Tag: Hillsborough

by Mike Pavlichko

Defending Somerset County champ Gill St. Bernard’s leads Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten preseason rankings

For the first time since Central Jersey Sports Radio’s initial season of high school basketball coverage in the COVID-shortened 2021 campaign, there’s someone else besides Rutgers Prep beginning the year at No. 1: Gill St. Bernard’s.

The Knights won the Somerset County Tournament in 2025, their first county title since 2014, which also was the last time Rutgers Prep missed the county final before last season, when they were knocked out in the semifinals by Hillsborough.

All that considered, Gill St. Bernard’s earned the No. 1 spot in the 2025-26 preseason Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten. Gill finsihed 23-5 last year, sharing the Skyland Conference Delaware Division with Rutgers Prep, having split their two games. The Knights also reached the Non-Public North B Finals.

However, they’ll look to reload as they graduated several key players, including leading scorer and rebounder Gandy Malou-Mamel, who’s now playing at UConn. Fellow seniors Tessa Lozner, Maya Abramson, Sidney Quinn and Cassidy Moore all graduate, while the top returning scorer is senior Addy Platt, who contributed 10.1 points per game last year, and led the team with 61 steals.

Rutgers Prep is second in the rankings, after finishing last season 20-7. The Argonauts reached the Non-Public South B final, but unlike Gill, return all five starters. Among them is senior and 2024-25 leading scorer Ava LaMonica, with 13.4 points per game, and a team-best 65 steals and 81 assists. Ava Frith (9.1 ppg) and Sophia Georgiades (11.6 ppg, 60 steals) also return for their senior seasons.

In third is St. Thomas Aquinas, which finished 23-7 last year, steamrolling its way through the GMC Red Division by more than 40 points per game. They Trojans won the GMC Tournament again – their sixth straight title going back to 2019 – and will graduate some key seniors like Gianna Chuffo (9.8 ppg), Leah Crosby (15.7 ppg), and Adrianna Summersett (6.1 ppg), but also bring back a good deal of talent. Trista Whitney (12.9 ppg, 6 rpg, 121 assists) is back for her senior year, as is post Jordan Barnes (10.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg), as well as juniors Lauryn Downing and Leah Kearney, all of whom played significant minutes last season.

Hillsborough makes won its first-ever sectional championship, then went all the way and won the state Group 4 championship at Rutgers, finishing 26-6 on the season. They also knocked off Rutgers Prep in the SCT semifinals and reached the county title game for the first time since 2006. The Lady Raiders lose a ton, however, including all-time leading scorer – girls’ or boys’ – Francesca Schiro (21.1 ppg), who’s now at Siena and leading the team in scoring as a rookie. Mya Loniewski (11.6 ppg) and Reghan Bice (5.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg) also graduated, with sophomore center Isabella Ruh the most significant returnee, having scored 9.8 points per game last season, and grabbing 6.1 rebounds per contest.

Checking in at No. 5 is Bernards, which won the Skyland Conference Mountain Division, followed by Somerville at No. 6, which won the Skyland Valley Division. Both finished 23-6 and went to sectional semifinals, the Mountaineers in North 2, Group 2, the Pioneers in North 2, Group 3. Bernards returns top scorer and rebounder Aletha Reynolds (16.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg) for her senior year, along with second-leading scorer Jasmine Kelleher (82. ppg) for her junior season. Somerville returns senior Kaylee Lauber, who led the team with 16.4 points per game, but No. 2 Charlotte Taylor (11.5 ppg, team-best 5 apg) is gone to graduation.

In seventh is Franklin, which has been previously unranked before making it into the final rankings last season at 11-16, a tough out which plays in the tough Skyland Delaware with Rutgers Prep, Gill St. Bernard’s and Hillsborough. A young Aleah Sunkins scored 16 points per game and grabbed 9.3 boards per contest in her sophomore year, and with more experience, the Warriors could make moves. Their lone senior to graduate was Precious Wheeler (6 ppg, 5.9 rpg).

2025 GMC Tournament runner-up Monroe checks in at eight. The Falcons finished 20-10 last season and not only reached the GMC title game, but also the Central Jersey Group 4 final, where they ran into juggernaut Hillsborough. They lose one of the program’s greats in Evangelina Francisco (20.7 ppg) to graduation. The GMC is Aquinas and everyone else, but the Falcons should be high among the “everyone else” category.

Making its debut in the rankings at No. 9 is East Brunswick, which was 13-14 last season. But they were young and are expected to be one of the better GMC teams in the higher divisions this season, having talked to a few coaches around the league. Ava Catanho (17.3 ppg) led the Lady Bears in scoring last year as a freshman, and other key contributors also return.

And Spotswood rounds out the group in tenth. The Chargers finished second in the GMC White last season at 18-8, but champion Middlesex lost its two best players to graduation, including all-time leading scorer Jess Devine and Mallory Gianchilia, so the Blue Jays fall out of the final rankings from last season. As for Spotswood, they return Gabrielle Hill, a junior who was a starter a year ago, and led the team with 15.4 points per game. The downside is they also lose senior Lizzie Calandruccio (14.6 ppg) to graduation.

Here’s the complete preseason Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten:

A table displaying the 2025-26 preseason rankings for high school girls' basketball teams, including team names, records, previous rankings, and notes on achievements.

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

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

Hillsborough rallies from early 14-0 deficit to blow past Westfield, 42-21, behind Khurana’s arm, Schwarz’s legs (and defense)

To borrow a phrase from the late, great, legendary WABC disc jockey Dan Ingram, the Hillsborough high school football team’s Saturday got off like a “thundering herd of turtles.”

Translation:  It wasn’t going so well, giving up a long touchdown to Westfield in the opening play from scrimmage, and they were down 14-0 before the fans’ were settled in their seats.

Then, a funny thing happened.

The defense settled in, the offense found its groove, and when the teams went into the locker room at halftime, the Raiders had a 21-14 advantage.

In the end they got 134 rushing yards and four touchdowns from senior runningback Andrew Schwarz – who had just 15 and one score in the first half – and 257 yards passing from senior QB Devon Khurana.

Westfield scored just 20 seconds in on a 71-yard TD run by Luke Spaide.  Halfway through the period, QB Jordan Walsh’s ten-yard run had Boro down two scores.

Then, the Raiders woke up.  They forced turnovers on downs on defense, and they hit big plays on offense.

Devon Khurana hit his twin brother Shane for a 71-yard TD on the only play of the drive at 10:25 of the second period. 

Another quick drive in the next possession only needed three plays, capped by a nine-yard run by Schwarz at 7:49.

Then, a four-play, 75-yard drive nearly ended the half, with Shane Khurana grabbing a seven-yard TD catch with :28 left to make it 21-14 with the PAT at the half.

In the second half, it was more of the same. Schwarz added touchdown runs of four, 34 and 50 yards, and though Westfield got a late score, Schwarz’ final TD iced it with 6:02 to go, a scamper from midfield on the second play of the possession.

The win leaves the Raiders – who were in desperate need of a win – 2-4 heading into a huge rivalry game at home against Bridgewater-Raritan (5-1) next Friday night. Westfield (2-4) will visit North Brunswick (0-6) next Friday.

Click below for postgame reaction from Hillsborough seniors Devon Khurana and Andrew Schwarz, as well as head coach Kevin Carty, Jr., presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

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

Sayreville improves to 4-0 for first time since 2018 state title season as Bombers hang on for 28-14 home win over Hillsborough

If anyone doubted Sayreville’s 3-0 start, they probably shouldn’t now.

Against a good, but struggling, Hillsborough team Friday night, the Bombers earned a hard fought 28-14 win, hanging on after taking a 21-0 lead into the second half.

Runningback Shaun Jackson started things off with 7:44 to go in the first quarter with a seven-yard touchdown run to make it 8-0, then came back 49 seconds into the second quarter with a long, 76-yard scamper down the left sideline. He added another from three yards out just before the half to make it 21-0 Bombers.

But Hillsborough got its offense together in the second half. On the opening possession, following a big catch by Hameed Kamara, Andrew Schwarz punched in the Raiders’ first score from three yards out at 9:52 of the third quarter.

After forcing a punt, the Raiders would reach the end zone again at the end of the third quarter on a Devon Khurana TD pass to Jayden Carter to get within a score.

Then, the Sayreville defense tightened. After a late stop, “Action Jackson” did it again, putting an exclamation point on the win with a 20-yard touchdown run with 1:55 to go to make it 28-14.

The Bombers are now 4-0, and its their best start since 2018, when they went 11-1 – their lone loss coming in the regular season to Piscataway – when they won the Central Jersey Group 5 title over North Brunswick, and then got a “Miracle at Met Life,” beating Williamstown 14-7 to win the South Jersey Group 5 regional bowl game, when Connor Holmes fell on a Braves’ fumble in the end zone with 41-seconds to put them ahead.

Next week, they host 0-4 North Brunswick.

Hillsborough, meanwhile, drops to 1-3 for the first time since 2016, with No. 1 Phillipsburg (3-0) coming to town next week, followed by a visit to Westfield.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with Sayreville Head Coach Mark Poore and senior RB Shaun Jackson, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 3

As the high school football season in New Jersey rolls on, the games – and the stakes – get bigger, 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 No. 1 Phillipsburg’s continued success, Bernard’s loss of Thomas Diemar to a season-ending injury, and Roselle’s thrilling win over Metuchen on a wild TD catch by junior Raekwon Anderson.

Also on the show, Mike and Marcus discuss look ahead to key Week Three games, including Coach Borden’s visit to Sayreville Friday night – where the Bombers host a Hillsborough team that needs a win – and our “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, featuring No. 7 Hunterdon Central at No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan, Plus, a look at the “bragging rights” game between Colonia and No. 2 Woodbridge, as well as No. 5 Somerville at Rahway!

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Hillsborough drops opener, falling 43-12 to Washington Twp. in Battle at the Beach at Rowan

Hillsborough football coach Kevin Carty, Jr., knew he and his staff had some figuring out to do after losing some key seniors, including quarterback Ryan Seamon, and runningback Jackson Jankowicz, who led the team in rushing and receiving yards in 2024, setting a number of records along the way.

There might still be some figuring out to do after the Raiders dropped their opener, 43-12, to Washington Twp., down at the Battle of the Beach Friday at Rowan University in Glassboro.

The Raiders fell behind 14-0 after one quarter on a 25-yard touchdown run by Washington Twp. senior QB Cole Aquino, who also threw a 56-yard TD pass to Elliott Seibert, but Zion Grant’s two-yard run for Boro got them to within 14-6.

But the Minutemen reeled off the next 29 points of the game, with three more touchdowns before halftime to take a 34-6 lead, then a safety and a TD run in the third to take a 43-6 lead into the fourth. Hameed Kamara caught a 26-yard touchdown pass in the final stanza – with the running clock in play – to close out the scoring.

Washington Twp. was a solid first-game opponent for Hillsborough, coming off a 10-3 season and a Central Jersey Group 5 championship. They fell in the group semis to the behemoth that is Toms River North, which won Group 5.

The Raiders will be back in action next Friday night when they visit Union (0-1) in Week One.

Click below to watch Marcus Borden’s interviews with postgame reaction from Washington Township’s Battle at the Beach win over Hillsborough: