Tag: Elizabeth

by Mike Pavlichko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Mike Pavlichko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Mike Pavlichko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Mike Pavlichko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Mike Pavlichko

When was the last time?  This question has sent us down more than a few rabbit holes for teams like Highland Park, Elizabeth, Perth Amboy

You might be sick of hearing about some of the Big Central Conference teams that have been doing particularly well this year, after years (for some of them) of not doing so well.

But we’re not. 

While it’s always fun to follow the powerhouses like Phillipsburg, Piscataway, or Sayreville – football programs that are more often than not in contention for state titles – it’s always good to see some new blood.

Highland Park hasn’t had a season like this in ages.  Perth Amboy even longer.  Elizabeth has seen success a little more recently, and more consistently, but their story right now is that they are in another stratosphere completely than they have been since their last title.

All this has left us having to dig deeper, deeper and still deeper into not only our records, but also internet archives.

It’s easy to find team results over the last decade and a half; NJ.com has team results back to 2010, though details diminish as you work your way to the earlier years. MaxPreps has team results back to 2004, but some game results occasionally are missing.

And the Dr. Roger Saylor Collection at the Penn State Libraries has results from 2010 going back to the dawn of high school football in New Jersey – yes, even into the 1800s! – but they are chronological by year, and not within a given season.  We can tell, for example, how many .500 seasons a team had in a row, but not if they started the season 5-0, or so play alternated between wins and losses all year.

So, we’ve had to dig deep this year, perhaps more than in any other.

Elizabeth (5-0):

This was the easiest one, as the Minutemen always are competitive, and their last state title came not too long ago. The last time they were 5-0 was in 2014, back when John Quinn – who won two state titles at New Brunswick – was the head coach. Elizabeth beat Watchung Hills, Hunterdon Central, Franklin, Union and Bridgewater-Raritan, but then dropped back-to-back games against Phillipsburg (19-6) and Hillsborough (31-28), both at home. They won their last two regular season games against Plainfield and Linden, then beat Barringer and Piscataway at home in the North 2, Group 5 state tournament, before falling to Linden, 27-20, in the final at Met Life Stadium.

Ironically, they have Linden (2-2) on the road this week, as they look to 6-0. And when was the last time that happened?

It was 2012, and we’re not going to have to go any further back for the “last time” after this. That’s because the Minutemen went 11-0 that season and won the North 2, Group 5 title, as future Temple standout P.J. Walker engineered a last-minute scoring drive to beat Piscataway, 37-33, up at Kean University in Union.

Technically, they were 11-0-1, as that was the year Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey and wiped out a full weekend of action, which left their game with Plainfield deemed a “tie” for power points purposes. However, most – including us – don’t consider that a tie in the record since it was awarded, rather than played on the field.

Here are the 2012 schedule and results for Elizabeth:

  • Westfield: 45-6 W
  • Union: 42-7 W
  • at Hunterdon Central: 24-17 W
  • Hillsborough: 41-7 W
  • Franklin: 49-13 W
  • at Bridgewater-Raritan: 39-0 W
  • at Linden: 42-0 W
  • Phillipsburg: 54-26 W
  • Plainfield: declared tie for power points purposes
  • N2G5 1st Round – Edison: 41-18 W
  • N2G5 Semifinals – Franklin: 24-7 W
  • N2G5 Finals (at Kean Univ.) – Piscataway: 37-33 W

Highland Park (5-0):

We have a ways to go before we have to check the Owls again, even if they keep winning. That’s because they last time they started a season 5-0, they won their first seven games of 2007. Under Rich McGlynn, Highland Park didn’t lose that season until a late-October non-conference game against Robbinsville, then dropped another one to Brearley on Cutoff Weekend, the week before the playoffs.

While they won their first-round game at Freehold Township, 20-17, they lost at Keansburg in the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals, 53-30, finishing the season at 8-3.

They actually had a better overall season two years later, in 2009. That year, the Owls went 8-4, but they split their first two games. They wound up reaching the Central Jersey Group 1 title game, where they lost 44-6 to Asbury Park – coached at that time by Don Sofilkanich, who had previously been on John Quinn’s staff for his two titles at New Brunswick – at Kean University in Union.

Here are the 2007 schedule and results for Highland Park:

  • at Dayton: 40-13 W
  • at Cardinal McCarrick: 35-21 W
  • Roselle Park: 27-7 W
  • Metuchen: 27-0 W
  • Dunellen: 21-6 W
  • at Middlesex: 25-14 W
  • at Pennington: 28-7 W
  • Robbinsville: 19-12 L
  • Brearley: 20-0 L
  • CJ1 First Round – at Freehold Twp.: 20-17 W
  • CJ1 Semifinals – at Keansburg: 53-30 W

Perth Amboy (4-1):

The Panthers aren’t undefeated, but they have been having one of their best seasons in ages. Last week, we knew if Amboy went to 4-1, it would have been a while since the last time. Our research got to 2004, and we held off to see how they would do this week.

Turns out they got there, winning their second straight road game, beating Metuchen 40-0. The Panthers have allowed just 13 points in the last three games: six against Roselle, seven against Spotswood, and a whitewash against the Bulldogs.

There haven’t been a lot of winning seasons in Perth Amboy’s recent history, so we had to dig deep, but not every year. In 1998, for example, they were 5-5, but started 2-1 before taking another loss. We found 1995 as the last time they started a season 4-1, but they would lose their next game, win another, then drop their last two and finished 5-4, without a trip to the playoffs, which were only four-team brackets at the time. (The eight-team field didn’t get introduced until 1998, a push championed by none other than CJSR analyst Marcus Borden, who was the coach at East Brunswick at the time.)

There were only four other possible seasons in the playoff era we could look at:

  • 1989: Amboy went 6-3, but was just 2-3 through their first five games, before winning their final four contests.
  • 1987: In another 6-3 season, the Panthers got off to a 3-0 start, but lost their next two games to go 3-2 through their first five.
  • 1985: Going 5-4, the Panthers began the year at 2-1, but lost their next two to go 2-3 through their first five.
  • 1979: In another 5-4 campaign, Amboy started 2-3 through their first five.

So, we dug a little further, and found a four-year stretch where the Panthers had done a lot of winning. That was the Brian Taylor era, where Perth Amboy Amboy went 27-5-4 over four seasons from 1964-1967, including an 8-0-1 campaign in 1965 where they didn’t win a state championship. But did secure their first undefeated season since going 8-0 in 1933. (They weren’t state champs that year either, but won the next year, in 1934, going 6-0-1.)

But we did find that the Panthers started 1967 with a 4-1 record, before bouncing back and not losing another game the rest of the year. So that would be the last time they went 6-1, going 6-1-1 before they beat Carteret at The Pit in their Thanksgiving Day game, played on the Saturday after due to bad weather on Turkey Day.

Here are the 1967 schedule and results for Perth Amboy:

  • Trenton: 37-6 W
  • at Sayreville: 25-13 W
  • Princeton: 21-0 W
  • Woodbridge: 28-13 W
  • at East Brunswick: 18-13 L
  • Madison Twp. (Old Bridge): 28-7 W
  • at New Brunswick: 26-14 W
  • South River: 14-14 T
  • at Carteret: 26-8 W

Meanwhile, Union (4-1) and Hillside (5-0) are having some big turnaround years, but they’ve also had some highly successful campaigns in recent seasons.

The last time the Farmers had a five-win season was in 2023, when they went 5-6, but the last time they started 5-1 was in 2021, a season that ended with tremendous disappointment. Union put together an 8-1 regular season, led by star Davison Igbinosun, and were 9-1 after a first round playoff win, heading into a sectional semifinal matchup with Paterson Eastside. But eight hours before kickoff, due to four positive COVID tests among team members, the district cancelled the game, effectively ending the season. They would officially finish 9-2 on the year.

The Comets, meanwhile, went all the way in 2019, going 12-0 under Barris Grant – ironically, now at Union. Hillside put together an 8-0 regular season, then won the South Jersey Group 2 title over West Deptford, 14-6. (We know, Hillside isn’t in South Jersey – go ask the NJSIAA why.) Then, they won the South Jersey Group 2 Regional Championship, defeating Central Jersey Group 2 champ (We know, we know, it makes no sense!) Cedar Creek, 25-3, at Rutgers.

by Mike Pavlichko

New York Giants name Elizabeth’s Eugene Kline Coach of the Week after big win over Falcons

The Elizabeth football team is off to a fantastic start this year, 4-0 for the first time since 2015, but after its biggest win of the year – a 62-35 home victory Friday night over St. Joseph-Metuchen – head coach Eugene Kline has been named the Lou Rettino Coach of the Week by the New York Giants.

Kline has been instrumental in elevating the Minutemen this year to what now is a No. 3 ranking in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, and his players are putting up video-game numbers seemingly week in and week out.

In the win over the Falcons Friday night – heard live right here on Central Jersey Sports Radio – senior and fourth-year starter A’rique Fleming threw for 378 yards and five touchdowns. He was he Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Player of the Week two weeks ago; this week it was Qua’Yon Williams, who scored four touchdowns – two receiving, one rushing, and one on a 48-yard punt return.

Now 4-0 on the season, No. 3 Elizabeth can match its win total of five from last season with a victory Friday night at No. 10 Ridge (2-1).

With Kline’s honor comes a $2,000 check from the Giants Foundation and Gatorade that will go to the school’s football program. Kline also will receive a certificate of recognition signed by Big Blue head coach John Harbaugh, and will be honored at a postseason dinner, and at a preseason home game next season.

“It is with great humility and gratitude that I would like to extend a huge thank you to the New York Giants and Gatorade for naming me the Lou Rettino High School Coach of the Week,” Kline said in a press release issued by the Giants. “Thank you for all that you do to support high school football and for thinking of me and our program. This recognition means a great deal to me.

“This is not a ‘me’ award—it is a ‘we’ award, Kline added. “It represents the collective effort, sacrifice, and commitment of everyone who is a part of our program. ‘All In, All Together!'”

Read the full release from the Giants here, with a message from Kline here.

From the New York Giants: “The Lou Rettino High School Football Coach of the Week Award is part of the Giants’ continuing effort to support local high school football programs. The Giants elected to name the award in memory of former Union High School (NJ) coach, Lou Rettino, for his fine commitment to the game of football, his community and the betterment of his athletes’ lives. Each week during the high school football season, the Giants select one area high school head coach as the Coach of the Week winner. The selection is based on the coach’s continuing commitment towards promoting high school football, developing motivated student-athletes and contributing overall to their community.“

by Mike Pavlichko

Elizabeth nets back-to-back Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week honors, as Qua’Yon Williams scores every which way vs. St. Joe’s

It’s rare that even two different players from the same team will earn a Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week honor. After all, with nine weeks of the regular season and 59 teams in the Big Central Conference, we try to spread it around a little bit.

But sometimes, it’s a no-brainer.

And there are many worthy candidates each week, but big numbers aren’t the only factor. The level of the opponent also has to factor in, and that was the case this week as an Elizabeth player takes the honors for the second straight week – and, to be fair, probably for the last time this season!

In Week Two, it was A’rique Fleming of the Minutemen, not only having a big game at quarterback, but helping seal the victory with a late interception in a tight win against Union.

In Week Three, it’s Qua’Yon Williams, Elizabeth’s uber-talented senior wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner, who just so happened to not only score in three different ways, but did it in a mammoth upset win in one of those crazy, anything-can-happen shootout type games against St. Joseph-Metuchen, it what turned out to be a 62-25 home win over the then-No. 2 Falcons.

Williams scored four touchdowns in the game: two receptions of 38 and eleven yards, a 15-yard run, and a 48-yard punt return. He ended up with 212 all-purpose yards, plus had seven tackles and a pass breakup on defense. All the while, helping Elizabeth to 529 yards of total offense, which head coach Eugene Kline says is the highest single-game total since at least the year 2000.

For his efforts, Qua’Yon Williams of Elizabeth is the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Player of the Week for Week Three.

Logo of Bellamy & Son Paving highlighting the Big Central Player of the Week.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko with Week Three Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Qua’Yon Williams of Elizabeth:

The Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week is chosen from nominees by Big Central coaches. At the end of the season, one player will be chosen to receive a $500 scholarship courtesy of Bellamy & Son Paving. As always, we will recognize selected “Honorable Mentions,” and recognize all other all nominees in our weekly story.

Honorable Mentions:

  • Shaun Garland, Edison: It’s one thing to do what the senior did Friday night in a 34-24 home win over North Brunswick. It’s another to do it after being sick the entire previous weekend. But the H-back/tight end hybrid finished the game with four touchdowns – on runs of 18, one and seven yards, along with a 33-yard pick six from his defensive end position – giving him 146 yards on 22 carries, including on 13 consecutive plays at one point in the fourth quarter. On defense, he also had a TFL, 2 QB hurries, and two pass breakups.
  • Zach Mutton, Montgomery: In a 28-12 win over Colonia in Skillman on Friday, the senior QB and runningback carried the ball 21 times for 122 yards and four touchdowns. He also made a huge throw to receiver Xavier Harrigan for a fourth-down conversion late, then followed it up with a touchdown run to put his team ahead for good,
  • Dylan Boehm, Somerville: The sophomore quarterback had a big night in a 55-24 win over Watchung Hills on Friday. He threw 18-of-25 for 362 yards and five touchdowns, hitting four different wideouts, three of which went long: for 75, 69 and 46 yards.
  • Charlie Dickerson, South Hunterdon: The Eagles may not have much in terms of numbers, but they’re making it count en route to a 3-1 start, their first since they went 9-2 in 2023. The senior linebacker recorded 14 tackles and anchored the defense in a double overtime win, 20-14, over Bound Brook.

Other Notable Performances:

  • Logan Stack, Governor Livingston: The senior inside linebacker “keyed the defense,” according to head coach Pete Ramiccio, with 13 total tackles and 3 1/2 for loss against JFK in a 49-12 home win Saturday, which got the Highlanders back to the .500 mark.
  • Travis Miles, Hillside: In a 29-7 win at Voorhees on Friday, the senior wide receiver had a 62-yard touchdown catch, and from his defensive back spot, added a 50-yard pick-six, one of two defensive scores in the game for the Comets, who now are 4-0, their best start in three years under head coach Isa Abdul-Quddus, after going 8-11 combined over the past two seasons.
  • Thomas DeMetrio, Monroe: The senior does it all, playing wide receiver, working out of the wildcat, linebacker, and handling kicking duties for the Falcons, and he was a major contributor to the Falcons’ 28-0 home win over East Brunswick on Friday. At linebacker, he had five tackles, two TFLs and a sack. And while he only had seven touches on offense, he scored three touchdowns – on a 23-yard catch and rushes of three and 13 – plus two booming, 50-yard punts, and went four-for-four on extra points.
  • Alex Kruszcynski, North Plainfield: The senior was instrumental on both sides of the ball in a 25-0 shutout of New Brunswick on Thursday. He had 19 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown at runningback, then at linebacker had two solo tackles and a TFL for a unit that produced its second whitewash this season, and has allowed just under 4.3 points per game through its first four games.
  • Chase Rizzo, Old Bridge: The senior runningback went off for 252 yards on 25 carries, for just over ten yards per, including two touchdowns in a 26-24 win over St. Thomas Aquinas. He also added a sack on defense.
  • Shane Moore, Phillipsburg: The senior runningback carried 13 times for 120 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-7 home win over division foe Hillsborough Friday night.
  • Walter Price, Rahway: The senior linebacker had eleven solo tackles, one assist two TFLs, a forced fumble, and a recovery for 17 yards in a 42-14 win over neighboring Linden Friday night. He made the first five tackles of the game for a defense that surrendered just 122 total yards to the Tigers.
  • Sherwin Appiah, Sayreville: The senior halfback rushed 15 times for 144 yards and the Bombers’ first four touchdowns in a 41-6 home win over Franklin Friday night.
  • Vinny Young, Spotswood: The senior runningback eclipsed 100 yards in his third straight game, albeit a 35-7 loss to Perth Amboy at home on Friday. He carried 19 times for 149, and also had five tackles on defense.

by Mike Pavlichko

Three top-ten matchups force big shuffle in Bellamy & Son Paving Week 4 Top Ten, but Phillipsburg still leads the pack

It was inevitable that at least three ranked Big Central Conference football teams would go down this weekend, with three all-Top Ten matchups on tap. In the end, no one else lost, but those three games helped reshape the Bellamy & Son Paving Week Four rankings, while Phillipsburg remains at the top of the list.

Phillipsburg (3-1) got back on the winning track against its first New Jersey opponent of the year, beating Hillsborough Friday night at Maloney Stadium, 35-7. The Stateliners are back in action at No. 5 St. Joseph of Metuchen this Saturday for a 1 pm matinee against the Falcons.

Piscataway (4-0) edged up one place to No. 2 after a 41-17 win over South Brunswick on Friday, coupled with previous No. 2 St. Joe’s taking a loss. The Chiefs will look to go 5-0 for the first time since 2018, when they finished undefeated at 13-0 – and won the North Group 5 Regional Championship – when they visit No. 4 Old Bridge Friday night at 6 pm. The Knights built an early lead but hung on to beat then-No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas Friday night, 26-24.

Moving from seven to three is Elizabeth, which is 4-0 for the first time since 2011, a year they also started 5-0, following a 62-35 shootout win at home over then-No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen heard Friday night on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Minutemen visit No. 10 Ridge Friday night at 6:30. St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-1) falls to fifth with that loss, and hosts No. 1 Phillipsburg this Saturday at 1:00.

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

To make room for Elizabeth, Bridgewater-Raritan (3-1) and Somerville (3-1) both edge down one spot, to fifth and sixth, respectively. The Panthers were 7-3 winners over then-No. 9 Ridge Friday night, and visit Westfield for a 1:00 kick Saturday afternoon, while the Pioneers were 55-24 winners against Watchung Hills Friday, and visit Montgomery at 6 pm this Friday.

Rahway (4-0) continues to rise, and finds itself at No. 8 this week, up two spots after a 42-14 win at Linden Friday. The Indians host Cranford at 6:00 this Friday night.

St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1) edges down one spot to No. 9 after taking its first loss of the season, falling to No. 4 Old Bridge, 26-24, Friday night when a second-half rally fell just short. The Trojans are back at it this Friday night as they host Sayreville at 6 pm.

And down one spot to ten is Ridge (2-1), after their 7-3 loss at then-No. 5 Bridgewater-Raritan. The Red Devils entertain third-ranked Elizabeth Friday night, a 6:30 kickoff.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY:  No. 7 Elizabeth 62, No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen 35

Senior quarterback A’rique Fleming threw for 378 yards and five touchdown passes – two each to Qua’Yon Williams and Eric Cespedes – as the No. 7 Elizabeth Minutemen knocked off No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, 62-35, in a Big Central Conference American Gold Division game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Logo for Bellamy & Son Paving, promoting the Big Central Game of the Week, featuring bold text in red and yellow colors.

Click below to listen to Alec Crouthamel and Dylan Allen call all the play-by-play live from Williams Field in Elizabeth, NJ, on September 18, 2026:

1st Half
2nd Half
by Alec Crouthamel

No. 7 Elizabeth races past No. 2 St. Joseph (Met.), 62-35, for first 4-0 start in 11 years

It was a night of snapped streaks at Williams Field in Elizabeth on Friday night.

No. 7 Elizabeth ran all over the stadium, defeating No. 2 St. Joseph (Met.) 62-35 in one of the wilder games of the season.

For one, the Minutemen (4-0) notched their first 4-0 start since 2015. They also handed the Falcons (2-1) their first Big Central American Gold Division loss in three years, since a loss to Union on September 16th, 2023, as well as their first conference loss in ten tries. It was also the first win in the head-to-head series since 2023, before any players on either side suited up in their respective uniforms.

And it was a wild, back-and-forth affair all night.

The gaudy yardage totals came from both ends.

Elizabeth senior quarterback A’rique Fleming notched a whopping 366 yards and five touchdowns through the air, plus 98 yards and a touchdown on the ground, in which he ran through multiple Falcons defenders on the way to a 20-yard scamper.

Senior Qua’Yon Williams might have had the crazier evening. He caught seven passes for 146 yards and three scores, while also scampering for a 55-yard punt return touchdown in the first quarter to give Elizabeth an early double-digit lead.

The Minutemen forced a three-and-out on the game’s opening drive, and got to work right away on offense.

On a fourth-and-long, Fleming lofted a pass into the corner of the end zone to senior wideout Erick Cespedes to open the scoring late in the first quarter.

Then, after forcing another punt, Williams weaved through the coverage to add another quick-strike score.

The Falcons got on the board on the ensuing possession, as quarterback Cole Seyler laced a 71-yard score up the middle to tight end Edgar Cruz, cutting the deficit in half.

But Elizabeth once again came back to score, marching down the field before a two-yard touchdown by running back Jah’Ki Williams.

St. Joseph’s offense stayed hot, as tight end Maddox Mingucci tiptoed the sideline for another quick score.

Williams scored on a jet sweep for his third touchdown of the evening, putting the Minutemen back up by two possessions with six minutes left in the first half, and Elizabeth got the ball back minutes later, working the clock perfectly to score another touchdown – Cespedes’s second score of the night – with just ten seconds on the game clock.

St. Joseph stole some of the momentum back to start the third quarter, forcing a three-and-out and marching down the field.

But Elizabeth defensive back Nahjae Smith stole it right back, boxing out receiver Nick Brust for an interception to get the ball back.

Backed up near their own goal line, the Minutement still marched down the field, aided by a 39-yard run from Fleming, setting up another strike to Williams from 30 yards out.

Down 42-14, the Falcons worked their way back into the game, with an efficient drive capped by a ten-yard throw to Brust for a score. They then recovered the onside kick, and struck again for another as Seyler found Mingucci again.

But Williams sprang free for a 39-yard score, taking a hard turn multiple times over the middle in between would-be tacklers, to put Elizabeth back up 49-28 in the final minute of the third quarter.

In the fourth, the Minutemen notched two more scores, a rumbling 25-yard run by Fleming and a strike to Williams for his fourth score on offense in the final seconds.

St. Joseph continued to fight back into the game with a long score from Seyler to Brust. Seyler finished with 377 yards passing, the most by a Falcon since Justin Scaramuzzo threw for 394 against Ridge in 2024.

In the end, Elizabeth controlled the game from the start and sent a message to the rest of the Big Central: They aren’t afraid to throw and run the ball all over the yard, and run straight past you.

The Minutemen did much of that all night, to start 4-0 for the first time in over a decade.

Click below to hear CJSR’s Dylan Allen talk with Elizabeth head coach Eugene Kline following the Minutemen’s victory over St. Joseph (Met.), sponsored by the Sportsplex at Metuchen: