Tag: Hillside

by Mike Pavlichko

Schwark, no-huddle attack puts Hillside on its heels, gives Summit 35-20 win over Comets

The no-huddle offense is tough to defend, and on a mid-September day with temperatures nearing 80, both conspire to make it difficult for a defense to catch it’s breath.

So, when Summit got the ball to start the game after Hillside won the toss and deferred Saturday afternoon at Investors Bank Field at Tatlock Park, the Hilltoppers went right for the jugular.

And halfway through the opening quarter, they had a 14-0 lead.

First, it was a nine-play, 67-yard drive capped by a 16-yard touchdown pass from QB Alex Schwark to Charlie Garvey.  And after a three-and-out stop by the defense, a 32-yard strike to Will Holmes.

Matt McKeeevr added a one-yard run midway through the second, and a 30-yard pass to Connor Gawronski made it 27-0, but Hillside answered on the ensuing kickoff when Kamari Robinson fielded it at the eleven and took it 89 yards to the house.

The Comets made some halftime adjustments and put together some good drives in the second half.  They got a 26-yard touchdown catch from Travis Miles in the third, and another eight-yard catch from him with 4:19 to go, but McKeever’s second TD run, which came with 1:49 to go in the third and helped keep Hillside at bay.

Kamari Robinson finished with 96 yards on 16 carries.  Miles had three catches for 54 yards, two of them going for touchdowns.

Schwark – a converted running back playing QB – ran the offense well.  In Summit’s 3-0 start, he’s rushed for over 100 yards in all three.  Saturday, he unofficially went for 132 on a workman-like 22 carries, and was 7-of-16 passing for 133 yards and three touchdowns.

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

Summit QB Alex Schwark and RB Matt McKeever
Summit Head Coach Kevin Kostibos
Logo for Sportsplex at Metuchen featuring various sports icons and promotional text to follow on Instagram.
by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 1

Opening Week is behind us, it’s Week One where everyone gets into the act in high school football, and it’s time to talk about it with Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including a big win for Old Bridge down at the Battle of the Beach over Cedar Creek, Arique Fleming’s masterful performance for Elizabeth in a rivalry game win over Linden, and then peek ahead to this week’s games, including those Coach Borden will see: Somerville at Cranford on Friday night, and Bernards at Hillside on Saturday.

Also on the show, we discuss other key games in the BCC, Montgomery adding longtime founding coach Zoran Milich’s name to Cougar Stadium, and our new feature, the “Speedster of the Week” presented by Higgins Speed Lab, with the Week 0 winner being Summit’s Alex Schwark.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: United Gold Division

Here’s how challenging the Big Central Conference’s United Gold Division was in 2024:

Cranford finished with the best overall record at 7-3. Summit beat them in the regular season and swept four games to win the division, but the Cougars got them back in the opening round of the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Hillside – which went 5-5 – narrowly beat Carteret 7-0, while Cranford edged them by ten.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood should be improved in its second-year under head coach Shawn Johnson, who’s knowledgeable about his players from his years coaching youth football, and the Comets have a new coach, too, in six-year NFL veteran Isa Abdul-Kuddus.

It all should make for an interesting 2025 in the United Gold.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Plenty of room to grow in United Gold Division for defending champ Summit and others in one of the best top-to-bottom divisions

The 2024 football season for the Big Central’s United Gold Division was on overall solid good one.

While the league had a few winless or one- or two-win teams, nobody won fewer than three games in the United Gold – with Scotch Plains-Fanwood going 3-7 – while the rest had relatively solid or better campaigns. As a whole, the division was 26-25, for a .510 win percentage, one of just five out of the 12 BCC groupings to win more games than they lost, in total.

While Summit won the United Gold, going 4-0 against the Raiders, Carteret, Hillside and Cranford, they finished 5-4, while the Cougars had he best overall record at 7-3. Hillside went 5-5, and one more win would have gotten the Ramblers to .500 on the year.

And there should be some good parity again in 2025.

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

Carteret Ramblers (4-6, 1-3, 4th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Kevin Freeman (18-13, 4th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: at Perth Amboy (6p)
  • Week 2: Cranford*
  • Week 3: Summit*
  • Week 4: at Scotch Plains-Fanwood*
  • Week 5: New Brunswick
  • Week 6: at Hillside* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 7: Linden
  • Week 8: at Bernards

True to form at Carteret, the Ramblers were more of a run-first team in 2024, but they will lose talented senior Jakir Thomas and his 1,311 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns from last season. The only likely returnee at quarterback is Al-Naiquan Boseman, a sophomore who threw one pass in 2024. A few receivers should be back, though, including rising senior Jeremiah Arrington, who caught six balls last year for 134 yards. A number of underclassmen contributed on defense last season, with junior Ronelle Nimneh-Gilbert (2 sacks, 9 TFLs, 1 forced fumble/recovery) and Anthony Bilbao (2 sacks, 2 TFLs) making their marks. The Ramblers will look to start things out with a fourth straight win in their rivalry game with Perth Amboy after a Week Zero bye.

Cranford Cougars (7-3, 3-1, 2nd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Erik Rosenmeier (136-68, 21st season)

  • Week 0: Bernards
  • Week 1: at Somerville (6:30p)
  • Week 2: at Carteret*
  • Week 3: South Plainfield
  • Week 4: Summit*
  • Week 5: Rahway
  • Week 6: Scotch Plains-Fanwood*
  • Week 7: at Colonia (6p)
  • Week 8: at Hillside* (Sat, 1p)

The bad news is the Cougars’ starting QB Tyler Veltre (937 pass yards, 4 TD) and top receiver Luciano Firoenza (265 yards, 0 TD) are gone, but Cranford didn’t really throw the ball much either. And while three of their top four runningbacks are gone to graduation, Gabe Worrell – who lead the team with 805 rushing yards and ten touchdowns – is back, and he’s just a junior. But he’s a nice piece to build around, as sophomore Aidan Capizzi is the only returning QB to throw a pass. The defense will see some changes, however, after a senior-heavy unit in 2024. But let’s not forget, Cranford went 7-3 in 2024, and there’s a reason Erik Rosenmeier is the dean of Union County coaches, with only two other Big Central mentors at their current schools longer: Rich Marchesi of South River entering year 29, and Dan Higgins at Piscataway going into his 22nd season.

Hillside Comets (5-5, 2-2, 3rd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Isa-Abdul Quddus (1st season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: Bernards (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 2: at Summit* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 3: Scotch Plains-Fanwood (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 4: at Somerville (6:30p)
  • Week 5: at Roselle (Sat, 2p)
  • Week 6: Carteret* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 7: at Voorhees (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 8: Cranford* (Sat, 1p)

It’s sort of a coach swap here, as Barris Grant left to take the Union coaching job, while Isa-Abdul Quddus – a former standout for the Farmers who played in the NFL – now takes the reins at Hillside. Senior Justin Ashford – who only threw three passes last year – should get the top crack at the starting QB job after the graduation of thousand-yard passer Zion Risher, who also tossed 12 touchdown passes. Top back Mitchell Jenkins rushed for 938 yards and 11 TDs as a sophomore, and with the Robinsons – Kamari (40 catches, 419 yards, 6 TDs) and Quaron (25 catches, 319 yards, 1 TD) coming off solid junior campaigns, Quddus will have a lot to work with on offense. The defense has expected returnees like DL Uyi Igiehon (1 sack, 1 TFL) and LB Ian Shillingford (1 sack, 9 TFLs) and defensive back Shakeam Gatweeod (2 forced fumbles, 2 INT, 1 blocked kick) back.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders (3-7, 0-4, 5th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Shawn Johnson (3-7, 2nd season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: Rahway
  • Week 2: New Brunswick
  • Week 3: at Hillside* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 4: Carteret*
  • Week 5: JFK
  • Week 6: at Cranford*
  • Week 7: at Perth Amboy
  • Week 8: at Summit (Sat, 1p)

The Raiders have struggled the last several years, and with three coaches in three years, consistency has been the issue. Austin Holman stepped down in the middle of the 2022 season, replaced by interim Bobby Swerchek, who coached the team for 2023 but left after the season to take over for Phlip McGuane at Middlesex, who left after a cancer diagnosis and just took over for Dave DeNapoli, who retired at Dunellen. Got all that?

Last year’s team never stuck together back-to-back wins, beating New Brunswick, JFK and Perth Amboy, and they haven’t beaten a team that finished with a winning record since 2021, when they upset Woodbridge, 34-33. Last year’s was a senior-laden club, other than returning junior QB Callum Fynes, who was 3-12 for 17 yards and one interception in four games. The defense was somewhat young – few juniors, but a mix of seniors and sophomores – and they should be more experienced this year, even if they went through baptism by fire in ’24.

Summit Hilltoppers (5-4, 4-0, United Gold champs in ’24)
Head Coach: Kevin Kostibos (82-38, 13th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: at Montgomery
  • Week 2: Hillside* (sat, 1p)
  • Week 3: at Carteret*
  • Week 4: at Cranford*
  • Week 5: Somerville (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 6: Bernards (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 7: at Woodbridge
  • Week 8: Scotch Plains-Fanwood* (Sat, 1p)

Oscar Marx is a solid receiver the Hilltoppers will lose to graduation, along with his 23 catches and six touchdowns, but many others are back on offense, including rising senior QB Cole Sabol, who was 43 yards show of a thousand last year, but more impressively, threw ten touchdowns and just one pick last season. Their top two runningbacks are expected to return in junior Gavin Schnall (472 yards, 2 TD), and senior Alex Schqark (434 yards, 7 TD), as are the next two on the list. And a good number of players return on defense, including LB Matt McKeever, who had three sacks and five TFLs last season as a sophomore, while Junior Connor Gawronski had the team’s lone INT last year. This year’s D could be even better.

by Mike Pavlichko

Hillside stays local, taps former Union standout and NFL safety Isa Abdul-Quddus to lead Comets’ football program

The coaching carousel in the Big Central Conference finally seems to have come to a halt, as Hillside has named its new head coach.

It’s Isa Abdul-Quddus, who played his high school ball at Union, college at Fordham, and spent time with three different NFL teams in a six-year career cut short by injury. His hiring was approved earlier this week by the Board of Education.

He replaces Barris Grant, who stepped down in the off season after nine years to take the head coaching job at Abdul-Quddus’ alma mater, Union, in February. Grant was 63-28 with four sectional titles (2017 through 2019) in four finals appearances (also in 2022) and a regional championship in 2019.

Abdul-Quddus played 15 or 16 games in five of his six seasons in the National Football League, spending 2011-2013 with New Orleans, the next two years with Detroit, and his final season with Miami.

He suffered a neck injury in a December 2016 game that left him with no feeling in his arm, and was placed on IR, then released by Miami in March. Just one season into a new contract, his playing days were over, but he eventually got into coaching as a high school assistant down in Florida.

Born in Elizabeth, he played for the Union Farmers, graduating in 2007, then went to Fordham. In high school, he was first-team All-Union County, and second team All-State, recording 115 tackles and two interceptions for touchdowns. He also ran track.

Abdul-Quddus takes over for Jason Scott, who was promoted to head coach after the departure of Lou Grasso, who took the Athletic Director position at Colonia High School when Ben LeSala retired. The Farmers struggled to a 2-8 record in 2024, with wins over South Brunswick and Livingston.

Click below to hear new Hillside coach Isa Abdul-Quddus talk about taking over the Comets’ program with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Hillside’s Barris Grant departs Comets to take over storied football program at Union

Barris Grant – who led the Hillside football program for the past nine seasons – has left to become the new head coach at Union, after the Board of Education approved his hire Tuesday night.

Grant – who also will be a physical education teacher at the high school – replaces Jason Scott, who was there just one year after Lou Grasso stepped down to become the athletic director in his hometown of Colonia. The Farmers were 2-8 last season.

Grant had a record of 67-25 with Hillside, leading the Comets to three stellar seasons from 2017 through 2019, winning sectional titles all three seasons, and a regional title in 2019. Overall, Grant’s teams made four sectional title games.

The first of those years, Hillside went 9-3 and got the seven-seed in Central Jersey Group 2, then shocked top-seed Point Pleasant Boro at Rutgers, 20-13, to win the title.

They’d come back the next year to go undefeated in the 2018 regular season. In the playoffs, they were the top-seed in Central Jersey Group 2, and beat second-seed Manasquan for the title, 36-10. They would fall to Haddonfield, 17-7, in the South 2 regional championship at MetLife Stadium.

And then came the topper, the perfect 12-0 season of 2019.

Those Comets could put up points, while locking down teams defensively. They pitched six shutouts that season, only allowing double-figures twice, averaging 35.7 points per game in the regular season. They featured senior quarterback Nahree Biggins (1,083 yards, 12 TDs), while senior runningback James Louis led a 3,000-yard team rushing attack.

Seniors Anu Okungbowa and Akugbe Omokaro led a defense that registered 34 1/2 sacks on the season.

It all led to a third seed in South Jersey Group 2, and a sectional title with a 14-10 upset at top-seed West Deptford. The Comets then went on to with the South 2 regional championship at Rutgers over South 2 sectional champ and second-seed Cedar Creek, 25-3.

The 2022 team also reached a sectional final. As the two-seed in North 1, Group 3, they fell at top-seed Old Tappan in the title game, 28-14.

Union has won 11 sectional titles as a program, the most of any Union County school, and won its most recent title the same year Hillside and Grant won theirs, in 2019.

Grasso’s squad went 12-1 that season, earning the top-seed in North 2, Group 5, winning the section by virtue of a 42-28 victory over third-seed Clifton. They would fall, however, in the North Group 5 regional championship game at MetLife Stadium, 41-37, to Ridgewood, which lost the inaugural North 5 bowl the year before to Piscataway up at the Meadowlands.

Click below to hear Barris Grant talk about taking the head football coaching job at Union, and his impact at Hillside, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Saturday Big Central Roundup: Hillside makes push for home playoff game with win over Voorhees, Bernards extends BCC streak

After a busy Friday night in the Big Central Conference, it was a busier-than-usual Saturday with nine games on the docket.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s action.

Hillside 40, Linden 14: Kamari Robinson scored Twice while Mitchell Jenkins, Quaron Robinson, Jamir Hall and Travis Miles also scored in the Comets home win over the Tigers Saturday afternoon. Hillside led 27-0 at halftime, getting two touchdown passes from Zion Risher, who connected on three before the break. He threw a fourth touchdown pass in the third quarter.

While it remains to be seen how the teams around them did, its likely Hillside moves up a bit from its 11th place spot in the South 2 UPR standings, after staying put there based on Friday’s results..

The Comets are now 5-2 after starting the year 1-2, having won four of their last five games and three straight heading into their regular season finale at Cranford next Friday night. Voorhees (3-5) will close its regular season at North Hunterdon (3-5) and likely won’t make the playoffs; even with a win, they may have been a longshot.

No. 4 Bernards 34, Governor Livingston 7: The Mountaineers routed the Highlanders Saturday afternoon in Berkeley Heights to extend their Big Central winning streak to 22 games.

It was all Bernards in the first half, as they led 28-0 after the first 24 minutes, capitalizing on Governor Livingston miscues, like a goal line interception by Teagun Hartnett near the end of the half that he returned to midfield, with QB Nolan Walsh following it up with a 50-yard TD pass to Jack Morra. And their previous score came after a fumble recovery by Chase Caponigro led to a 15-yard pass play from Walsh to Logan Stevens.

Bernards is now 7-0 and hasn’t lost a regular season game since September 2, 2022 to Hillside, 35-20, their last Big Central loss. They visit Carteret (3-5) next Friday night. The Highlanders (3-4) visit winless New Brunswick (0-8) at Memorial Stadium next Friday night.

Other Saturday Scores…

CLICK HERE FOR FRIDAY NIGHT’S BIG CENTRAL ROUNDUP

Friday night scores…

  • No. 2 Somerville 30, Plainfield 7
  • No. 5 Ridge 42, North Brunswick 14
  • No. 6 Phillipsburg 44, Union 0
  • No. 9 Rahway 42, New Brunswick 0
  • No. 10 Hillsborough 27, Piscataway 14
  • Spotswood 17, South Hunterdon 0
  • New Providence 41, Bound Brook 14
  • Cranford 18, Colonia 13
  • North Hunterdon 35, East Brunswick 0
  • Elizabeth 43, Watchung Hills 29
  • Manville 42, Highland Park 15
  • Johnson 14, North Plainfield 6
  • Middlesex 36, JFK 32
  • Monroe 21, Franklin 12
  • Sayreville 7, Montgomery 0
  • Scotch Plains-Fanwood 24, Perth Amboy 13
  • Dayton 15, Dunellen 12
  • Rahway 42, New Brunswick 0
  • Delaware Valley def. Roselle by forfeit

Saturday’s Games:

  • No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas at No. 7 St. Joseph-Metuchen, 11 am (Listen on CJSR) (Video highlights from Marcus Borden on Twitter)
  • No. 1 Woodbridge at Summit, 1 pm
  • #4 Bernards at Governor Livingston, 1 pm
  • Voorhees at Hillside, 1 pm
  • Carteret at Linden, 1 pm
  • Brearley at Metuchen, 1 pm
  • South Plainfield at South River, 1 pm
  • Bridgewater-Raritan at Westfield, 1 pm
  • Belvidere at North Warren, 3 pm

by Mike Pavlichko

2024 Big Central Preview: United Gold Division

You can forgive Cranford and Summit if they’re breathing a sigh of relief now that St. Thomas Aquinas has moved up in the Big Central Conference’s divisional alignment.

Then again, they might want to hold that breath again now that Hillside has joined the fray in the United Gold Division.

The Comets have been one of the more solid Big Central teams in the league’s first couple of years, but life doesn’t get any easier for them in the United Gold Division either. That’s because they’re playing some bigger schools than they’re used to.

Summit, Cranford, Scotch Plains-Fanwood and Carteret round out the division, which also sees Rahway leave. Summit has lost a good deal of talent, but the program has a good foundation, and the Hilltoppers will be competitive. Same for the Cougars and Ramblers, but Scotch Plains will be looking for some stability under first-year head coach Shawn Williams.

He’ll be their third coach in less than a year, as Austin Holman gave way to Robert Swercheck early last year, before he left to take over for Phlip McGuane at Middlesex. Can the Raiders work through the upheaval and put it together in ’24?

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

by Mike Pavlichko

National Signing Day: Big Central football players make it official where they’ll play in college

Wednesday begins the Early Signing period for football players across the country to sign their National Letter of Intent. They can sign on the dotted line now through Friday, or can wait for the Spring period. Here is a team-by-team look at who signed were, with information submitted by their coaches and/or announced on social media.

This list will be updated throughout the day, as we get information from coaches, players, social media and other media reports. Please check back often for additions as they come in.

Colonia: Jaeden Jones – the Central Jersey Sports Radio Offensive Player of the Year – signed on with Monmouth. In his second season as a QB – after having never played the position before – he rished for 1,454 yards and 22 touchdowns, second best in the Big Central. One of the league’s most electrifying players, he also threw for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns. Now that he’s signed, it’s right back to playing hoops, where he’s the point guard for the Patriots’ basketball team.

Hillside: Diego Rodriguez, a two-way lineman for the Comets – will be attending the University of Connecticut.

Montgomery: Matt D’Avino – who may have had the most receptions in the state over the last two years, according to his head coach, Zoran Milich – signed on with Lehigh. He caught 67 passes this year for 1,501 yards – that’s 15.7 yards per catch – and had 16 touchdowns. He’s grabbed 122 passes the last two seasons.

Ridge: Chris Oliver, an offensive lineman/tight end, will be playing for Bucknell. The 6-3, 240-pounder played mostly defense for the Red Devils this season, logging 61 tackles, 42 solo, nine TFLs, seven sacks – with 13 in his two years playing varsity for Andy West – and also had a forced fumble.

Plainfield: Josue Cordoba – Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Two Way Player of the Year for 2023, signed on with Kent State Wednesday. ”He’ll catch a 60-yard bomb on one end, and come back and catch a pick-six on the other,” says his coach, James Williams. He caught 60 passes this year for 1,234 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing for two. On defense: five interceptions, three for touchdowns.

St. Thomas Aquinas: Christian Magliacano – the 2023 CJSR Defensive Player of the Year – made it official he’ll be going to Colgate. ”Arguably the best linebacker in the state,” says his head coach Tarig Holman, he recorded 162 tackles this year at linebacker, 32 TFLs, three forced fumbles, two interceptions, one for a touchdown, and two blocked kicks.

Summit: Tyler Kessell singed to play football at Dartmouth. He totalled 133 tackles at linebacker this season, with 15 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

Watchung Hills: Big quarterback Aleks Sitkowski – the younger brother of Art, who starred at Old Bridge and played at Rutgers – signed on with Colgate. After moving from Piscataway to Warren, Sitkowski threw for 1,696 yards and 17 touchdowns for Watchung Hills, while also running it over 100 times for 609 yard and another 13 touchdowns. Head coach Rich Suebert says Sitkowksi turned his traditional run-first offense into a “high octane” passing attack. Sitkowski was an Honorable Mention CJSR Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.

Westfield: Linebacker Chris Rosetti put pen to paper to play for Brown University. He was tops with 124 tackles for the Blue Devils this year, four tackles for loss, and 1 1/2 sacks. He also had a QB hurry and a fumble recovery.

Woodbridge: The winner of Central Jersey Sports Radio’s “Record Setter of the Year” award, A.J. Bosch signed with Bucknell. He graduates as No. 1 all-time in Barrons annals with career receptions (134), career touchdown catches (27) and career rushing touchdowns (12) by a receiver. He also finished with 2,842 career rushing yards, No. 2 in the Woodbridge record books:

by Mike Pavlichko

FRIDAY Cutoff Weekend Playoff Analysis: Group 3

It’s Cutoff Weekend, and we’re the place to get all the updated playoff standings all week long, with our coverage brought to you by My Family Appliances on Route 1 South in the Wick Plaza, Edison.

We’ll have more analysis throughout the day Saturday as scores roll in. And don’t forget to join us for our “Playoff Projection Show” on Saturday at 6:00 pm as Mike Pavlichko brings you all the playoff projections, with analysis and commentary by Marcus Borden, live in studio!

Here’s an updated look at the Group 3 supersections based on Friday night results as reported to Gridiron New Jersey.

NORTH GROUP 3

As we expected, Hillside‘s win over Carteret Friday night at The Pit triggered an odd situation: a team in fourth place (Hillside) that couldn’t jump the two two (Old Tappan and Summit) affecting the top two. The win put the Comets above Old Tappan in power point average, moved them from 4th to 3rd place, but moved Summit ahead of Old Tappan overall. The Golden Knights won Friday night, but against lowly-rated Demarest. And the Hilltoppers have highly-regarded St. Joseph in Metuchen Saturday, where even a loss won’t hurt them. We call Summit the top overall seed. And Hillside looks locked into third.

Cranford is in ninth after a loss to North Brunswick, holding court, and they look to be a lock there, too, regardless what West Essex does Saturday at East Orange.

We also think Governor Livingston is in, at 6-2 and in 16th place, regardless what happens Saturday at home against Bernards, since the Mountaineers are a strong opponent. But we’ll still keep an eye on that game Saturday.

Key Saturday Games to Watch:

  • #1 Summit at St. Joseph-Metuchen
  • #8 West Essex at East Orange
  • #12 Lincoln vs. Orange
  • #16 Governor Livingston vs. Bernards

SOUTH GROUP 3

Somerville moved up from 11th to 8th place with a Friday win over South Brunswick at Brooks Field. But hold the phone, because we think they drop to 9th if Manasquan beats Ocean Twp. at home Saturday. That’s the difference between a first-round home game and a road trip.

Carteret fell from 10th to 11th with the loss to a good Hillside team Friday night. Teams may move around them Saturday with a number of games to be played, but they might actually hold in 11th. We think they’ll be no worse than 12.

Key Saturday Games to Watch:

  • #9 Manasquan vs. #17 Ocean Township
  • #13 Highland Regional at Rancocas Valley
  • #14 Burlington Township vs. Willingboro
  • #25 Matawan at Freehold Boro
  • #19 Nottingham vs. Hamilton