six ranked teams fall, one new team joins, another re-enters, but Phillipsburg still atop Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week Five

Week Four was nothing but more chaos in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, but in the end, Phillipsburg remains at the top of the heap in the Week Five rankings. Previous No. 2 Piscataway lost to No. 4 Old Bridge, the No. 1 Stateliners held off No. 5 St. Joseph of Metuchen, and teams seven through ten – Somerville, Rahway, St. Thomas Aquinas and Ridge – all lost as well. Still, there was only room enough for two new teams to join the rankings.

This week’s rankings are a day late because of the Falcons game against Phillipsburg, which was moved to Monday due to rough weather Saturday from the Nor’easter that gripped New Jersey all weekend. But the Stateliners improved to 4-1 with a 42-31 win over the Falcons. It’ll be a quick turnaround for P’burg, which will visit No. 10 Ridge Friday night.

Elizabeth (5-0) moves up to No. 2, after a 28-23 win at Ridge last Friday. The Minutemen – looking for their first 6-0 start since 2012, a year they went undefeated and won the first-ever North 2, Group 5 state title – host neighbor Linden this Friday night.

Old Bridge (4-1) edges up one spot from four to three, after coming back from a 26-0 halftime deficit with 27 unanswered points to beat then-No. 2 Piscataway, 27-26. The Chiefs dropped from second to fourth with the loss. Old Bridge will host Sayreville (4-1) Friday night at 6 in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, while Piscataway renews its rivalry with longtime Thanksgiving foe Franklin (1-4) after a two year hiatus. The Warriors got their first win of the season Monday, in another rescheduled game from the weekend, beating North Brunswick at home, 55-21.

In fifth is St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-2), which stays put after going toe-to-toe with – but losing to – No. 1 Phillipsburg Monday, 42-31. The Falcons have less of a quick turnaround – but a turnaround nonetheless – as they visit Delbarton Saturday afternoon for a non-league game.

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Also holding at six is Bridgewater-Raritan (4-1). The Panthers blanked Westfield Saturday afternoon – the only Big Central teams the play – 20-0, and this week host Hunterdon Central on Friday night at Basilone Field.

Undefeated Cranford (4-0) makes its season debut in the rankings at No. 7, after a 14-7 win over then-No. 8 Rahway Friday night. The Cougars are back in action Friday night against Montgomery, which knocked off previous No. 8 Somerville last week for the second year in a row.

Sayreville (4-1) rejoins the rankings after being knocked out in Week Two. The Bombers had an impressive win over No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas last Friday, 37-21, and will travel to No. 3 Old Bridge Friday night at 6:00 for a game you can listen to on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The last two spots remain the same as last week, as St. Thomas Aquinas (3-2) holds the ninth position, despite the loss to Sayreville; they play Friday night at Somerville. Ridge (2-2) remains at No. 10, and this Friday will host top-ranked Phillipsburg.

After no one dropped out either of the last two weeks, Somerville (3-2) falls out of the rankings, as does No. 8 Rahway (4-1).

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

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.

A sign featuring the text 'BELLAMY & SON PAVING' in bold red and yellow letters, highlighting residential and commercial paving services.

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:

by Mike Pavlichko

All but Phillipsburg win, and all ten teams remain the same in Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Top 10

Sure, there was a full slate of games in the Big Central in Week Two, but Top Ten wise, it was very quiet.

And while No. 1 Phillipsburg (2-1) was the only team to lose, falling 32-31 to Freedom (PA) in their final Pennsylvania game before getting into the BCC slate, that loss didn’t cost them, as they retained their top spot in the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Week Three Top Ten.

This week, the Stateliners open divisional play in the BCC American Silver Division when they come back home to Maloney Stadium to take on Hillsborough.

In fact, nobody moved this week – all ten teams remained in their same positions as last week.

That includes St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0), which beat Westfield on the road Friday night, 28-6. They’ll be one of six teams involved in three Top Ten matchups this weekend, as they travel to No. 7 Elizabeth (3-0) Friday night to face the Minutemen in a battle of unbeatens you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with kickoff set for 6 pm. Elizabeth was a 19-7 winner at Union Friday night.

Holding in third is Piscataway (3-0). The Chiefs were 42-7 winners at East Brunswick on Thursday night, and this week are back at Kenny Armwood Stadium to face South Brunswick at 6 pm.

Old Bridge (3-0) remains in fourth after a 21-0 win at South Brunswick Thursday night, in which starting QB Aiden Rios dinged up his non-throwing shoulder. The Knights will hope he can be back Friday for a home date with No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas. The Trojans (3-0) were 40-0 winners Friday night at Franklin.

A sign featuring the text 'BELLAMY & SON PAVING' in bold red and yellow letters, highlighting residential and commercial paving services.

Holding at No. 5 is Bridgewater-Raritan (2-1), which beat Hillsborough for the first time since 2017 Thursday night, 40-14. The Panthers, whose lone loss came in a barnburner at St. Joseph-Metuchen last Saturday afternoon, are back in action for a Top Ten matchup against No. 9 Ridge (2-0) at Basilone Field Friday night. They won out at Hunterdon Central Thursday night, 23-17.

Somerville (2-1) maintains the sixth spot, thanks to a 54-6 drubbing of North Hunterdon at Brooks Field Thursday night. The Pioneers are back in the Ville again this week, hosting Watchung Hills at 6:30 pm.

And No. 10 Rahway (3-0) held serve with a 42-21 win at Woodbridge, the return of head coach Brian Russo to his alma mater, where he also coached. The Indians visit neighbor Linden Friday night at 7.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Top teams win, middle teams drop games, so Bellamy & Son Paving Week 2 Top Ten sees more changes; Phillipsburg still No. 1

Four of the teams in the Bellamy & Son Paving Week One Top Ten lost last weekend, which leaves half of them still in the rankings, and the other half out, while the top four all stayed put in Week Two.

That starts with Phillipsburg (2-0) still atop the list, after a 24-10 win at Emmaus (PA) Friday. The Stateliners finish out their three-game Pennsylvania stretch to start the season this Friday when they visit Freedom (PA).

St. Joseph-Metuchen (1-0) won its season-opener in thrilling fashion Saturday afternoon, outlasting then-No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan, 43-36. The Falcons are back at it Friday afternoon at 4 when they travel to Westfield.

Holding in third is Piscataway (2-0). The Chiefs were 28-14 winners over then No. 5 Somerville Friday night in the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week, the first time the Pioneer offense has been held without a point since 2023. Thus week, it’s a Thursday trip to East Brunswick for Piscataway.

A sign featuring the text 'BELLAMY & SON PAVING' in bold red and yellow letters, highlighting residential and commercial paving services.

Rounding out the unchanged top four is Old Bridge (1-1), which got in the win column after a season-opening non-conference loss to Shawnee in the Battle at the Beach in Ocean City with a 49-21 win over Montgomery Friday. Thursday, the Knights visit South Brunswick, in our Friday night Bellamy & Son Paving Game of the Week on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Up a notch from six to five this week is Bridgewater-Raritan (1-1). Though the Panthers lost, they hung in nearly to the wire Saturday in a 43-36 loss at No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen. This week, it’s the Battle of Route 206 as Bridgewater welcomes in Hillsborough.

Flipping with Bridgewater and dropping one spot to sixth is Somerville (1-1), which took a 28-14 loss at No. 3 Piscataway Friday night in the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week. The Pioneers host North Hunterdon on Thursday.

A sign featuring the text 'BELLAMY & SON PAVING' in bold red and yellow letters, highlighting residential and commercial paving services.

The next two teams both move up two spots this week, after losses by then-No. 7 Sayreville and then No. 8 Summit, both of whom dropped out. It starts with Elizabeth (2-0) at No. 7, following a 43-20 home win over Plainfield Friday. The Minutemen visit Union this Friday. And St. Thomas Aquinas (2-0) moves up to No. 8 after a 24-20 win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood, with a Friday date at Franklin awaiting the Trojans.

The final two teams join the rankings for the first time this season. Ridge (1-0) is at No. 9 after opening its season with a 21-7 win over then-No. 7 Sayreville. The Red Devils visit Flemington to play Hunterdon Central this Thursday.

And Rahway (2-0) comes in at No. 10, after a 21-10 home win over previously-No. 8 Summit. The Indians visit Woodbridge Friday as head coach Brian Russo goes up against his alma mater, where he also previously coached.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

No change atop the Week 1 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten, but two new teams join the list

There was little change from the preseason in the latest Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, with Phillipsburg remaining atop the rankings, while two other teams flip-flopped and two others near the bottom dropped out with losses in their opening games.

Phillipsburg remained at No. 1 after a season-opening 28-21 win over Parkland (PA) at Maloney Stadium. The Stateliners open the season with three straight Pennsylvania opponents, and this week, they cross the “state line” to go play Emmaus (PA) Friday night at 7.

St. Joseph-Metuchen was idle, and remains in the No. 2 spot. The Falcons will welcome in No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan (1-0) Saturday for a 1 pm matinee to kick off their 2026 campaign.

Piscataway won its opener, hanging on with a goal line stand to win 26-20 at East Orange, moving them up one spot to No. 3 in the rankings. They’ll play host to No. 5 Somerville – their first meeting since 1987 – Friday night at 6 in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Old Bridge dropped a tough 43-35 decision to Shawnee out of the West Jersey Football League Friday down at the Battle at the Beach in Ocean City. The drops them one spot to fourth this week. Friday night at 6, they visit Montgomery.

Rounding out the top five is Somerville. The Pioneers beat South Plainfield in their opener at Brooks Field, 40-21, on Friday night, and this week, travel to No. 3 Piscataway. You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio at 6 pm.

A sign featuring the text 'BELLAMY & SON PAVING' in bold red and yellow letters, highlighting residential and commercial paving services.

Bridgewater-Raritan holds in the No. 6 position after opening the season with a dominating 28-7 win at then-No. 8 Woodbridge Friday night, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. This week, it’s a tough test at No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, Saturday at 1 pm at Brenner Family Field.

Sayreville also won its opener, beating Plainfield 23-19 Friday night. That lets them keep the seventh position. The Bombers will host Ridge this Friday at 6:30 pm.

Summit moves up a spot to No. 8 after beating Colonia at home Friday afternoon, 23-21, with Jackson Marx intercepting a two-point conversion just outside the goal line late in the fourth-quarter to help preserve a lead that ended up being the final margin. This week, they visit Rahway for a 6:00 start Friday night.

Jumping in at nine is Elizabeth, one of two new teams in this week’s rankings. The Minutemen were 53-6 winners at Carteret on Friday night, and will visit Plainfield this Friday for a 6 pm kickoff.

The other new team is St. Thomas Aquinas, which won its opener out in Sheepshead Bay over Frank J. Macchiarola (NY), 36-12. The Trojans are back in action Friday, when Westfield visits North Edison for a 6 pm kickoff.

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

Dropping out this week are previous No. 8 Woodbridge and previous No. 10 Bernards. The Barrons lost to Bridgewater-Raritan, 28-7, Friday night, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, while the Mountaineers fell 26-20 at Rutherford Friday night.