It’s time for the playoffs!

We got through opening weekend in the sweltering heat of the late dog days of August. We didn’t really have much of a fall, but the weather mostly nice. And Cutoff Weekend last weekend saw some teams sweating it out, some disappointed, and others rewarded for their play during the season.

Now, it’s time to get it all going!

Here’s Central Jersey Sports Radio’s look at all the playoff games in Groups 1, 2 and 3 involving BCC schools this weekend, section by section, including game dates and times. Games are Friday, except where noted.

Click here to read our preview of playoff games in Groups 4 and 5.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3:

• #5 Cranford (4-5) at #4 Roxbury (6-3), 7 pm: The Cougars could be tough to figure out, or maybe not. Their season has been perfectly symmetrical, a football anagram. They lost their first two, then won two, lost one, then won two again, and lost two coming into the playoffs, falling 40-15 at Colonia, and 23-22 in overtime at Hillside last Saturday. And to move on in the playoffs, they’ll need to win on the road, a place they’re 0-4 this season. Talk about a balanced attack: though they run it more than they pass, Cranford has just 31 more yards passing than they do on the ground, 1,337 to 1,306. But they don’t rely on any one person. For example, five different receivers – led by senior Quinn Smith with 32 and junior John Fiore with 23 – have at least 15 receptions this season. Roxbury, meanwhile, likes to keep it on the ground, and in the hands of duel threat quarterback Frankie Falco. He’s just a sophomore, but he’s completing 62% of his passes for 608 yards and three touchdowns – but seven picks – while rushing for a team-best 1,048 and eleven scores. This will be the first-ever meeting between the schools.
• #7 Warren Hills (5-4) at #2 Summit (7-2), Saturday 1 pm: These schools were more familiar when they were in the Mid-State Conference together, but haven’t played since 2021. The Blue Streaks have been back and forth all season, never winning or losing more than two straight all year long. Coming off a 48-20 win at Hackettstown that locked down a playoff berth, they’re a balanced attack with a good aerial game, but turnover-prone, while Summit has seven picks on the year and two fumble recoveries, with senior Andrew Trujillo disruptive up front. Say this, the Hilltoppers are battle-tested. Their two losses came to two very tough opponents – Somerville and Bernards, who combined for just one loss between them this season, by the Pioneers – and they’ve beaten some outstanding squads as well, including Montgomery and Woodbridge. Back-tunred-QB Alex Schwark continues to shine running the offense, also running himself, to the tune of 918 yards – and that’s after missing those two games due to injury. There’s a reason Summit is perfect this season with him in the lineup, but he’ll have to have another Alex Schwark type of game for his team to move on to the next round.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 3:

• #7 Matawan (5-4) at #2 Somerville (8-1), 7 pm: Here’s another first-ever matchup, as the Huskies come in to Brooks Field sporting a 1-4 road record this season, with losses at Hightstown, Red Bank, Middletown North and Shore. Then again, they’re the only team to beat Manasquan this season, so who knows what they’ll come up with. They should be a huge underdog on the road in this first round game to a team that likes to play no-huddle, switching back-and-forth, and also run Aidan Vesuvio-Bush out of the wildcat. The Pioneers are a tough team to keep up with, that’s for sure. But they will have a good shot at defending their 2024 Central Jersey Group 3 title as one of the favorites in this section.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 2:

• #7 Madison at #2 Bernards, 7 pm: It’s been a long time since these two teams played, their last meeting in September of 2018, predating the Big Central. But Bernards has been the winningest program in the Big Central Conference for three straight seasons. They have not lost a single regular season game, and have a sectional title to their credit, going 32-2 since the start of the 2023 season. The Mountaineers have a program folks, and they play smash-mouth football. As CJSR analyst Marcus Borden once said, “After you play Bernards, you know you played Bernards.” Junior QB Nolan Walsh has been back for a couple of games after missing two due to injury, but it’s good to know that freshman A.J. MacCracken – the first ninth-grader to start at the position for Bernards in at least 50 years, according to head coach Jon Simoneau – wouldn’t miss a beat if he was needed, as he didn’t in two starts. Bernards has put up some big offensive numbers this year, with senior Logan Stevnes nearing 1,000 yards rushing, and Walsh just 77 shy of the same milestone on the passing side. Madison will run it a lot, but yardage-wise they’re very balanced, and rarely turn it over, while their defense stays at home. The Dodgers come in on a three-game winning streak.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 2:

• #8 Voorhees (8-1) at #1 Camden (6-2), 6 pm: This is a loaded section, and even the top teams will be challenged here. And this will be good measuring stick – win or lose – for the Vikings, who have an incredibly stout run-game and a potent offense, as they face a challenging, explosive South Jersey foe. That includes senior runningback Matteo Tramutola (1,338 yards, 17 TDs) and QB Sam Meekings (99-165, 1,560 pass yards, 19 TDs). With 20 sacks – and a team-best five from senior Madden Kramer. Voorhees’ only loss this season came to Bernards, 31-21, in Week Three (Game Four – don’t get us started on this again!). The Panthers have some strong wins over teams like Kingway and Rancocas Valley. They have been back and forth between QBs this season, as senior Ahman JOnes and freshman Gregory Wyche, Jr., have combined for 1,231 yards passing. And boy can their defensive line play. They have 29 sacks and 47 TFLs on the season, with senior Jerome Foster logging 9 1/2 of each, while fellow senior DB Ibn Muhammad also has 4 1/2 sacks. It’s the first meeting between the schools.
• #5 Johnson (7-1) at #4 Mansquan (7-1), Saturday 1 pm: No recent history here either, as these two last played in 2016, with ‘Squan coming up with a 33-29 win that year. The Warriors have had a challenging schedule, their lone loss coming to Group 3 Matawan, with wins over Shore (6-2) and Red Bank (5-3). But Johnson has beaten its share of good teams, including Brearley, Metuchen and Delaware Valley, all 5-4. Their lone loss came to undefeated New Providence. While the Big Blue are led by senior runningback Ace Etienne – perhaps the coolest football name ever – ALJ will keep it on the ground even more, almost exclusively. They have run 268 running plays, and made just 27 pass attempts this season, rushing for 2,079 yards and 26 touchdowns behind a balanced attack that includes juniors Zaire Majerska and Manny Rendiero, and sophomore Julian Colon, all with at least 300 yards rushing, with several more close behind.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 1:

• #8 Brearley (5-4) at #1 Mountain Lakes (6-2): And so they meet again. The Bears last made the trip up north in 2022 for the North 1, Group 1 title game, and fell 16-6. This year, they open up the playoffs with the Herd, a team they’ve met four times prior, splitting the wins two games apiece. After starting the season 1-2, Mountain lakes has won five straight since, and scored no less than 28 points in any of those games, three times scoring over 40. Included in that are two solid wins over Madison and Newton. It’s almost exclusively a ground attack, having attempted just 39 passes on the year, with 30 runs for a total of 2,592 yards on the ground. Might be best if Brearley can get up early and get the Herd playing from behind. Brearley started the year 0-3, but has won five of six since, the lone loss coming two weeks ago, 27-9, to Metuchen. They beat Dayton 10-7 last weekend to clinch their playoff berth. Senior QB Matthew Resende has put up Matt Sims type numbers on the ground (he was the QB on the ’22 team) but doesn’t do the same through the air; he’s more a runner than a passer. In fact, he hasn’t thrown a TD pass all year in 55 attempts. Sophomore defensive lineman Rocco Federico, however, can get after the QB; he has 13 1/2 sacks on a team that has 19 overall.
• #6 Secaucus (5-3) at #3 New Providence (8-0), 7 pm: Some way, some how, Chet Parlevecchio, Jr., has been able to keep this team perfect, despite graduation losses and injuries. T.J. Munn, a huge part of last year’s North 2, Group 1 finalist team, graduated, but star runningback A.J. Whitehead returned, only to break his leg late in the season, ending his 2025 campaign. That’s shifted the load to seniors like Jack Fitzgerald, Daniel Porretti, and Mike Petses, who, for example, combined for over 150 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries last week in a win over Delaware Valley. Maybe the secret is how well-coached this team is, and well-prepared. Secaucus has won two straight coming in, and has an interesting setup, with co-head coaches – Charlie Voorhees and Tom Curry, Jr. Their best wins have come over Hawthorne and Bogota. Brandon Vega is the team’s leading rusher at 867 yards and nine scores, but QB Chase Berckes has been turnover-prone, throwing for nearly 700 yards and five TDs, but with six picks. The New Providence defense – with four touchdowns on the year – must be salivating; as a group, they’ve got ten picks this year, returning three for scores. They also have seven fumble recoveries.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1:

• #8 Bound Brook (5-4) at #1 Burlington City (8-1), 5 pm: This will be the first-ever meeting between the schools, and not an easy task. The Crusaders are a hard team to figure, as they haven’t beaten the best teams, but three of their losses came to undefeated squads. Four of their wins came over teams that have combined for just three victories themselves, and they lost to 1-8 North Warren in their opener by a score, but they also beat 5-4 Belvidere. But they were likely still working things out, as line coach Rich Hilliard has really transformed the play up front in his first season on head coach Dave LePoidevin’s staff. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils’ only loss came in a rivalry game with Group 3 Burlington Twp., and they’re a veteran group with quality wins on the schedule. This is the epitome of how a tough schedule rewards a team – if they win.
• #5 Asbury Park (5-3) at #4 Manville (9-0): Throw out the Mustangs’ first undefeated mark since 1968, but note two things here. First, this may be the best Manville team every, at least in the playoff era (since 1974) and b) this is a different level of competition than what they’ve seen most of the year. Take nothing away from their accomplishments: they were hands-down the most dominant Group 1 squad in the Big Central this year, with three shutouts, and averaging 48.5 points per game over their last six, while allowing just under nine per contest. Their best wins were over a pair of 5-4 teams in Bound Brook and Belvidere. And they have a two-headed quarterback situation with Josh D’Ambrosio (1,038 rushing yards, 15 TDs) and Sammy Echeverri, and then there’s Isaiah Bennett (762 rush yards, 15 scores). The defense has 14 sacks on the year. They’ll have to slow one of the top runningbacks in the state in A’Meire Massie, who has breakaway speed, and finds holes opened by the offensive line – which, by the way, includes twin sisters! And boy (girl?) are they legit: Elani and Eniya Johnson. They have made a difference on a team that’s back in the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, under second-year head coach and former Blue Bishop standout QB Will Johnson, who won two titles playing in that majestic stadium along Deal Lake.