Tag: Hunterdon Central

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

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

INSTANT REPLAY:  No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan 35, No. 7 Hunterdon Central 7

Senior runningback Denzel Amoafo rushed for two touchdowns while junior safety Nick Stark had an interception and a fumble recovery – two of four Panther takeaways – in a 35-7 win for No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan over No. 7 Hunterdon Central Friday night.

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 Mike Pavlichko and Ben LaSala call all the play-by-play live from Basilone Field in Bridegwater, NJ, on September 19, 2025:

1st Half
2nd Half
by Mike Pavlichko

Bittersweet win for No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan as Panthers top No. 7 Hunterdon Central, but Kurdyla goes down to injury

At the end of the day, the sixth-ranked Bridgewater-Raritan football team is 4-0, but the effects of this one are still to be determined.

The Panthers topped No. 7 Hunterdon Central 35-7 Friday night on the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, but senior quarterback Declan Kurdyla went down in the second quarter with some kind of knee injury, the severity of which was unknown immediately after the game.

It put a bit of a damper on what was a huge win for Bridgewater over their American Silver Division rivals, which saw them jump out to a quick 21-0 lead, scoring on their first three possessions, while the defense registered four takeaways, including two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Senior safety Nick Stark had one of each.

Junior runningback Denzel Amoafo scored twice, from 37 yards out on the opening possession to make it 7-0, and late in the third quarter from 21 yards out to make it 35-0, and kick in the running clock.

Hunterdon Central got a one-yard touchdown run from QB Drew Cella to spoil the shutout late.

And the Red Devils had a key player go down, too. Junior runningback Reggie Osae-Aye suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter as well, going down before Kurdyla, and he didn’t come back either. Central coach Casey Ransone said after the game it’s likely an ankle sprain, and they think he’ll be ok.

Bridgewater also got a three-yard touchdown pass from Kurdyla to Evan Woodring, and Kurdyla ran one in from 32-yards out to stake his team to a 21-0 advantage after the first three possessions. Mikey Bratus also caught a 29-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-0 before the half.

The Panthers are 4-0, off to their best start since 2016, the second of two years they won their first eleven games, then fell to Westfield in the North 2, Group 5 finals for their only loss of the season. Bridgewater visits Ridge next Friday night.

Central falls to 2-2 after winning its first two, with both losses coming to ranked teams. They fell to No. 1 Phillipsburg last week, and are back in action at home against Union next Friday.

Click below for postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Bridgewater-Raritan senior RB/CB Denzel Amoafo and senior safety Nick Stark
Bridgewater-Raritan head coach D.J. Catalano
by Mike Pavlichko

Off to 3-0 start, No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan looks to keep it rolling when Hunterdon Central visits

Thanks to wins in its first three games, Bridgewater-Raritan appears to have clinched a playoff berth.

Yes, that statement sounds ridiculous having not even played Week Three of the season yet, but that’s how strong the Panthers’ schedule is, being in the American Silver Division, with out-of-conference matchups like Morris Knolls (a sectional finalist last year), and Big Central crossovers like Westfield and Elizabeth.

Our preseason projections said Bridgewater needed at least two wins to get in, three to make it a lock.

But please, don’t tell head coach D.J. Catalano or his players that.

Also, don’t tell them that this is their first 3-0 start since they won their first eleven games of the 2016 and 2025 seasons, in both of which they went to the North 2, Group 5 finals and lost to Westfield, which finished both years undefeated (and 2017, when they also beat the Panthers in the finals).

Don’t tell them any of that. Because they’re not looking back, nor ahead.

The sole focus this week is No. 7 Hunterdon Central, which visits Bridgewater’s Basilone Field Friday night at six for both teams’ division opener. It’s our “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Pregame starts at 5:45 pm with Mike Pavlichko calling all the action, joined by guest analyst Ben LaSala, the Vice President of the Big Central Conference. Click here to listen.

The Panthers have plenty of talent back, including quarterback Declan Kurdyla and runningback Denzel Amoafo, but then there’s also Jahmir Black, who Catalano says has made a great jump up to the varsity level.

On the defensive side, he’s a big admirer of Hunterdon Central coach Casey Ransone, even to the point where after watching game film, he might even want to incorporate some of what the Red Devils do on offense.

Imitation, sincerest form of flattery, and all that.

Either way, this one should be a tremendous matchup. Last year’s game was a 28-20 win for the Panthers and a tale of two halves. After both teams lit up the scoreboard for 48 points in the first half, the final 24 minutes went scoreless in what turned out to be a defensive battle.

Click below to hear Bridgewater-Raritan head coach D.J. Catalano talk about the Panthers and their home game Friday night with Hunterdon Central:

by Mike Pavlichko

Happy with 2-1 start, Hunterdon Central focused on Kurdyla, battle at Bridgewater-Raritan

He can throw the ball. If he’s in trouble, he’ll run. And then he’ll still throw the ball.

That’s the short version of how ninth-year Hunterdon Central football coach Casey Ransone describes Declan Kurdyla, the shifty dual-threat quarterback who plays football for Bridgewater-Raritan, yet will be going to Rutgers on a lacrosse scholarship.

But that’s really all you need to know.

He’ll be a big focus for the defense Friday night when the No. 7 Red Devils travel to Bridgewater to play the No. 6 Panthers in the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Mike Pavlichko will call all the action with guest analyst Ben LaSala, the Vice President of the Big Central Conference. Click here to listen, with pregame at 5:45 pm, and kickoff at 6.

Hunterdon Central got the season underway in fine fashion, with wins over North Hunterdon and Monroe. They got humbled last week at home by No. 1 Phillipsburg, 55-14, but even though the Stateliners lost some starts, they’re still the defending state Group 4 finalist.

And while Ransone would love to be 3-0, he understands the reality of the league and division they’re in, and the teams they play. Every night is a battle when you face the ‘Liners, Panthers, Hillsborough and Ridge – and that’s just the American Silver Division.

So, on Friday, the big thing is to keep everyone’s eyes on Kurdyla. As the old ESPN catchphrase went, “You can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him.”

For Central’s part, they have some really good players, too. James Mongno (the second “n” is silent) is a top receiver, and due to injury, a new runningback has emerged in Reggie Osae-Aye (pronounced “oh-SAY-eye”), who didn’t see a varsity snap until this year.

Ransone says he’s been a great addition, and he’s really transformed his game, something he knows isn’t easy when making the jump from jayvee to the big squad.

Click below to hear Hunterdon Central coach Casey Ransone talk about the Red Devils and Friday’s matchup at Bridgewater-Raritan with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

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

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

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

The third week, Week Two, was another story.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 1 Phillipsburg cruises past Hunterdon Central, 55-14, on four TD night from Sam Dech; Stateliners pick up program’s 750th win

Sam Dech had a historic night in the season opener for Phillipsburg back on Saturday, scoring on a 95-yard touchdown run in a 28-0 win at Westfield that set two program records: it was the longest touchdown run, and longest run in Stateliner history, a pretty remarkable achievement when you think of how long they’ve been playing football out on the state line.

What he was a part of Friday night in Flemington was even bigger. No. 1 Phillipsburg beat 7th-ranked Hunterdon Central 55-14, behind four touchdowns from Sam Dech, and earned the program its 750th win all-time.

The machine that is Phillipsburg – they don’t rebuild, they reload, and sometimes even stronger – just continues to roll along, as the Stateliners improved to 2-0 on the young season ahead of a matchup with Ridge next week.

Dech was again incredible for P’burg. He scored from 11, 46, 17 and nearly 50 yards out in the game, running with power, nearly impossible to bring down.

Phillipsburg is now 2-0, with Ridge (1-1) coming to Maloney Stadium next week. Ridge was the only team in the Big Central to beat the ‘Liners last year, doing so at home. Hunterdon Central drops to 2-1, and will visit Bridgewater-Raritan next Friday night in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy and Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Kickoff is set for 6 pm.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden with head coach Frank Duffy and senior runningback Sam Dech, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: