Tag: Carteret

by Mike Pavlichko

Bridgewater-Raritan took No. 1 ranking early in season all the way to the finish line; Panthers are 2024 CJSR Team of the Year

Very early in the season, after two weeks of play, Bridgewater-Raritan jumped into the No. 1 spot in the Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten. And they never looked back.

En route, the Panthers won the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title, the Somerset County Tournament, the North 2, Group 4 championship, and – this past Saturday night – won the program’s first-ever state title, beating Eastern 6-4 in the Group 4 championship game down in Hamilton.

It was a fitting way to cap 2024, a dominant season by the Panthers, in which they went 30-3, setting a new program record for wins.

READ MORE: Newill said this year’s Panthers would be even better, and they proved it with state title

Bridgewater-Raritan is the Central Jersey Sports Radio 2024 Team of the Year. We’ll have a full story with them later this week, and we’ll also announce our Player of the Year.

For now, scroll through to read more about the season’s final rankings. The complete Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten is at the bottom of this article.

Finishing second is Old Bridge. The Knights went 20-9, eliminated from the state tournament by GMC Red Division foe Monroe in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals, but they won their second GMC Tournament title in five seasons with a 6-5 victory over South Plainfield in the finals.

South Plainfield finishes in third at 22-6-1, not only a GMC Tournament finalist, but they also reached the North 2, Group 3 finals, falling 8-3 to Randolph.

Ridge (21-9) checks in at No. 4. The Red Devils made the Somerset County Tournament finals for a fourth straight season, but fell to Bridgewater-Raritan in the title game.

Colonia (19-7) didn’t win the White Division or a tournament title, but came on strong late in the year, winning 14 of 16 heading into the state tournament, where they fell in the semifinals of North 2, Group 3 to South Plainfield.

Immaculata is at No. 6, finishing 17-9. The Spartans won the Skyland Conference Raritan Division title.

Monroe is at No. 7, finishing 16-10. The Falcons finished third in the GMC Red Division, but beat three area teams – East Brunswick, South Brunswick and Old Bridge – to get to the Central Jersey Group 4 final, where they eventually fell 5-1 at Jackson Memorial.

Woodbridge re-enters the rankings in the final analysis, finishing 17-10 and winning the GMC White Division.

Carteret (18-7) finishes in the nine-hole. The Ramblers were the GMC Invitational Tournament champions.

And St. Thomas Aquinas (19-10) finishes in the final spot after a state tournament run that saw them beat three Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area teams – Timothy Christian, Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep – to win the Non-Public North B title. They would fall 10-0 to Gloucester Catholic in the Non-Public Group B final on Friday night.

Below is the complete final Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for the 2024 high school baseball season:

by Mike Pavlichko

Carteret, Immaculata win on walk-offs, six area teams among winners as states get underway; Pingry loss under protest to NJSIAA

Six teams from the CJSR coverage area won opening round state playoff games Wednesday, four of them public schools that moved their Thursday games up to avoid potentially bad weather.

Immaculata, Timothy Christian, Ridge, Monroe, Carteret and Middlesex all won first-round games, while a loss by Pingry is under protest by head coach Anthony Feltre to the NJSIAA.

The ninth-seeded Big Blue lost 13-4 at 8th-seed Paul VI Wednesday afternoon in Non-Public South A play, but Feltre says there was an issue with what he believes was an illegal substitution in the fifth inning, with his team leading 4-2 at the time.

Feltre says a relief pitcher came in for Paul VI’s starter in the top of the fourth. With no DH, the starting pitcher re-entered the game to bat in the bottom of the fourth, then the reliever illegally came back in to pitch for the top of the fifth.

Feltre says the “umpire agreed it was illegal, but since it was under protest, allowed the pitcher to stay in, which should not have happened.”

Feltre says he informed his Athletic Director, and that of Paul VI, and says the home plate umpire told him he would reach out as well to NJSIAA Chief Operating Office Tony Maselli, who is in charge of baseball for the state athletic association.

The next round for non-publics is not until Tuesday, and the winner of that game would be on the road that day to face top-seed Red Bank Catholic.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said Pingry was trailing 4-2 at the time of the substitution in question. Pingry was leading 4-2 at the time.

Carteret rallies twice…

The fourth-seed Ramblers trailed 4-0 after the top of the first, and and came back to win 5-4 over 13th-seed South River, with Rams’ ace Julius Rosado on the mound.

They rallied to get two off him in the bottom of the first, then got two in the bottom of the seventh off reliever James Zsorey. Carteret freshman Luis Hernandez came up to bat with two on, and down to his final strike drove in both runners with a rocket of a triple to tie the game.

Then, in the ninth, Carteret had more magic up its sleeve. Senior Justin Santana got a double, Hernandez walked, then senior James Rodriguez hit a single to win it, 5-4.

Listen to Carteret head coach Dan Morvay talk about the Ramblers’ walk-off win.

Carteret (18-7) will be at home Wednesday against the winner of tomorrow’s first round game between 12-seed Johnson and fifth-seed Bordentown.

Immaculata walks it off…

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

With two on and two out, down a run in the seventh inning, Jayden Capindica hit a shallow fly ball to left field that should have been the third out. With the left fielder, shortstop and third baseman all converging, the ball dropped in, bounded away from the left fielder, allowing two runs to score, giving the fifth-seeded Spartans a wild, 5-4 win over 12-seed St. John Vianney in Non-Public South A first round action.

Immaculata pitching only allowed one hit in the game, with the Spartans again having some issues defensively.

Listen to Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust talk about the win.

Regardless of how it happened, the win moves Immaculata (16-7) into the sectional quarterfinals Tuesday at seed Notre Dame (12-11), which edged out the Spartans by a half a power point for the fourth-seed and a first round bye.

Read on for Wednesday results from other sections.

Central Jersey Group 4: Fifth-seed Monroe blanked 12-seed East Brunswick Wednesday, 4-0 at home behind a complete-game three-hitter from Zack Wallace, who struck out 13 Bears, and walked only one. The Falcons (14-9) will have to wait to see who they face in the quarterfinals next Wednesday. They’ll play the winner of tomorrow’s game between fourth-seed South Brunswick and 13-seed Freehold Township.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: Third-seed Ridge advanced, cruising past 14-seed JP Stevens at home. The Red Devils are now 20-7, the second 20-game winner in Somerset County, and will host a quarterfinal game next Wednesday against the winner of tomorrow’s opening round game between 6th-seed Woodbridge and 11-seed and defending champion Bayonne. In a five-inning ten-run rule game, Ridge got six in the second, four in the third and three more in the fourth. The Red Devils have now scored ten or more runs in four of their last five games, and will play Bridgewater-Raritan Friday night for the Somerset County Tournament championship at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater. You can hear the 6 pm game right here on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Perth Amboy, the 13-seed, was blanked on the road by fourth-seed Westfield, 10-0.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: Seventh-seed Bernards was knocked out of the state tournament with a 6-4 loss at 10-seed Rutherford on Wednesday afternoon.1

Non-Public South A: While Immaculata won, and Pingry lost – at least for now – 11th-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen also lost a 13-3 game down at sixth-seed Donovan Catholic. With seven-seed Union Catholic a 10-9 home winner over 10-seed Camden Catholic, should all the results hold, here are the matchups for next Tuesday’s sectional quarterfinals:

  • (8) Paul VI at (1) Red Bank Catholic
  • (5) Immaculata at (4) Notre Dame
  • (6) Donovan Catholic at (3) Christian Brothers Academy
    (7) Union Catholic at (2) St. Augustine

Non-Public North B: It wasn’t a walk-off, but 10th-seed Timothy Christian pulled one out with two in the top of the seventh, then shut down seventh-seed Hawthorne Christian in the bottom of the inning for a thrilling 6-5 win. Starting pitcher Josh Thiero went the distance, allowing six hist and just two unearned runs, striking out six to get the victory. The Tigers (4-11) will visit second-seed St. Thomas Aquinas (16-8) in an all-GMC quarterfinal matchup next Tuesday.

With eight-seed Morris Catholic a 4-1 winner over nine-seed Roselle Catholic Wednesday, here are the quarterfinal matchups for next Tuesday:

  • (8) Morris Catholic at (1) St. Mary-Rutherford
  • (5) Rutgers Prep at (4) Montclair-Kimberley (both had first-round byes)
  • (10) Timothy Christian at (2) St. Thomas Aquinas
  • (6) Morristown-Beard at (3) Gill St. Bernards

by Mike Pavlichko

Road Trip! Here are the longest bus rides for Big Central teams in the first round of the playoffs

If the dizzying machinations that go into the NJSIAA’s complicated UPR formular for seeding the playoffs don’t have you throwing up your hands, tossing all your papers into the air, yelling “I GIVE UP!” then we’ve got more for you.

Full disclosure: This is my favorite story to write every year, simply due to the sheer absurdity.

If you’re on the Dunellen, Johnson, or Carteret football teams, better bring a DVD player and a good movie along with your uniform, pads and helmet.

All three have trips of well over an hour, in some cases closer to two, according to Google Maps.

Let’s look at the “shortest” of the three: 6th-seed Carteret’s trip to play 3rd-seed Camden Saturday afternoon in Central Jersey Group 3 first round action. By distance, it’s only 72 miles. On a Saturday morning with no traffic, expect that ride to take an hour and 16 minutes.

Even longer is 8th-seed Dunellen’s trip to face top-seed Woodstown in South Jersey Group One opening round play Friday night. That’s a whopping 92.4 miles, and with no traffic, is an hour and 42 minute ride. Friday, leaving the fieldhouse at Columbia Park at 3 pm, it could take anywhere from an hour and 45 minutes to two-and-a-half hours. You could almost finish The Godfather on that trip.

And then there’s 6th-seed AL Johnson’s trip down to face 3rd-seed Pleasantville Friday night in Central Jersey Group 2 opening round action.

For those not familiar, Pleasantville is down near Atlantic City. The Crusaders can jump on the Parkway pretty easily, but good luck getting over the Driscoll Bridge at rush hour.

It’s a 103 mile drive that would take about 92 minutes with no traffic. Leaving the fieldhouse at The Pit at 3:30 on a Friday? Google Maps says expect a drive of anywhere from an hour and 40 minutes to two hours and 40 minutes. At least they’re not going there on Memorial Day Weekend!

Can we please go back to geographical sections where the top eight teams make it and that’s the end of the story? Is there any juice to Dunellen-Woodstown? What about the trips others have to make here?

Kingsway at Hunterdon Central is over almost 80 miles and could be a two-hour trip in Friday traffic. Cinnaminson to New Providence is over 90 miles and could take two hours and 20 minutes. Salem at South Hunterdon is about the same.

In the new world of the NJSIAA where there are concerns about mental health of student-athletes, letting them have time to decompress between seasons, these drives certainly can’t be in their best interest, can they?

P.S. – The shortest trip for a Big Central team? Glad you asked. It’s easily 8th-seed Governor Livingston at top-seed Summit in North 2, Group 3 first round action. Their fields are less than 3.9 miles away, or nine minutes, with no traffic. Shoot, they could walk that!

by Mike Pavlichko

FRIDAY Cutoff Weekend Playoff Analysis: Group 3

It’s Cutoff Weekend, and we’re the place to get all the updated playoff standings all week long, with our coverage brought to you by My Family Appliances on Route 1 South in the Wick Plaza, Edison.

We’ll have more analysis throughout the day Saturday as scores roll in. And don’t forget to join us for our “Playoff Projection Show” on Saturday at 6:00 pm as Mike Pavlichko brings you all the playoff projections, with analysis and commentary by Marcus Borden, live in studio!

Here’s an updated look at the Group 3 supersections based on Friday night results as reported to Gridiron New Jersey.

NORTH GROUP 3

As we expected, Hillside‘s win over Carteret Friday night at The Pit triggered an odd situation: a team in fourth place (Hillside) that couldn’t jump the two two (Old Tappan and Summit) affecting the top two. The win put the Comets above Old Tappan in power point average, moved them from 4th to 3rd place, but moved Summit ahead of Old Tappan overall. The Golden Knights won Friday night, but against lowly-rated Demarest. And the Hilltoppers have highly-regarded St. Joseph in Metuchen Saturday, where even a loss won’t hurt them. We call Summit the top overall seed. And Hillside looks locked into third.

Cranford is in ninth after a loss to North Brunswick, holding court, and they look to be a lock there, too, regardless what West Essex does Saturday at East Orange.

We also think Governor Livingston is in, at 6-2 and in 16th place, regardless what happens Saturday at home against Bernards, since the Mountaineers are a strong opponent. But we’ll still keep an eye on that game Saturday.

Key Saturday Games to Watch:

  • #1 Summit at St. Joseph-Metuchen
  • #8 West Essex at East Orange
  • #12 Lincoln vs. Orange
  • #16 Governor Livingston vs. Bernards

SOUTH GROUP 3

Somerville moved up from 11th to 8th place with a Friday win over South Brunswick at Brooks Field. But hold the phone, because we think they drop to 9th if Manasquan beats Ocean Twp. at home Saturday. That’s the difference between a first-round home game and a road trip.

Carteret fell from 10th to 11th with the loss to a good Hillside team Friday night. Teams may move around them Saturday with a number of games to be played, but they might actually hold in 11th. We think they’ll be no worse than 12.

Key Saturday Games to Watch:

  • #9 Manasquan vs. #17 Ocean Township
  • #13 Highland Regional at Rancocas Valley
  • #14 Burlington Township vs. Willingboro
  • #25 Matawan at Freehold Boro
  • #19 Nottingham vs. Hamilton
by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Playoff Analysis: Group 3

It’s down to the final weekend of the regular season in high school football, and Cutoff Weekend is just days away. This week, Central Jersey Sports Radio will bring you exclusive, team-by-team analysis of all the playoff scenarios for the 57 public schools in the Big Central Conference.

It’s all brought to you by My Family Appliances on Route 1 South in the Wick Plaza, Edison.

And don’t forget to join us for our “Playoff Projection Show” on Saturday at 6 pm (moved to an hour later) as Mike Pavlichko brings you all the playoff projections, with analysis and commentary by Marcus Borden, live in studio!

With that, here’s a look at Group 3 North and South, with all scores and playoff standings based on Gridiron New Jersey’s official calculations as of Sunday, October 15, 2023. Click on the heading to see the standings at Gridiron New Jersey:

NORTH GROUP 3

2. Summit (6-1, 1.6 UPR): Here’s one we’re not sure if we’ve ever seen before. We think Summit has a crack at the overall No. 1 seed, win or lose Saturday at St. Joseph-Metuchen (5-2). How? Giving everyone down to the No. 8 team in the section a win except Summit, we believe the Hilltoppers leapfrog current No. 1 Old Tappan (6-1, 1.4 UPR), which suffered its first loss of the year last week – and first in 13 games – to undefeated (in the eyes of the NJSIAA, since they opened with a loss to Somers-NY) Ramapo last week. Again, how? Well, the Golden Knights lead Summit by just 0.2 UPR points. Old Tappan is first in OSI, second in power points. Summit is first in power points, second in OSI. That’s the 0.2 difference. Even a win by Old Tappan and loss by Summit won’t change things because the Hilltoppers play a tougher opponent than the Golden Knights, who host 1-7 Demarest. Now, enter Hillside: seventh in OSI, but third in power points. Their UPR is irrelevant. If they beat Carteret (7-1) Friday night at the Pit, they should move to second in power point average, knocking Old Tappan down a spot, adding 0.4 to their UPR, and putting them behind Summit. One day – it may be sooner than later – I’ll have a rant on this. Bottom line: Summit appears locked in as the overall 2-seed, and a top-seed in whatever section they call it, but jumps to No. 1 overall if Hillside beats Carteret, all regardless of what Summit and Old Tappan do.

4. Hillside (5-2, 5.4 UPR): Weighing all the above, Hillside can’t catch Summit or Old Tappan, and that’s what makes the Hilltoppers’ scenario all the more wacky, that a team that can’t catch either of them can affect how they finish above them. (I promise I’ll save this rant for later!) That said, Hillside can indeed climb has high as third with a win, regardless what everyone else behind them does. Worst-case scenario, a loss to the Ramblers (7-1) on the road Friday night could drop them as low as seven, but that would require everyone else around them to win. So, we think their range is a more manageable 3-5 seed overall, which would give them a 2-3 seed in whatever section they land.

9. Cranford (4-3, 7.4 UPR): Just 0.2 UPR points behind 8th place West Essex (5-3, 7.2), we think if the Cougars win Friday night at North Brunswick (7-0), and everyone else does, they can land as high as six overall with a Hillside loss to Carteret, seven if the Comets beat the Ramblers. A win and a loss by all the teams around them could actually get them as high as third. Neither of those extremes will probably happen, though, so let’s call them a longshot for a four seed, likely a 5/6, with a win. A Cougar loss to the Raiders, and they probably end up an 8-10 seed overall in North 4, with a lot of variables in between.

16. Governor Livingston (6-2, 16.2): Well, it appears Spotswood still has a shot at the playoffs in South 2 if they beat JP Stevens this weekend. So we may not have a repeat of last year’s snub there, nor Manville’s from 2021. The 2023 edition might be Governor Livingston. Opponents South River, JFK, JP Stevens and North Plainfield are a combined 1-29 on the year! That’s why they’re four games above .500 and sit in 16th, sweating it out this weekend, just 06. UPR points ahead of 17th place Sparta, which is just 2-5. (Go ahead, explain how this is working? We’ll wait.) Now, here’s the good news for the Highlanders: Their opponent at home Saturday is Bernards, one of the two best teams on their schedule. (The Mountaineers and Carteret could be debated as to who’s 1a. and 1b.) A win, and if a ton broke right, they could vault all the way up to No. 11 overall in the supersection. But what if they lose? Unless there’s a surprise somewhere, we think they’re locked in at 16, especially because they have a 37.53 OSI and a Bernards’ loss is worth 39.85 OSI points. That will increase their average. And remember, SI values are locked this week. They are tracked through the end of a team’s season – including playoff purposes – but for seeding purposes, the values will not change as a result of this weekend’s games. GL is guaranteed to rise – albeit a tiny amount – in power point average even with a loss to Bernards. We’re calling Governor Livingston in at this point, but they should treat it like it matters. Why chance it?

SOUTH GROUP 3

9. Carteret (7-1, 9.2 UPR): The Ramblers also stand to benefit from having a strong Cutoff Weekend opponent in Hillside (5-2) with a good SI (81.85) as well. Seneca should beat Northern Burlington, while Cedar Creek and Winslow have identical records, so giving the Pirates a loss to Winslow, Carteret, we think, could get as high as seven with a win, but perhaps as low as 11 or worse with a loss, if things break all the wrong ways for the Ramblers. We think the truth lies somewhere in the middle, with a lot of variables around them.

11. Somerville (4-4, 10.6): It’s likely the Pioneers will end up right where they are, one spot higher, or one spot down. Those may not be the only scenarios, but they seem the most likely. The ten is within reach with a win at home over South Brunswick (5-3), but the Vikings are a strong enough opponent that a loss won’t kill the Pioneers’ either. They don’t have a shot at a top eight seed, so all we really know for sure is this will be The Ville’s last game on their home field this season unless they advance in the playoffs and someone else pulls of a major upset.

by Mike Pavlichko

Week 7 Friday night Playoff Analysis: Group 3

Through the end of the season, Central Jersey Sports Radio will be updating unofficial playoff standings following Friday night’s games. Full analysis after the weekend will come during the week as the official standings are released by Gridiron New Jersey.

Here’s a look at unofficial standings after games of Friday, October 13th in Group 3. Results are calculated using scores on Gridiron New Jersey as of 9:30 am on October 14th:

Summit’s win over Colonia Friday night keeps them in second place with a 1.6 UPR, still solidly in second over the third-place team with a 4.2 UPR, although it’s now Parsippany Hills (5-2) instead of Warren Hills (5-3), which had to take a forfeit loss last night to Montville, and whose game next week against Hackettstown is up in the air, too.

Hillside climbed from No. 8 to sixth place after a win at Delaware Valley, putting them more solidly in the top eight, which guarantees at least a first-round home game. That sets up a big game at 7-1 Carteret next Friday, where a win could boost them even higher.

Cranford’s loss to Linden dropped the Cougars (4-3) from sixth to ninth place, while Governor Livingston held steady in 15th (and their UPR held at 16.2). But the Highlanders drop to 16th even with a win over South River today, since the Rams are winless, not counting anything else other teams may do today, or potential residuals.

Carteret’s win over a 3-5 Rahway team still leaves them one shy of a school record sixth game in a season of 40 or more points (they won 19-15) but it did boost them from 12th all the way up to ninth, and puts them just 0.4 UPR points out of a top four finish. We’ve already mentioned their meeting next week with Hillside as a huge one for the Comets; the same can be said for the Ramblers.

Somerville’s loss to Hillsborough Friday night drops them two spots from ninth to 11th and behind Carteret. The Pioneers are 4-4 with a 10.6 UPR, but are still just 1.4 points out of the top eight, and have a big home game against South Brunswick with 12 residuals next week that could get them in, maybe with some help. (While the Vikings have five wins, the fifth came in Game 8, and residuals only count for an opponents first seven games, so the Pioneers would only get 12 residuals, not 15).

by Mike Pavlichko

Week 7 Playoff Analysis: Group 3

With just two weeks of play left before the state playoffs are seeded, things are heating up in the playoff chase. Here’s our look at the Big Central Conference teams in playoff contention in Group 3 as we head into Week 7 of high school football around the state.

And, of course, don’t miss our “Playoff Projection Show,” scheduled for 5 pm on Saturday, October 21st, when we’ll reveal our predicted matchups and seeds for the postseason. It’s all presented by My Family Appliances of Edison, which will be giving away three $100 gift cards during the show to lucky listeners!

All our analysis is based on Gridiron New Jersey’s official playoff calculations performed for the NJSIAA and listed on their website as of 9:30 pm on October 10. For full standings, click on each supersection’s header below:

NORTH GROUP 3:

2. Summit (5-1, 1.6): The Hilltoppers are a pretty solid two two finisher at this point, wiht a 2.6 UPR lead over third-place Warren Hills (5-2, 4.2 UPR). They close with two challenging road games, this Friday night at Colonia and next Saturday afternoon at St. Joseph-Metuchen. It’s pretty simple for Summit. We think they at least split those, and that might lock it up. A sweep most assuredly does so.

6. Cranford (4-2, 6.0): The Cougars are not yet assured of a top eight finish, which would give them at least a first round home game. They close with two challenging games as well: Linden at home Friday night, and at North Brunswick next Friday night. The teams behind them are tightly-packed: Vernon (6.2 UPR), Hillside (6.6) and West Essex (7.6). They shouldn’t have to worry about West Essex in tenth at 10.2 UPR. In fact, even with a split, it looks like regardless of which team they beat, and irrespective of what Hillside and Vernon do, they would end up a top eight team. A sweep and they may finish in the top four depending how things shake out. Two losses, and it’s another story.

8. Hillside (4-2, 6.6): We think the Comets have a crack at a top eight finish if they can play their cards right and win their last two games. That could be easier said than done, though, with two road games: Delaware Valley this Friday and at Carteret next Friday night. Two wins keep them in the top eight. A split, and things could go either way. Two losses, it’s a first round road trip.

15. Governor Livingston (5-2, 16.2): The Highlanders are still on the bubble, but at least two spots on the right side of it. The good news is that 17th place Sparta and 18th place River Dell only have one win each. So they may not do much winning these last two weeks. Both play some good teams these final two weeks, and with the Spartans and Golden Hawks the first two teams out right now, GL may only have to worry about Mendham in 19th place, but they’re 2.2 UPR points behind. The schedule is what’s interesting for Governor Livingston, which has low-rated South River on the road Saturday, but undefeated Bernards next weekend. A win over South River may actually hurt them, but a loss to Bernards might actually help them. An interesting one to watch.

SOUTH GROUP 3:

9. Somerville (4-3, 9.4): Let’s just say these last two games are huge for the Pioneers, who can make a huge jump with a win on their short road trip down Route 206 to play Hillsborough Friday night. They finish with South Brunswick at Brooks Field next Friday night. They’re a 50-50 at getting a first-round home game, via a top eight finish. Three teams from 8th to 9th are bunched up, with Manasquan at 9.2 UPR, Somerville at 9.4, and Seneca, with a 9.8 UPR. The ‘Ville may need a sweep to play another game at Brooks Field in the opening round.

12. Carteret (6-1, 12): Having six wins already and not being in the top eight means the Ramblers probably can’t make the move up unless the teams ahead of them all collapse down the stretch. Nice thought, but there’s no one ahead of them with only a couple of wins to catch. They’re all good. In fact, 13 of the top 16 teams here have reached three wins already. Carteret has two strong opponents here, Rahway and Hillside, and if they are to have a chance at opening the playoffs at the Pit, they’ll need to sweep, and probably need some help.

by Mike Pavlichko

Week 6 Playoff Analysis: Group 3

As we head down the home stretch of the high school football season in New Jersey, attention begins to turn to the postseason, and where everyone’s favorite team will fall.

Central Jersey Sports Radio has you covered the next three weeks, with our playoff analysis brought to you by My Family Appliances, Route One South in the Wick Plaza in Edison. They’re also the presenting sponsor of our “Playoff Projection Show” on Saturday, October 21 at 5 pm, and will be giving away three $100 gift cards to some lucky listeners!

In the meantime, a lot can happen between now and Cutoff Weekend, but here’s out team-by-team breakdown of where every Big Central Conference team in contention for the playoffs could end up. Click the supersection header to be taken to the official UPR standings heading into Week 6, as calculated for the NJSIAA by Gridrion New Jersey:

NORTH GROUP 3:

2. Summit (4-1): The Hilltoppers are rolling, their only loss coming to undefeated St. Thomas Aquinas in between a pair of wins their first two weeks, and two straight victories since. We think Summit pretty much controls its own fate. If they can take care of business in their last three games, they should be able to at least hold onto one of the top two seeds. Summit already is first in power points – by a lot – by virtue of having played Aquinas, a multiplier, for which they received 24 points for a loss. And their OSI is third, at 58.09. So there’s not much room for them to go up. But the nearest team behind them in OSI is Parsippany Hills at 54.64, then Vernon, Pascack Valley, and West Essex all around 52. Summit’s next three opponents all have SI values that should bring their OSI up: that’s Linden this week at Tatlock Field, then road trips to Colonia and St. Joseph-Metuchen. If Summit keeps doing what it has been doing, the Hilltoppers will be in fine shape for a top two finish and a No. 1 seed in whatever section they end up.

6. Cranford (3-2): The good news is the Cougars are in the top eight, with a UPR of a pure 6 (which is sixth in both power points and OSI) and the next team – Pascack Valley – is two full OSI points behind them. After 1-5 Scotch Plains on the road this week, things get a little tougher: Linden at home next week, then at North Brunswick the Friday night of Cutoff Weekend. Two wins – including SPF – should be enough to keep a hold on a top eight finish, which would give the Cougars at least a guaranteed first round home game in the playoffs.

9. Hillside (3-2): The Comets are squarely on the “first round home game bubble,” if you will. They’ve got a 9.2 UPR, while 8th place Passaic Valley has an 8.8 UPR. Their remaining schedule is not easy, with Johnson at home this week, then road games at Delaware Valley and Carteret, all of whom have winning records. That’s something very few teams have here in the last few weeks. Most have at least one winless or one- or two-win team. Barris Grant’s team will be challenged, but it’s also an opportunity to lock down a first-round home game at Conant Street Park. We’re not sure if two will do it, but three very well should. Check back again next week; we’ll have a better idea then!

15. Governor Livingston (5-1): The Highlanders are having a tremendous season, Owen Chait just won the Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week award for Week Five, and yet they’re in 15th place, on the bubble. It’s a 2.8 UPR point lead for GL over the 17th place team, 1-4 Sparta. Our take is that sub.-500 teams don’t belong in the playoffs, but that’s a debate for another time. The remaining schedule is a two-fold challenge for Governor Livingston. On the one hand, they have very tough games this week against Carteret, and in two weeks against Bernards; those two teams are a combined 11-1. Both are at home. In between is South River, a game that could very well hurt their standing, even with a win. It’s possible they may need to sweep, but they might be able to get away with two wins, since one of those victories would have to come over a very good team. Let’s see what happens against the Ramblers, and what everyone else does. We should have a much clearer picture by then.

21. Voorhees (3-3): Though the Vikings are .500 on the year, they have a 21 UPR, 5.2 points out of a playoff spot. We think they’re out regardless of how they finish, since their last three opponents are a combined 3-14 between South Plainfield, JFK and North Hunterdon, and the Tigers own all three of those wins. It’s too much ground to make up with a schedule that isn’t strong enough.

SOUTH GROUP 3:

8. Somerville (4-2): The Pioneers are the highest-ranked BCC team in the supersection, and they have Camden and Ocean Township both 1.6 UPR points behind, nipping at their heels. Their losses have come to the best two teams they’ve played so far: Montgomery and Union, both top ten teams. They’re at Westfield Saturday, Hillsborough next week, then back home for South Brunswick at Brooks Field Friday night of Cutoff Weekend. The teams behind them have a mixed bag of a schedule. For example, Camden has a 5-0 team and an 0-5 team to face. Wins in both could cancel out. Ocean Township has an ok schedule, too. We think Ville’s is tougher, so we’re thinking two wins in their final three games might lock up a top eight finish, and a first round home game.

12. Carteret (5-1): The Ramblers are having a great season, and while we won’t exactly place them on the bubble here, we think it’s a good probability the Ramblers get in. Our thinking is they win at least one if not two of their remaining games. Either should be enough to keep them in. But it won’t be easy. This week, it’s Governor Livingston on the road – a game they may well need, too – and then home to Rahway and Hillside the last two weeks. Both should be fun matchups! Can the Ramblers reach No. 8? Well, that may require a sweep. Let’s see how things shake out this week against GL – and with the teams ahead of them and behind them – and we’ll have a clearer picture.

by Mike Pavlichko

Thomas’ 4 TDs, perfect first half, proper Carteret to 46-7 win over JP Stevens

The night belonged to Jakir Thomas.

The Carteret junior runningback – already over 2,000 yards coming into the game for his career – scored four touchdowns in the first half – and the Ramblers scored the ball every time they touched it except for the final drive of the game where the clock ran out – en route to a 46-7 win over visiting JP Stevens Friday night, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Thomas had TD runs of 29, 31, 11 and 35 yards, finishing with 10 carries for 154 yards.

Carteret’s game plan was to pound the rock, and they did; the Ramblers only attempted one pass all game, going for three yards to Sir Hezekiah Ragland.

It’s the fourth time this year Carteret scored 40 or more points in a game, one off the all-time school mark of five set during 2012’s undefeated state championship season, the last time the Ramblers won a title.

Carteret improves to 5-1, while JP Stevens drops to 0-5 and has now lost 37 straight games, the second longest active streak in New Jersey.

Click below for postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Carteret runningback Jakir Thomas
Carteret head coach Kevin Freeman