Tag: Elizabeth

by Mike Pavlichko

The playoffs are here! More than two dozen Big Central public schools open postseason play this weekend, with 20 games on tap. Here’s Part One of our preview on Groups 4 and 5

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 involving BCC schools this weekend, section by section in Groups 4 and 5, including game dates and times. Games are Friday, except where noted.

Find our preview of Group 1, 2 and 3 schools will by clicking this link.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 5:

  • #8 Linden (3-6) at #1 Bridgewater-Raritan (6-3), 6pm: The Panthers, after making the playoffs out of a strong division with no more than four wins each of the last three seasons, broke through in Year Three under the young, energetic DJ Catalano as head coach. And they survived two games without QB Declan Kurdyla, a Rutgers lacrosse committ whose season it was thought might be over after a lower body (knee) injury against Hunterdon Central in Game Four. It turned out to be not as serious as originally thought, and he was back three weeks later. A win over Piscataway – a two-seed in the same section – may have been their best of the year. As for Linden, Mark Ciccotelli’s took over for Al Chiola, and the Tigers struggled a bit out of the box, starting 0-3, and going 1-5 through their first six. But they won two of their last three, beating Perth Amboy and Carteret, then lost by one to a super-talented, if inconsistent Plainfield team last weekend. Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for updates and we’ll have video postgame reaction late Friday night.
  • #6 Bayonne (6-3) at #3 Elizabeth (5-4), 6 pm: When you have a three-year starter like the dynamic Arique Fleming in quarterback – a three-year starter who’s still only a junior – you have to like the Minutemen and their chances. After a 2-1 start, they lost three straight, but have won three in a row over Morristown, Watchung Hills and Union, the win over the Warriors – on the road – being the most impressive. But Bayonne comes in hot, too. The Bees won just one of their first four games, but have reeled off five straight coming into the playoffs. But that one win they had early? It came over Elizabeth, 26-21, at Williams Field. Can the Minutemen return the favor?
  • #7 Plainfield (4-5) at #2 Piscataway (7-2), Saturday 1 pm: This is our Saturday “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Click here to listen, with pregame starting at 12:45. The Chiefs are looking like their old selves again, that is, a team that’s capable of winning a championship, even if they have to clean up some penalties and miscues. They and Plainfield both have talent over the field. Landon Pernell can get the ball to receivers like Josiah Zayas, who came back to the program from St. Thomas Aquinas, and Zaire Young can do things on the ground. Devin Thomas – the Plainfield quarterback is dynamic, having thrown for over 2,000 yard – with 27 touchdowns and just four interceptions – and leading the team in rushing at 466 yards. This is going to be a game with a lot of big plays. Read our full preview and hear from both head coaches at the link.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 5:

  • #5 Hillsborough (4-5) at #4 Rancocas Valley (5-4), Saturday 12 pm: This is a tough draw for the Raiders, being on the road, but they’re also familiar with the West Jersey Football League, playing fellow Group 5 squad Washington Twp. in the Battle at the Beach down at Rowan back in August. That 43-12 loss came to a team that was 9-0, but don’t discount the Red Devils, even though they’re “just” 5-4. They have a run-heavy attack led by Jameer Bellamy (864 yards, 11 TDs), and have a sophomore in Michael Beasley and a junior in David Ogunsola who have combined for 22 1/2 of the team’s 29 sacks this year. Hillsborough will have to protect senior QB Devon Khurana – who already played the early part of the season with a broken pinkie – and will be challenged to get thousand-yard rusher Andrew Schwarz the numbers they’d like. Fun fact: This will be the third “Red Devils” opponent for the Raiders this year, who lost 28-7 to Ridge, but beat Hunterdon Central in Flemington last week, 33-8.
  • #6 Freehold Twp. (5-4) at #3 Old Bridge (8-1), Saturday 6 pm: The Knights have one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the area in Brody Nugent, the senior QB who has thorwn for 1,811 yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for a team-best 799 yards and 15 more scores. He’s a points machine for a team that has been perfect in the six games since they lost 28-21 at Piscataway on September 12th, a full month-and-a-half ago. Freehold Township had won three straight before falling to Manalapan last week. A pass-heavy offense that has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards between two quarterbacks could make this a very entertaining game, indeed.
  • #7 Trenton (6-3) at #2 Sayrveille (8-1), 7 pm: The Bombers rebounded from a 43-15 loss to Montgomery two weeks ago with a 33-26 win over St. Thomas Aquinas that ended their Big Central-record 35-game winning streak. Shaun Jackson has been the offensive weapon all season long, with 1,650 yards and 20 touchdowns on 162 carries. Almost on the nose, he touches the ball a little more than every other play. The Tornadoes have a more balanced attack, with junior QB Keith Williams throwing for 1,210 yards, and have won three straight coming in. This will be the Bombers’ first opponent from Mercer County since 2008, when they beat West Windsor-Plainsboro South in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals, before losing in the title game to Brick Memorial.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 4:

  • #8 Newark Central (6-3) at #1 Phillipsburg (7-1), 7 pm: The Stateliners get to defend their North 2, Group 4 title, and the beginning of theat defense starts with an explosive Blue Devil club out of Newark. They have a sophomore quarterback who has thrown for almost 1,400 yards in Zahyir Taylor, but while he’s thrown 14 touchdown passes, he’s also been prone to throwing picks, with nine on the season. This is a very balanced attack, but Central doesn’t play nearly the schedule Phillipsburg does. They are still humming along even after a 21-0 loss at St. Joseph-Metuchen a couple of weeks ago, with another sophomore QB in Dominic Bracco playing traffic cop with the ground game, which has reeled off nearly 2,300 yards and 30 touchdowns this season.
  • #5 Colonia (6-3) at #4 Ridge: (5-3), 7 pm: This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools, and both have had fine seasons. The Patriots had won four straight before a Cutoff Weekend loss to Old Bridge, but it’s also been the most comfortable Cutoff Weekend Colonia has had in the last few years, since they had a playoff berth already locked up coming in. It’s a solid senior group that has put up big numbers through the air, with Dylan Chiera tossing for 1,971 yards and 21 TDs with just two picks all season, and favorite target RJ Wortman already over a thousand-yards receiving. Ridge will need to keep an eye on Julien Jones, who has racked up nine of the team’s 19 sacks on the season. Ridge also had won four in a row before falling to Westfield last week This will be Colonia’s passing game against the Red Devils’ ground attack, which has amassed 1,802 yards on the season. They’ve run it 334 times compared to 114 passing plays. Oh, and their defense can get after it, too. They have five picks, one for a touchdown.
  • #6 Westfield at #3 Montgomery, 7 pm: The last meeting between these schools was ten years ago, as the schools finished a home-and-home that saw the Cougars win in 2014, the Blue Devils in 2015. That being distant history, the Cougars are a bit banged up right now after the Rahway game, in which senior QB Jack Kristjanson went down with what appeared to be a lower leg injury late in the game after a sack. They’ve got some big wins, over Somerville and Sayrville, and in overtime in their opener against a solid 7-2 Hopewell Valley squad. The Blue Devils, meanwhile, are looking for their first back-to-back wins of an up-and-down season. But if they can play like they did against Ridge last week, when they netted a 14-7 upset win at home – their first win over the Blue Devils since 2017 – they can pull this one off. Senior Jordan Walsh is the reigning Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Player of the Week, coming up with big plays late in that win.
  • #7 Rahway (6-3) at #2 Woodbridge (7-2), 6 pm: The side story here is that this is the “Russo Bowl.” Rahway head coach Brian Russo is a Woodbridge grad, won a state title there, coached there, and his son, Sean, is a senior wide receiver for Joe Goerge. The main storyline here is: this should be one damn good football game. The Indians were physical in a 28-7 upset win over No. 3 Montgomery last Friday night, a win that got them in the playoffs, and senior Andrew Avent – who’s now the school’s all-time rushing leader at 4,395 career yards and 79 overall touchdowns – can change the game in a hurry. But they can get to the quarterback, too, with the defense coming up with at least four sacks last week alone. The Barrons have been one of the best teams in the Big Central the last two years, with just one regular season loss, that coming to St. Joe’s a couple of weeks ago. Joshua Allen is also a great back; the senior has gone for 1,355 yards and 18 scores this season. Can they limit Rahway on the scoreboard? Though the Barrons have pitched two shutouts, those came against Union and Perth Amboy. But the rest of the schedule has all scored at least 18 points against them in every game.

by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Friday Playoff Update – Group 5: Bridgewater-Raritan should earn top seed, Plainfield and Hillsborough clinch berths, Hunterdon Central eliminated with loss

With Friday night’s Cutoff Weekend high school football games all in the books, Central Jersey Sports Radio is updating the unofficial NJSIAA playoff standings as we head into Saturday action.

We’ll have further analysis late morning into the afternoon Saturday, with our 2025 “Playoff Projection Show” scheduled for 6 pm where we give our bracket projections. The full tournament for the public schools will be unveiled on Sunday by the NJSIAA via Gridiron New Jersey. We’ll have them shortly after. The brackets become official at noon on Monday.

NORTH GROUP 5

Table displaying the unofficial NJSIAA playoff standings for North Group 5 high school football teams, including team names, wins, losses, ties, and various rankings and statistics.
  • Bridgewater-Raritan holds the two-spot, despite a hard-fought loss Friday night at Phillipsburg. The Panthers should be the No. 1 seed in North 2, Group 4, while West Orange would get the one-seed in North 1, Group 4. Very little changed at the top, and it won’t Saturday since the first nine teams all finished their games this weekend.
  • That includes Piscataway holding in third and Elizabeth in fourth. They should be the second and third seeds in North 2, Group 4. The Chiefs lost to Bridgewater earlier this year, so there’s no head-to-head jump there.
  • Plainfield clinched a playoff berth with a win Friday night at Linden, 28-27. They moved all the way up from 17 to 12 in the supersection. Linden dropped one place after the loss to Plainfield, right behind them at 13. But keep reading to see the effects of the Irvington game Saturday…
  • The Union-City-Livingston tiebreaker will go to Union City. They didn’t meet head to head, and against common opponents, both beat all three of them, Montclair, Irvington and Columbia.
  • Irvington plays Seton Hall Prep Saturday, and the Marauders are a multiplier. That’s the only other significant game we’re waiting on, as Barringer plays Hackensack but was 21st in the standings, so that shouldn’t affect things. Should Irvington win, they move up one to ninth and Bayonne moves down to tenth. Should Irvington lose, they would stay where they are, but Plainfield and Linden would flip-flop, but only momentarily. While the Cardinals would then be behind Linden in 13th, since they just beat them head to head, they go back the way they were.
  • Also important to note, while Montclair made the top 16, they’re 1-8, and two wins is the minimum for playoff eligibility. That means No. 17 Passaic (4-4) gets in as the final team.

SOUTH GROUP 5

Table displaying the standings for South Group 5 high school football teams, including wins, losses, points average, and rankings.
  • As predicted, a Sayreville win over St. Thomas Aquinas Friday night didn’t get the Bombers a top-seed. They should be the two-seed in Central Jersey Group 5 behind overall No. 1 seed Washington Twp., which capped a 9-0 regular season Friday night, while Atlantic City – which was idle this weekend – gets the top-seed in the South Jersey Group 5 section.
  • Old Bridge would be the second seed in Central 5 if it all holds, which it should, as the next team back, Rancocas Valley (4-4) plays Lenape (0-8) Saturday. While Valley should win, it’s a weak opponent, and we don’t believe they can catch the Knights.
  • Hillsborough solidified its playoff spot, and moved up from 13 to 9 overall with a win at Hunterdon Central, which looks like they won’t make it, finishing 20th. We think the Raiders are likely locked in as the five-seed in Central Jersey Group 5.
  • Franklin picked up a Friday night win, but over winless North Brunswick, and that didn’t help them move up into the top 16, despite a 5-4 season.
by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Group 5 Playoff Update: Bridgewater-Raritan could earn BCC’s only overall No. 1 seed; Plainfield, Rahway face “play-in” scenarios Friday night

It’s Cutoff Weekend in New Jersey high school football, and we’re taking a look at the playoff scenarios for every Big Central team in contention.

This week, Strength Index values are locked in, and out-of-state opponent SI values also have been updated by Gridiron New Jersey, which does all the official calculations of the NJ UPR formula for the NJSIAA. And we’ve double- and triple-checked our own standings to make sure they match with Gridiron’s.

We’ll have another update to the standings after Friday night’s games – yes, there are Thursday games, but none in the BCC, and we’ll only update if there are significant changes.

And, of course, Central Jersey Sports Radio will have its annual “Playoff Projection Show,” airing LIVE on Saturday at 6 pm. Mike Pavlichko hosts with analyst Marcus Borden, and they’ll run through all the projected brackets. Plus, you’ll hear from some of the league’s coaches as well.

Here’s our breakdown of the Group 5 supersections. We won’t be getting into how the brackets look just yet, but we’ll do that with our update after Friday night’s Week 8 action. Click the supersection header to see the official standings on Gridiron New Jersey.

NORTH GROUP 5

  • Bridgewater-Raritan: The Panthers (6-2) have a shot at the overall No. 1 seed here, but it won’t be easy. They would have to beat Phillipsburg (6-1) on the road Friday night and have West Orange (currently No. 1, 6-2) lose at 5-3 Bloomfield the same night. But even a Bridgewater loss might keep them there. Piscataway (7-2) visits Monroe (1-7) and the Chiefs just can’t gain enough from that game to put them in the fold for a top seed. Even Elizabeth at four overall can’t get much higher. So we think the Panthers are locked in as the top-seed in North 2, Group 5, it’s just a matter of whether they’ll edge out West Orange for the top-seed overall, which would mean they could host a group semifinal, if they got that far. Incidentally, their six wins are the most the Panthers have had since 2021 under Scott Bray, and a seventh win would be their best total since finishing 2017 9-3, with a trip to the North 2, Group 5 finals, the last of three straight they made, falling to undefeated Westfield all three times.
  • Piscataway: Even with losses by Bridgewater-Raritan and West Orange, we think the Chiefs (6-2) are maxed out at No. 3, so they should be the two-seed in North 2, Group 5. A loss could drop them to fourth, maybe lower depending how Passaic Tech and Union City do. Either way, they should start out at home, playing on Saturdays as they always do.

  • Elizabeth: If things break right for the Minutemen (4-4), a win over Union (1-7) coupled with losses by West Orange, Bridgewater-Raritan and Piscataway could get Elizabeth as high as three overall, which would earn them a two-seed in the North 2, Group 4 section, with the Panthers first and Piscataway third, then Linden fourth, making it an all-Big Central top four there. A loss would be tragic, potential dropping them to around eight overall, and on the road for a first-round playoff game. That’s quite the swing. But if the Minutemen fancy themselves a playoff team, they should handle the Farmers.
  • Linden: Sitting at 12, the Tigers (3-5) have Plainfield (also 3-5) at home Friday. Just on its own, that keeps them at 12. A win could move them to around ninth overall, while a loss could drop them to 14, but they should be solidly win. Behind them are three teams that have no business making the playoffs, including 5-2 Morristown, 1-7 Montclair and 1-7 Union. And those last two won’t even qualify if they don’t get to two wins (and it’s unlikely they will).
  • Plainfield: The Cardinals get in with a win over Linden, which would bump them all the way up to 12, not counting any other scores. But still, with Bloomfield at 13 and Linden at 14 – and we already counted a loss for them, there’s really no one who could catch them. With a loss? Well, they could back into the playoffs, thanks to those one-win teams. In that scenario, they would need Columbia (3-5) to lose to Union City (4-3), and for Union and Montclair to lose – leaving them each with one-win and ineligible – and they would get in. We can’t remember another scenario since the advent of the NJ UPR system in 2018 where a team got in from 18 because of two teams that didn’t meet the win requirement, but that’s what would happen here.
  • Union: A win over Elizabeth (5-4) should get them in, moving them to around the 12th position in the field of 16. But at 1-7, they must win that game. Two wins is the NJSIAA minimum to qualify.

SOUTH GROUP 5

  • Sayreville: We don’t think the Bombers have a path to a No. 1 seed, thanks in part to last week’s loss to Montgomery. They come in at 7-1, with a 3.6 UPR. Ahead of them is Atlantic City (7-1, 2nd) and Washington Twp. (8-0, 1st). Assuming Sayreville beats St. Thomas Aquinas (5-3), they can’t catch Washington Twp., even if they were to lose. And they’d be 0.2 UPR points behind Atlantic City. They’d need a loss by the Vikings, but since they play on Thanksgiving and have already played eight games, they’re idle this week. Now, the Trojans are a multiplier, but as of last year, teams only get bonus points if they lose; if they beat a multiplier, they get the normal points on the OSI side. That said, with a loss, they fall to four without any other games being considered, but it’s not the worst thing in the world. With Southern also above them, all three teams are from the south, Washington Twp. would get the top seed in Central 5, and Sayreville would be the two there regardless. But giving wins to Old Bridge and Rancocas Valley actually bumps them back up to third, mainly because Rancocas has Lenape (0-8) this weekend, and even a win would drop them and prop up the Bombers.
  • Old Bridge: The Knights are going to benefit from that Rancocas Valley drop, too, should they beat a solid (6-2) Colonia team at home Friday night. A loss and they drop to seven, and probably lock them in there. Why? Even if teams behind them win, there’s a gap from Old Bridge in fourth in the Central 5 section to Hillsborough fifth with five teams from the South in between the overall UPR standings. And the Raiders can’t catch them.
  • Hillsborough: Coming in at No. 13, the Raiders (3-5) have been hot and cold this season. At 1-4, they reeled off a couple of back-to-back wins, but fell off the wagon last week when Piscataway beat them at Noonan Field. A win Friday at Hunterdon Central (4-4) could get them around 11, while a loss could drop them as low as 15.
  • Hunterdon Central: The Red Devils look like they need to beat the Raiders to get in. That would put them at 15, with Trenton, Howell and Bridgeton behind them. They still might need some help from them. If all three win, Central is out. But Central can get in as long as two of the three teams lose. We think Franklin is out regardless. The fly in the ointment could be if Jackson (2-6) wins at Brick Memorial (6-2), but we think that’s unlikely. So here are the scenarios for the Red Devils, needing two of three losses by those three behind them. If Howell and Bridgeton lose, Central gets in at 15 and Hillsborough holds at 12. If Bridgeton and Trenton lose, Hillsborough is at 15, Central at 16, but they would jump the Raiders since they just beat them. If Howell and Trenton lose, Central gets in at 16, Hillsborough is at 12 again. Play-in games and scoreboard watching are what makes Cutoff Weekend exciting!

by Mike Pavlichko

Former Elizabeth All-Stater, Syracuse All-American Quinton Spotwood tells the story of his hometown sports heroes with new magazine, raises money for local scholarships

Truth be told, Quinton Spotwood and this reporter go way back, more than 25 years, even though we never met in person until this August.

Over the years, both of us have come to appreciate the history around high school sports, the many all-time classic games, and the legends.

In Elizabeth, those names include “Billboard” Ray Graham, Rodney Carter, Khaseem Greene, P.J. Walker, Raheem Orr, Alcides Catanho, and many more. Even Quinton Spotwood himself, who went on to collegiate All-American status at Syracuse in 1997, a year he was named Big East Special Teams Player of the Year.

(That’s where our connection lies, but you’ll have to listen to our interview to find out what it is!)

Click here to purchase your copy of Spotwood Sports for $19.99 to support Elizabeth student-athletes! All three issues are available now!

By day – more like early morning – Spotwood is a marine terminal operator at the Phillips 66 refinery in Linden. By afternoon and Friday night, he’s an assistant football coach at his alma mater. And with the rest of his time, he’s started a wesbite with accompanying magazine, Spotwood Sports.

The first issue launched in the Spring of 2025, as “All Hail, Rodney Carter” proclaims the headline on the cover of the glossy magazine that would make you swear you were looking at a copy of Sports Illustrated, with beautiful photos, and insight into the young men who succeeded and went on to college, often despite long odds.

Cover of Spotwood Sports magazine featuring a football player wearing jersey number 24, titled 'All Hail, Rodney Carter' with the subtitle 'Elizabeth: City of Legends'.
Issue No. 1 of the Spotswood Sports magazine hails former Elizabeth star Rodney Carter. (Spotwood Sports)

In his opening Editor’s Notes, Spotwood writes, “The City of Legends concept came out of thin air. However, for many that lived it, it was decades in the making.” That’s the magazine in a nutshell.

And it even highlights the future stars, the ones who haven’t made it yet. There’s a profile of Elizabeth rising sophomore Nahjae Smith, who holds offers from Spotwood’s alma mater, Syracuse, along with Maryland, Boston College, Michigan State and others, but more importantly, has a 4.4 grade-point average.

Click here to purchase your copy of Spotwood Sports for $19.99 to support Elizabeth student-athletes! All three issues are available now!

But the magazine serves a dual purpose. Besides informing and entertaining, sales of the magazine go toward college scholarships for Elizabeth student-athletes. And supporting things like the Joe Grazio NIL Football Club, funded by local businesses and alums, so that families in town can afford college recruiting trips and visits, and even family needs and day-to-day living expenses.

Elizabeth student-athletes Antoine Blount and Jamad Lyles each accept a $500 scholarship from Quentin Spotwood with proceeds from Spotwood Sports magazine.

Carter, for one, in the initial issue, talks about his dedication to the sport, and it’s a good thought for the future stars donning a Minutemen jersey at this very moment. “They tell athletes to have a “plan B” just in case the plan A doesn’t pan out. Does a doctor or a dentist have a plan B if their plans don’t pan out? … Figure out what you love to do besides playing sports and work towards that as well. Don’t get blindsided by reality.”

Cover of Spotwood Sports magazine featuring Ray Graham, a running back for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He is shown in action on the field, wearing a blue jersey with number 1, celebrating and raising his arms. Background includes a faint image of another player and text focused on his achievements.
The Summer 2025 issue of “Spotwood Sports” magazine. (Spotwood Sports)

The second issue of Spotwood Sports came out this past summer, and features Pitt Panther runningback “Billboard Ray” Graham, whose father was a standout three-sport athlete for Elizabeth, and whose brother as Khaseem Greene, who attended Rutgers. When he graduated Pitt, Graham trailed only two Panther runningbacks in career yardage: Tony Dorsett and James Conner. Not bad company.

The third issue has just come out for the Fall of 2025. Quinton himself is on the cover, hauling in a pass against Michigan in a 38-28 at the Big House in 1998, a year the Orange finished 8-4, ranked No. 25 by Associated Press, and went to the Orange Bowl.

Not bad for a kid with big dreams from Elizabeth, New Jersey, who dreamed one day of “making a big play in the Carrier Dome.”

Click here to purchase your copy of Spotwood Sports for $19.99 to support Elizabeth student-athletes! All three issues are available now!

Cover of Spotwood Sports magazine featuring Quinton Spotwood catching a football during a game. The background shows a football stadium filled with fans. Text on the cover highlights his achievements and the theme 'Elizabeth: City of Legends.'
The latest edition of “Spotwood Sports” magazine. Your purchase helps support student-athletes in Elizabeth. (Spotwood Sports)

Click below to hear Quinton Spotwood talk about growing up and becoming a football star in Elizabeth, his college days at Syracuse, and his new magazine Spotwood Sports!

by Mike Pavlichko

Group 5 Playoff Chase: Bridgewater-Raritan, Piscataway hold top two seeds in North Group 5, Sayreville moves from 8th to 5th in South

A loss by West Orange to Phillipsburg Friday hurt the Mountaineers more than Piscataway’s loss to Sayreville, and that’s pushed the Chiefs into one of the two top seeds in the North Group 5 playoff supersection.

That was the big takeaway from Week 5 action, with two Big Central teams holding the top two spots there, as Bridgewater-Raritan is in position to be the top overall seed.

With the NJSIAA moving away from snaking the brackets to a more geographic-based model, that would put the Panthers as the top-seed in North 1 Group 5, while Piscataway – which is further South by Northing number – would be the top seed in North 2 Group 5. Under the old pre-determined geographic system, both would have been in North 2.

Below are the brackets based on the current standings. Please note, we did not perform the top-down tiebreaker, nor UPR tiebreakers, which are decided – in order – by head-to-head, common opponents, OSI rank, power point rank, then coin flip.

A table displaying the standings for North 1 and North 2 Group 5 high school football teams, including win-loss records and statistics.

The big thing to remember this year is that just moving up among the top 16 playoff qualifies doesn’t guarantee moving up in a section, since the teams are assigned to sections by geography.

For example, see Bayonne in North 2 Group 5. The Bees are 12th overall in UPR. Assuming the same teams make the playoffs, but Bayonne moves up from 12 to ten, they would still be geographically in North 2, and the next team ahead of them is Irvington, which is 9th overall.

So, in order to move up one spot in their section, they would need to move up four spots – from 12th to eighth – to make a jump of one spot in their section.

Conversely, look at Union City, in third in North 2 Group 5. They’re fifth overall in UPR, and East Orange is fourth. If they jumped one spot over East Orange, they would also flip-flop with them in the section, since one is right behind the other in the overall rankings.

As for the Big Central teams here, we think Bridgewater-Raritan should hold on to one of the top seeds. Piscataway’s schedule is a mix of favorable and competitive, and West Orange has a real tough one against East Orange (5-0) in a couple of weeks, so we think if the Chiefs win out, they have a good shot here to earn a top seed despite having two losses. Besides Sayreville last week, the other loss is to Bridgwater-Raritan.

Elizabeth sits at eight overall, despite a 2-4 record. The Minutemen have lost three straight but should be able to pick up a couple of wins down the stretch. They’ll have to watch Irvington directly behind them, but could be the beneficiary of the Bayonne example above. They would have to jump five places to knock Elizabeth out of a first round home game, if Irvington doesn’t. So, it’s likely they only have Irvington to worry about, if they can get a few more victories.

Linden isn’t yet eligible for the playoffs, with only one win. The minimum is two. They should get that next week against winless Perth Amboy, but then they have Carteret, followed by a Cutoff Weekend game with Plainfield. And the Cardinals, who are in 17th, very much could be looking for a way in of their own with a win that night.

Don’t forget to tune in to Central Jersey Sports Radio’s “Playoff Projection Show” as Mike Pavlichko and Marcus Borden go through the projected playoff brackets at 6 pm on Saturday, October 25th, Cutoff Weekend!!!

Table displaying standings for Central Group 5 and South Group 5 in a football league, including teams, wins, losses, ties, and rankings.
Note: With Gridiron New Jersey’s Tuesday evening update of out-of-state SI values, Williamstown saw its OSI change, and some UPR values are different, but the teams remain in all the same order.

Other than if two Big Central teams occupy the top two spots overall – like Bridgewater-Raritan and Piscataway in North 5 – all the Big Central teams should generally be in Central Jersey, as they are here in the South 5 supersection.

But here, it’s two West Jersey Football League teams occupying the top two spots, with Washington Township getting the Central top-seed by a hair over Southern, with only a slight difference in Northing number.

The rest of the Big Central teams end up in Central, and though some may have to travel to Washington Township – like Hunterdon Central as of this moment – at least it’s not deep South Jersey.

This is also a pretty balanced group, with four of the top eight seeds in each section. Central has seeds 1, 4, 5, and 7, while South has 2, 3, 6 and 8.

As for the local teams, again, note that Sayreville is second in Central Group 5, but fourth overall, with the top-seed, Washington Twp., No. 1 overall. That means Sayreville has to jump two teams to get that top seed: Atlantic City (3rd overall, 2nd in South 5) and Southern (2nd overall, tops in South 5). If that were to happen, Sayreville would be the top-seed in Central 5, while Washington Twp. would be the top seed in South 5. Whoever is the overall No. 1 is irrelevant; the section where they’ll be the top seed is reliant on geography.

Hunterdon Central would love that scenario, as a trip to Sayreville would be much closer. The red Devils would be considered a bubble team at the moment, but one or two wins should lock it up, considering they have a strong overall schedule, including Ridge, Old Bridge and Hillsborough the last three weeks.

In fact, the Raiders also are looking good, even at 2-4. They sit 14th overall, and Saturday’s win over Westfield helped immensely, at the very least getting them “playoff qualified” with the minimum two wins. The Raiders finish with Bridgewater-Raritan, Piscataway, then Central.

So, yes, that Cutoff Weekend game could be huge, maybe even a “play-in” game!

To the middle of the pack, Old Bridge is seven overall, and in line for a first round home game. Now, look at the scenario we’ve talked about regarding moving up the reverse way, moving down. The Knights are seventh overall, but protected a bit by the 8, 9 and 10 seeds being in the South. Assuming all these teams make the playoffs, and no one from the local area gets in, Old Bridge would have to drop five places to 12th to lose that first round home game, because there are three overall UPR teams between them and Howell, who would have to make a huge jump from a 12 UPR to better than 7.6 to knock Old Bridge out of a home game. The Knights have three winnable games, with Monroe, Hunterdon Central and Colonia in the final three weeks.

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 5

With just four more weeks to go in the regular season, high school football is in crunch time in New Jersey. And it’s time to talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including St. Thomas Aquinas and a big win over Elizabeth, then we get Coach’s mid-season report card! No grades, but Borden talks about leading candidates – from big schools and small – for Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Year, along with a couple of MVP and Coach of the Year candidates. It’s not a full list, but it’s a fun listen!

Also on the show, Mike and Marcus talk about how the new playoff formula could shake out, rundown the nine unbeaten teams left in the league, what Big Central Conference stadiums Mike hasn’t been to yet, and the Friday game Coach Borden will be covering – Brearley at South Hunterdon – as he gets to see his 59th and final team of the last two seasons, representing every team in the BCC!

It’s a long one, so get comfortable!

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Roberts, Weaver help No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas past Elizabeth, 35-21, extending Big Central record win streak to 34 games

To do what St. Thomas Aquinas has done over the last several years, everyone needs to contribute.

That was on display in last week’s 57-45 thriller over Franklin, and it was on display Friday night in North Edison, where the No. 4 Trojans beat Elizabeth 35-21, extending their Big Central record conference winning streak to 34 games.

St. Thomas (4-1) got two long touchdown runs from Ian Roberts – 89 and 74 yards – a 13-yard touchdown run from Anwar Witherspoon out of the wildcat, and a 76-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zymere Weaver to Tristan Bester, while Weaver also ran in a 78-yard TD in the first half.

Arique Fleming had two touchdown runs for the Minutemen (2-3), who visit No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan next week.

St. Thomas will play Paramus Catholic (1-4) in a non-conference home game next Friday night.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen, with St. Thomas Aquinas RB Ian Roberts and head coach Shamir Bearfield:

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 4

As we get set for Week Four of action in high school football – and, hard to believe, approach the midway point of the season – it’s time to talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including Sayreville’s solid win over Hillsborough, Bridgewater-Raritan’s win over Hunterdon Central – and Panther QB Declan Kurdyla’s injury – as well as Franklin’s offensive outburst in a tough home loss to St. Thomas Aquinas.

Also on the show, Mike and Marcus examine a first look at how the NJSIAA state playoffs will shake out bracket-wise after another adjustment this year that sorts teams by geography rather than snaking balanced brackets, as well as this weekend’s games, including Friday’s “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving – Franklin at Edison – and the game Marcus will be covering Friday, Elizabeth at St. Thomas!

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Six unbeaten teams make the Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, with Phillipsburg, Woodbridge, Bernards still 1-2-3; Sayreville joins

It was back to a sense of stability in the top half of the Week Three Bellamy & Son Paving high school football rankings, with the top six teams all staying put, and teams eight and nine moving up after wins. Undefeated Sayreville joins the fray this week, too with eleven teams ranked again for the second week in a row.

Phillipsburg (3-0) remains No. 1 after a 28-6 home win over Ridge, behind another solid defensive effort. The Stateliners visit Hillsborough (1-3) this Friday.

Holding at No. 2 is Woodbridge (4-0), which won it’s bragging rights game with Colonia, 34-21 at home on Friday night. The Barrons – who have won 13 straight regular season games dating back to lsat season’s opener – go to Linden (1-3) this Friday night.

In third is Bernards (4-0), which remains there after a 31-21 win at Voorhees, as the Mountaineers adjust to life without Thomas Diemar, their all-time sack leader, who injured his ACL and meniscus a week ago Friday in a win over Delaware Valley. Winners of 29 straight regular season games – the best in the state – and 27 straight in Big Central play – second-best in the league – Bernards hosts JP Stevens (0-4) Friday night.

St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1) holds in fourth. A 57-45 shootout home win over Franklin Friday night extends their Big Central record win streak to 33 games heading into Friday’s home game with Elizabeth (2-2).

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Holding in fifth is Somerville (3-1), which rebounded from its first loss of the season last week to then-unranked Montgomery with a 20-7 victory at Rahway Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers come back home to host Hillside (1-2) at Brooks Field Friday evening.

At six again this week is Bridgewater-Raritan (4-0), which was a 43-7 winner over then-7th-ranked Hunterdon Central Friday night in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. But starting QB Declan Kurdyla went down in the game with a leg injury, and his status for next week is unknown. The Panthers travel to Ridge (1-2) Friday night.

The next two teams both moved up a spot.

Piscataway (3-1) is up to seventh after a 16-8 win Saturday afternoon over a very tough Ridgewood squad, which employs the Wing-T offense. The Chiefs are at South Brunswick (2-2) Friday, and will have two transfers from St. Thomas Aquinas ready to play, in Josiah Zayas and Mickeye Simmons, who had to sit out 30 days due to NJSIAA transfer rules.

Up one to No. 8 is St. Joseph-Metuchen (3-0). The Falcons are 3-0 for the third time in four seasons under head coach Bill Tracy, following a 41-20 win Saturday afternoon over Elizabeth at Brenner Family Field. They visit Westfield (2-2) Saturday afternoon.

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New this week at No. 9 is Sayreville (4-0), which has beaten Colonia, Linden, Edison, and – last week – Hillsborough, 28-14, the third straight game the Bombers have allowed just 14 points. The Bombers are back in action Friday night at War Memorial Stadium when North Brunswick (0-4) comes to town.

And again this week, two teams are tied for tenth. Montgomery (3-1) held after a 24-8 win over North Hunterdon. While the Lions are 0-4, it was their first loss this season by more than eight points. The Cougars host Watchung Hills (2-2) this Friday night at the newly-named Zoran Milich Field.

Old Bridge (3-1) is the other team in tenth with Monty, rebounding off a loss to Piscataway with authority, picking up a 45-7 win over South Brunswick. This Friday, they’re at East Brunswick (1-3), which just got its first win last week for new head coach Zack Gega, a 36-25 victory at Monroe.

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week Three Top Ten:

Image of a table displaying the Week Three Top Ten rankings for the Big Central Conference, detailing team names, records, and previous rankings.

Dropping out this week was previous No. 7 Hunterdon Central (2-2), which lost its second straight game Friday, falling 43-7 at No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan.

Promotional banner for Bellamy & Son Paving featuring their services including driveways, parking lots, stone paving, and sewer line repair.

In the “Also Considered” category, Sayreville jumped into the Top Ten, while Voorhees (3-1) and Summit (4-0) remain, while New Providence is back in, too. The Vikings remain despite a loss to Bernards at home, 31-21 Friday, while the Hilltoppers won at Carteret Friday, 21-0, in the Ramblers first game back at Walt Overholt Stadium after summer renovations. New Providence (3-0) was a 30-0 winner at Metuchen on Saturday.

by Mike Pavlichko

Week 2 upsets knock some teams down a peg, while Montgomery joins, Piscataway rejoins Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten

Stability was the name of the game in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten in the first two weeks of the season, Weeks Zero and One.

The third week, Week Two, was another story.

Big wins by Piscataway and Montgomery put both in the rankings this week, with the Chiefs returning after a one-week absence, and the Cougars making their debut this season.

Phillipsburg (2-0) remains in the top spot after dismantling Hunterdon Central Friday in Flemington, 55-7, for the 750th win in program history. The Stateliners are back in action Friday against Ridge (1-1) at Maloney Stadium. Ridge was the only team to beat P’burg last year as they went all the way to the state Group 4 final.

The next three teams all moved up a notch after Somerville’s loss to previously-unranked Montgomery. Woodbridge (3-0) moves up to second following a 27-18 win at Plainfield back on Friday. The Barrons play in their bragging rights game against Colonia (1-2) at home this Friday evening.

Bernards (3-0) moved up as well after a 43-7 home win over Delaware Valley. They’ll face another unbeaten team this week when they travel out to Glen Gardner to take on Voorhees (0-3).

And St. Thomas Aquinas (2-1) is up to No. 4 after getting back to its winning ways with a 50-8 rout of North Brunswick at home last Friday night. Franklin (2-1) hosts the Trojans this week.

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Somerville (2-1) falls to fifth with a 22-15 home loss to Montgomery, which joins the list further down. The defeat snapped an 11-game regular season win streak for the Pioneers, whose last loss had come to Hillsborough and Kevin Carty, Jr., a Somerville alum. The Cougars are coached by his brother Sean, who also played for Somerville. The Pioneers are back at it Saturday when they visit Rahway (2-1).

Checking in at No. 6 is Bridgewater-Raritan (2-1), which is up two spots after a 27-21 non-conference win Friday night at home over Morris Knolls. The Panthers are on the “Big Central Game of the Week” this Friday at 6 pm when they take on Hunterdon Central (2-1). The Red Devils took a 55-7 home defeat to Phillipsburg last week for their first loss of the season.

At No. 8, it’s Piscataway (2-1), which returns to the rankings in the same spot they left after Week Zero, following a huge upset win over then-No. 6 Old Bridge at home, 28-21. The Chiefs play a non-conference game this Saturday against Ridgewood out of the Super Football Conference. Ridgewood beat P’way at their place last year, 14-13, their first meeting since their 2018 clash in the North Group 5 Bowl Championship, which the Chiefs won to become the first Middlesesx County school to go 13-0, a feat none has matched since.

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St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0) hold in ninth after a 28-21 win at Union Friday night. The Falcons will entertain Elizabeth Saturday afternoon.

And, we have a tie for tenth between Montgomery and Old Bridge, both of whom are 2-1 for different reasons. The Cougars upset previously-No. 2 Somerville, winning on the road, 22-15, while the Knights lost to previously-unranked Piscataway on the road, 28-21. Monty will host North Hunterdon (0-3) this Friday night, while the Knights host South Brunswick (2-1).

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week Two Top Ten:

Graphic showing the Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Conference Week Two Top Ten standings with team names, records, and previous rankings.

Dropping out this week – on no fault of its own, mainly because of the upsets by Piscataway and Montgomery – was No. 10 New Providence. The Pioneers are 2-0, and beat Johnson 34-17 this week; they’ll visit Metuchen (1-2) this Saturday afternoon.

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In the “Also Considered” category, the same four teams remain: Sayreville, Voorhees, and Summit (all 3-0) along with Elizabeth (2-1). Sayreville has a big home game with Hillsborough (1-2) Friday, with a lot on the line for both squads. Voorhees hosts No. 4 Bernards (3-0) Friday, while Summit goes on the road to play Carteret (1-1) and Elizabeth meets No. 9 St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0) Saturday afternoon.