Tag: Delaware Valley

June 30, 2026June 30, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2026: With a new look, new teams, Patriot Gold could be wide open

The Big Central Conference Patriot Gold Division in 2026 is like New Year’s Day: Out with the old, in with the new. Except a little bit will carry over, too.

This is one of those divisions that got a major revamp, moving down the likes of Hillside, New Brunswick and North Plainfield from their divisions, and moving division champ Bernards out for a tougher schedule. Voorhees and Delaware Valley remain, and have some good crossover to help their playoff hopes.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the Patriot Gold Division teams – in order of 2025 finish – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge as of the date of publication, along with a few notes on each squad. Division games are starred.

Voorhees Vikings (8-2, 2-1, 2nd place Patriot Gold)
Head Coach: Matt Evancho, 1st season

Week 0: Warren Hills
Week 1: at New Providence
Week 2: North Plainfield*
Week 3: Hillside*
Week 4: at East Brunswick
Week 5: Delaware Valley*
Week 6: at Bernards
Week 7: New Brunswick*
Week 8: at North Hunterdon

Giving Voorhees New Providence and Bernards as crossovers should boost the Vikings in their playoff push. But the bigger challenge will be replacing a slew of offensive talent, including Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week scholarship winner Matteo Tramutola, whose 1,338 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns were the vast majority of the ground game last year. Not only has he graduated, but so has quarterback Sam Meekings (1,560 yards passing, 19 TDs) and top receiver Rylan Benitez (775 yards, 11 TDs) and No. 2 wideout Logan Direny (408 yards, 4 TDs). The defense should fare a little better in terms of losses. Shawn Turino had 2 1/2 sacks last year as a junior – along with a pair of fumble recoveries – while sophomore Keith Richard added another two sacks.

Delaware Valley Terriers (6-4, 1-2, 3rd place Patriot Gold)
Head Coach: Ben Ibach, 4th season (17-11)

Week 0: North Hunterdon
Week 1: Johnson
Week 2: at Hillside*
Week 3: Warren Hills
Week 4: Bernards
Week 5: at Voorhees*
Week 6: at New Brunswick*
Week 7: North Plainfield*
Week 8: at Belvidere

Again, keeping Bernards is a boost here for the Terriers, who had an up-and-down 6-4 season a year ago. They won their first two of the year, then alternated between wins and losses the rest of the way out. Senior QB Kelton Ibach, the head coach’s son, graduates after a 1,674-yard passing season, where he connected for 20 touchdowns against just three interceptions. But two runningbacks – junior Ben Culberson (331 yards, 8 TDs) and sophomore Gabe Miller (139 yards, 2 TD) – return, along with tight end and top receiver Brayden Picardo-Leask (439 yards, 5 TD). The defense should return a good deal as well, including junior linebackers Evan Strochak (2 sacks, 4 1/2 TFLs), Culberson (3 sacks, 6 TFLs, 1 INT), Marcus Gary (2 sacks, 3 TFLs, team-high 80 tackles) and Miller (1 sack, 2 1/2 TFLs, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovered). They also return their special teams skill players, including kicker/punter/returner Brayden Costello, and the younger sophomore returner Brooks Brunner.

Hillside (3-6, 2-2, 3rd place in United Gold)
Head Coach: Isa Abdul-Quddus, 3rd season (8-11)

Week 0: at Columbia
Week 1: Roselle
Week 2: Delaware Valley*
Week 3: at Voorhees*
Week 4: at New Brunswick*
Week 5: Bernards
Week 6: North Plainfield*
Week 7: at Manville
Week 9: at Cranford

After a 5-5 debut season for head coach Abdul-Qudddus, the Comets dropped out of the playoff picture in 2026, and the skipper will have some work to do, with rising junior Muwahid Williams at least a candidate to start at QB, after throwing 6-of-15 for 96 yards and a touchdown in limited action last season behind the now-graduated Justin Ashford (889 yards, 7 TDs). No. 1 target Kamari Robinson (559 yards, 6 TD) also is gone, but top runningback Travis Miles (342 yards, 5 TDs) should return for his senior year. And while the defense also graduates a ton, perhaps their most disruptive member should be back; junior Kamsi Igboanugo had five sacks and 15 TFLs last season. Xavier DaSilva (13-16 on PATs, 2-5 on FGs) also should return for his junior season.

North Plainfield (3-6, 1-3, 4th place in United Silver)
Head Coach: Steven Brown, 1st season

Week 0: Orange
Week 1: South Plainfield
Week 2: at Voorhees*
Week 3: at New Brunswick*
Week 4: at JFK
Week 5: Spotswood
Week 6: at Hillside*
Week 7: at Delaware Valley*
Week 8: Brearley

Steven Brown comes in as the new head coach, and one of his first tasks will be to find a quarterback. Four played last year, including the now-graduated senior Jordan Burnett, who threw for 244 yards. Three juniors also saw snaps – including Evan Collazo, Alex Kruszczynski and Iam Lameira, a msulti-sport athlete who was 5.2 with a 2.62 ERA on the Cancuck baseball team this year. Top rusher Jordan Burnett (773 yards, 10 TD) and No. 2 Julius King (394 yards, 4 TD) also have graduated, but three sophomore receivers could make impacts as juniors this year. Defensively, junior DL Jeremiah Dorlus was the most disruptive player in 2025, with three sacks, while sophomore defensive back Anthony Costello had three picks, including one for a touchdown.

New Brunswick Zebras (1-9, 0-4, 5th place in United Silver)
Head Coach: Geoffrey Chrisman

Week 0: at Highland Park
Week 1: at Metuchen
Week 2: at Linden
Week 3: North Plainfield*
Week 4: Hillside*
Week 5: at Perth Amboy
Week 6: Delaware Valley*
Week 7: at Voorhees
Week 8: Scotch Plains-Fanwood

Despite a long losing streak – and few points scored – the Zebras persevered and finally picked up a win in Game 10 of the 2026 season, beating West Windsor-Plainsboro 36-0 in their season finale on October 29th. Like JP Stevens and Highland Park before them, all it takes is one to get the ball rolling, and New Brunswick has to hope that will be the case this year. After all, they don’t just start the season undefeated like everyone else, but there are very few teams who can say they ended their season with a win. Of course, there will be some graduation losses to deal with, but the charismatic Chrisman will just have to keep up his recruitment of the hallways to maintain his efforts to right the ship.

May 29, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Trey Lyerly walks it off for Piscataway Magnet, 5-4 in 9, over Delaware Valley in CJ1 quarterfinals

For a group that has been tight-knit their entire careers, freshman Trey Lyerly fit right in.

And after Friday afternoon’s Central Jersey Group 2 semifinal game, he’s now officially a hero.

After a leadoff, five-pitch walk by Vincent Canavan in the bottom of the ninth, then a stolen base with Lyerly at the plate, the shortstop singled to drive him in from second with the game-winning run, setting off a wild celebration, and giving second-seed Piscataway Magenet a 5-4 win over ten-seed Delaware Valley in the Central Jersey Group 1 quarterfinals.

The Raiders’ first-round win over Henry Hudson Monday – also by a 5-4 score, and in walk-off fashion, with a four-run bottom-of-the-seventh – is believed to be their first ever, at least as far as head coach Greg Sampson has been able to figure out by combing through records and talking to former players and coaches. If that was the first, that would make this just the second.

And now, they are one win away from the title game. Next Wednesday, they’ll be in the semifinals, hosting third-seed and perennial contender Point Pleasant Beach (16-6). The Garnet Gulls have made the last five CJ1 title games, winning three straight from 2022 through 2024.

Piscataway Magnet (25-3) took a 3-0 lead in its first at bat. Canavan walked on four pitches, then Lyerly singled, and after a strikeout of Kyle Malchiodi, Colton Lyerly – Trey’s older brother, a junior – walked to load the bases. Derek Mejias then singled to center on a 1-1 pitch to score two, and a groundout by Elvis Rodriguez made it 3-0 Raiders.

Del Val would take a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth. After two singles to start the winning, a walk loaded the bases and another drove in the first run. A fielder’s choice and an error allowed two more runs to score, and the fourth came in on a passed ball.

After that, Jack Garrison came on in relief, and threw the final five innings, allowing just four hits and no runs, giving the Raiders a chance to come back.

And they did, tying the game 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth on a one-out single by Adam Morales, driving in pinch-hitter Rodhen Santos, who walked to leadoff the inning.

Then the teams played scoreless until Magnet walked it off in the ninth.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with Piscataway Magnet freshman Trey Lylerly and head coach Greg Sampson:

September 14, 2025September 14, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: No. 4 Bernards 43, Delaware Valley 7

Junior quarterback Nolan Walsh rushed for two touchdowns and threw three more in a 43-7 home victory for Bernards over Delaware Valley in the Big Central Conference Patriot Gold Division opener for both schools.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play live from Olcott Field in Bernardsville, NJ, on September 12, 2025:

1st Half

2nd Half

September 12, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

No. 4 Bernards comes out hot, steamrolls Delaware Valley to extend state-best win streak

If anyone had any questions about Bernards after a state sectional title in 2023, and a trip to the finals in 2024, they may have been answered Friday night at Olcott Field in Bernardsville.

The fourth-ranked Mountaineers came out and were aggressive from the get-go, scoring thee first quarter touchdowns, en route to a 43-7 win over visiting Delaware Valley in a battle of unbeaten teams on the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Bernards won the toss, took the ball, and on the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Nolan Walsh pitched it out to Sean Arcelay, who then hooked up with Ricky Giebel for a 40-yard completion, and they were off and running. Patrick Carlisle took it to the end zone from 21 yards out just six plays later to open the scoring.

After a three-and-out, Logan Stevens capped a three-play drive taking it seven yards to the end zone, and Nolan Walsh made it three-for-three when he scored from one-yard out after the Mountaineers recovered a fumble at the Del Val 35. Bernards ran for two, and got it to make it 22-0.

In the second quarter, Westin Lukes caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Walsh to make it 29-0, a score that held into the break.

The Terriers would get on the board on their first drive of the half, but that would be all they’d get, on a 30-yard TD pass from Kelton Ibach to Brayden Costello.

Bernards finished the game off with two more scores, a seven-yard TD reception from Ricky Giebel, and a one-yard push from Walsh.

Bernards improves to 3-0 with the win, and extends two long win streaks in the process. they have the state’s top active regular season win streak at 28 games, and have won 26 straight in Big Cenrtral play, second only to the 31 of St. Thomas Aquinas heading into Friday’s home game against North Brunswick. the Mountaineers visit Voorhees next week.

Del Val falls to 2-1 and travels to JP Stevens next Friday.

The game was the Big Central Patriot Gold Division opener for both teams.

But the night was not a perfect one for Bernards. Senior defensive end Thomas Diemar – who set the school’s all-time sack record last year, finishing with 20 – went down with an apparent leg injury in the first half and did not return. His status remained unclear after the game.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Bernards junior QB Nolan Walsh

Bernards Head Coach Jon Simoneau

September 11, 2025 by Alec Crouthamel

Delaware Valley travels to No. 4 Bernards in a test of early unbeatens in Patriot Gold opener

Through two games in head coach Ben Ibach’s third season as the head coach of Delaware Valley, the two victories have served as solid building ground for a relatively young team.

Now for the third week, comes an even bigger test.

The Terriers (2-0) travel east to face off against fellow unbeaten, No. 4 Bernards.

A heralded senior group has graduated, leaving behind plenty of sophomores and juniors getting ready for some of their first varsity action. Ibach’s message?

Embrace the challenge, and continue to improve daily.

The biggest challenge for Friday, not only a rivalry game, but the Mountaineers (2-0) have plenty on the line as well, with a state-leading 27-game regular season winning streak in the balance.

Delaware Valley, on its side, is up to the task.

The two teams face off in the Big Central Game of the Week, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. You can hear Friday night’s game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame at 6:45 and kickoff at 7 pm. Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel have the call; click here to listen.

Junior Kelton Ibach returns for his second year as the starting quarterback, and he has become the leader of the offense after learning from the senior-laden offense a year ago.

Surrounding him are several players who saw time on the defensive end, but are still getting their feet wet as the prime offensive targets. Seniors Dylan Rasimowicz and Vinny Casagrande are the elder statesmen in the wide receiver room, with junior Brayden Costello – a do-it-all threat in all three phases of the game – and sophomore Chase Kraucheunas around them.

In the run game, junior Ben Culberson and sophomore Gabe Miller, as well as leading rusher Jayden Brown, carry the load. The trio is helped by an offensive line that returns multiple starters.

The Terriers maintain a strong defensive front, one that lost plenty of production like the offense, but has more experience returning. Several starters on offense play defense as well, with Casagrande serving as the leading returning tackler from 2024.

The defense has continued its opportunistic ways, following up a 15-turnover 2024 season with six forced already through two games, including two interceptions from junior defensive back Lhiam Murphy.

In a Friday night rivalry game, two teams with a full head of steam are looking to take the edge in their respective seasons in the Big Central Patriot Gold Division.

Click below to hear Delaware Valley head coach Ben Ibach talk about the Terriers’ season so far and preview the game against Bernards:

September 11, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Mountain Valley rivalry game has Bernards hosting Delaware Valley, with No. 4 Mountaineers looking solid early on

There will be a lot going on at Olcott Field in Bernardsville Friday night, where No. 4 Bernards will host Delaware Valley in the Big Central Game of the Week, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving.

To begin with, it’s a battle of 2-0 teams, with the Mountaineers having beaten Cranford and Hillside, the Terriers having beaten Metuchen and South Plainfield.

You can add in a big rivalry game between the schools, rejuvenated in the Big Central, and also Bernards’ 27-game regular season win streak, which is the longest such active streak in the state right now.

But don’t ask a single player about either.

It’s not about that, they’ll say. It’s just about getting better every day, and building depth in a program that has always had great numbers, but saw a little dip due to the smaller-than-usual size of the school’s sophomore class.

But many key players are back, including sack-machine Thomas Diemar at defensive end, and major contributors on offense like returning quarterback Nolan Walsh, receiver Sean Arcelay and runinngback Logan Stevens, only the last of which is a senior.

You can hear Friday night’s game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame at 6:45 and kickoff at 7 pm. Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel have the call; click here to listen.

September 11, 2025September 11, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 2

Now that high school football is in full swing, things are really starting to heat up in the Big Central and around the state, so let’s talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including Aidan Vesuvio-Bush and Somerville’s win over Cranford, Bernards’ two-day win at Hillside, and then look ahead to this week’s matchups, which sees the fourth-ranked Mountaineers face Delaware Valley in a battle of 2-0 teams in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Then, Marcus will be at another big clash in Flemington between unbeatens Hunterdon Central and Phillipsburg, before traveling to Metuchen Saturday for a small-school meeting between the Bulldogs and Roselle.

Also on the show, Mike and Marcus discuss similarities between the Week 0 and Week 1 “Bellamy & Son Paving Players of the Week,” the mindset of kickers who also play on offense, and the most scenic high school football stadium in the Big Central!

Click below to listen to the Week Two edition of “Gameday with Marcus Borden”:

August 13, 2025August 11, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: Patriot Gold Division

With only four teams in the Patriot Gold Division – and one that’s been among the best in the Big Central Conference for most of its existence – the other three will be chasing Bernards again in 2025.

While the Mountaineers lose a significant amount of talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball, they also return a good deal of experience, and will be the team to beat, having won 23 straight games against Big Central competition.

Right behind them last year was Delaware Valley, who went 6-3 in head coach Ben Ibach’s second season, and Voorhees, who for a second straight year had a very solid run game.

The final team in the division last year was JP Stevens, which won two games last year after having lost more than 40 in a row. That was a big step, and with a new coach in David Kunyz – who already was in the program as defensive coordinator – the consistency mixed with some new ideas could help them improve even further.

Click below to hear our preview of the Patriot Gold Division from Big Central Conference Media Day:

July 1, 2025July 3, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Bernards looks to keep program rolling as Voorhees, Delaware Valley, JP Stevens look to make strides in Patriot Gold

Forget school size, for a second. The Bernards football program is one of the most solid in the entire Big Central Conference. It doesn’t matter that they’re a Group 2 school; they get a ton of kids in the program and they stick with it. These are kids who mainly could afford to go anywhere they want, but choose to stay at Bernards.

And how have they been rewarded? In the past two seasons, the Mountaineers are 23-2, have won 23 straight games against Big Central opponents dating back to an early 2022 loss to Hillside (second only to St. Thomas Aquinas at 31), 30 regular season games overall dating back to that same loss (longest in the BCC), and have a sectional title and two sectional finals berths to their credit. Whether they can repeat that in 2025 is another question, but that’s why they play the games.

With head coach Jon Simoneau the veteran coach in this division – now going into his 18th season – the rest of the Patriot Gold has some newer coaches who should see their teams improve with another year in the system under their belts. That includes Ben Ibach in his third season at Delaware Valley, John Hack in his second at Voorhees, and David Kunyz being elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach at JP Stevens.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the Patriot Gold Division teams – in alphabetical order – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge. Please note game dates and times may be changed without notice as the season approaches. Division games marked with an asterisk (*).

Bernards Mountaineers (11-1, 3-0, Patriot Gold Division champs in ’24)
Head Coach: Jon Simoneau (121-57, 18th season)

Week 0: Cranford
Week 1: at Hillside (Sat, 1p)
Week 2: Delaware Valley*
Week 3: at Voorhees*
Week 4: JP Stevens*
Week 5: at South Plainfield
Week 6: at Summit (Sat, 1p)
Week 7: Governor Livingston
Week 8: Carteret

Offensively, the Mountaineers saw sophomore Nolan Walsh throw for nearly 2,000 yards last season – he was 49 shy – and 18 touchdowns. The fact he’s got two more seasons running the offense bodes well for Bernards, plus another soph coming back in runningback Patrick Carlisle, who went for 762 yards and ten touchdowns last season, plus rising senior Logan Stevens and his 606 yards and ten touchdowns. Solid receivers Sean Arcelay (17 catches, 266 yards, 2 TDs) returns, while Stevens also caught 21 passes for 315 yards and two scores. Defensively, the team’s top tackler in Terrence Hanratty (132 total, 2 sacks, 6 TFLs) has graduated, but active linebacker Thomas Diemar will be the anchor. Last year, he finished with ten sacks, 18.5 TFLs, and had one force fumble/recovery. Teagun Hartnett had two picks last year as a junior.

Delaware Valley Terriers (6-3, 2-1, 2nd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Ben Ibach (11-7, 3rd season)

Week 0: bye
Week 1: South Plainfield
Week 2: at Bernards*
Week 3: at JP Stevens* (6p)
Week 4: Voorhees*
Week 5: at South River (Sat)
Week 6: Johnson
Week 7: Roselle
Week 8: New Providence

Kelton Ibach returns for the Terriers, after throwing for 1,211 yards and 16 touchdowns a season ago in his junior campaign, but he’ll need some new targets, as all six players to catch passes last year were seniors. The runningback room was also senior heavy, but Del Val didn’t run as much, only going for 704 yards last season. Still, just 137 of that returns, and 72 came from Ibach himself. There will be key guys to replace on defense, too, like senior LB Patrick O’Boyle (2 sacks, 1 forced fumble) and DB Eric Klemmer (2 INT, 2 TFLs). After a 5-4 debut season for head coach Ben Ibach, last year’s squad went 6-4. Some newcomers here could determine if they’ll improve upon that at all.

JP Stevens Hawks (2-7, 0-3, 4th place in ’24)
Head Coach: David Kunyz (1st season)

Week 0: Lakewood (Thurs, 6p)
Week 1: at Bound Brook
Week 2: Voorhees* (6p)
Week 3: Delaware Valley* (6p)
Week 4: at Bernards*
Week 5: Manville (Sat, 4p)
Week 6: at Metuchen
Week 7: at Roselle Park
Week 8: Roselle (6p)

Jason George did a fine job in two seasons as head coach, developing the Hawks in his first season, and delivering them their first win since 2018 in his second, snapping a 31-game skid that was the longest in the state at the time. But he’s left to be an assistant with his father at Woodbridge, and now defensive coordinator David Kunyz takes the reins. So, yes, it’s a coaching change, but there will still be some consistency, a good thing for the program which has struggled mightily with numbers in recent years. He’ll face the challenge of finding a replacement for senior quarterback Marquise Webb (616 yards, 2 TD) and top rusher Quadir Johnson (321 yards, 3 TDs). The defense saw some underclassmen make play, like sophomore Joshua Collins and junior Elijah Hollman (1 sack, 1 TFL each).

Voorhees Vikings (3-6, 1-2, 3rd place in ’24)
Head Coach: John Hack (3-6, 2nd season)

Week 0: at Orange (Thurs, 6p)
Week 1: at JFK
Week 2: at JP Stevens* (6p)
Week 3: Bernards*
Week 4: at Delaware Valley*
Week 5: North Plainfield
Week 6: at Governor Livingston (Sat, 1p)
Week 7: Hillside
Week 8: North Hunterdon

The crossover schedule won’t be an easy one, but there are some key players back that could help the Vikings take a step up in Year Two under head coach John Hack. Among them is rising senior Matteo Tramutola, who rushed for 1,258 yards last year and scored 17 touchdowns, while QB Sam Meekings threw for 1,327 yards and 16 scores as a junior in 2024. Some younger backs will round out that room, while five receivers who went for at least 125 yards each and ten touchdowns overall should be back, led by senior Ryan Benitez, who had nine catches for 182 yards and three scores last season.

October 31, 2024 by Mike Pavlichko

The wheels on the bus: What Big Central teams have the longest rides to playoff games?

With the high school football playoffs beginning this week, it’s time for one of our most popular stories of the year: a look at who will be sitting on a bus for a long ride down to South Jersey. But, hey, we’re not just looking at our Big Central teams’ gas money here; some deep South Jersey teams have to come up here, too!

This didn’t happen much pre-2019, when the NJSIAA had teams in geographical sections, but when the UPR formula was instituted and the state was split into North and South supersections in each group, and teams assigned to sections based on seed rather than location. (Actually, the changes began in 2018, but that first year, teams were slotted by Northing number.)

And travel is more of an issue in the southern part of the state than in North Jersey. If you split the state in the middle, the North would have many more teams, but in the interest of balance, the line shifts higher, meaning the Central and South playoff sections have the same number of teams, but cover a wider geographical area.

These trips may not be long enough to watch “Gone With the Wind” – with a three hour, 58 minute running time – but with traffic, they’ll take a while. We looked at each trip on Google Maps at 10 am, when traffic is generally light, so expect to add some more time for those Friday afternoon trips!

Hunterdon Central at Washington Twp, 6 pm Friday (1 hour, 29 minutes, 75.8 miles): This is the longest trip for a Big Central team in terms of time, but still six minutes less than last year’s longest first-round Big Central trip, which saw Johnson with a one-hour, 33-minute trip to Pleasantville, near Atlantic City. The Red Devils would take Route 31 down to I-295 to the Philly area, then cut further south. They can shave five minutes off by cutting through Pennsylvania on I-95, but at rush hour? Not advisable. And who’s paying the EZ Pass to cross the bridge at Yardley?

Manville at Paulsboro, 11 am Saturday (1 hour, 23 minutes – 72.7 miles): The Mustangs will be at their school at 7 am to board the bus for this one; that’s an early wake-up call on SAT day, where many teams are playing at 2 pm. This is a trip down I-295 to play Paulsboro, which is just south of Philadephia. It’s the second-longest Big Central trip in terms of time.

Hillside at Haddonfield, 7 pm Friday (1 hour, 17 minutes – 79 miles): A bit shorter than Manville’s sojourn to Paulsboro, this is the longest trip by miles for a Big Central team, taking the Turnpike town to play the Bulldawgs. But let’s ask an honest question: how is the second-northernmost Big Central school in South Jersey? The answer, of course, is there are way more Group 2 schools up North than down South, so there’s a big skew. For comparison’s sake, Summit – the northernmost school in the BCC – is in the North. (More on them in a bit.)

The rest of the Big Central teams on the road all generally have travel times of about an hour or less, but some teams coming up to this neck of the woods have long rides, too.

Absegami at Somerville, 7 pm Friday (1 hour, 37 minutes – 107 miles): This looks like the longest trip in the state to us: Absegami will be riding 107 miles up the Parkway to I-287 to play at Brooks Field, a ride that, in rush-hour on a Friday, is more likely to take two hours. The 14 miles they’ll have to travel on 287 might take a half-hour alone at that point. The Pioneers had one of the longest trips in the league last year, going down to Seneca for a first round game that was “only” 64.6 miles away, but an hour-and-33 minutes. This time, they get to roll in from home.

And who’s got the shortest trip?

Summit at Cranford, 7 pm Friday (22 minutes – 8 miles): It’s a hop-skip-and-a-jump for Summit as the Hilltoppers and Cranford rematch their regular season contest, which Summit won 21-7 at home back on September 28th. Doesn’t everyone wish they could be this close? Montclair visits neighboring East Orange Campus, just 4.3 miles apart, but that’s not even the closest trip. In North 2, Group 1, Wood-Ridge could easily walk the 1.5 miles to Hasbrouck Heights!!