Tag: Linden

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2026: Anything could happen in expanded Patriot Silver, with new head coaches for all six squads

Many of the changes in the Big Central Conference divisional alignment for the next two years centers around the smaller school divisions, and trying to give better schedules to some of the better schools – a problem not generally seen among larger schools. After all, there is no one-size-fits-all.

Enter the Patriot Silver Division, which still has New Providence – which has made sectional finals each of the last two seasons – as well as A.L. Johnson, which finished last year 7-2. But the powers that be also added a Spotswood team that finished 8-2 last year. Perth Amboy – still waiting on a new head coach after William Clark wasn’t retained – also is new to the group this year, while Roselle and Metuchen remain. But the Panthers aren’t the only one with a new head coach. In fact, all six teams have new skippers this year.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the Patriot Silver Division teams – in order of 2025 finish – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge as of the date of publication, along with a few notes on each squad. Division games are starred.

New Providence Pioneers (10-1, 3-0, Patriot Silver Division Champions)
Head Coach: Anthony Cozentino, 1st season

  • Week 0: Middlesex
  • Week 1: Voorhees
  • Week 2: Johnson*
  • Week 3: Metuchen*
  • Week 4: at Roselle*
  • Week 5: at Dayton
  • Week 6: Perth Amboy*
  • Week 7: at Spotswood*
  • Week 8: Governor Livingston

Chet Parlavecchio, Jr., brought the Pioneers to the sectional finals in each of his last two seasons at the helm, now it’s Cozentino’s task to keep it going. He’s been on the staff for five seasons, so continuity shouldn’t be an issue there, nor will it be at quarterback, where junior Kevin Reilly threw for 1,119 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. They will surely miss runningback A.J. Whitehead, who rushed for 700 yards on the nose and 13 touchdowns before a season-ending injury in mid-October. The defense will need to fill some holes. Whitehead and linebacker Daniel Poretti combined for seven INTs last season, while Drew Gullo had 4 1/2 sacks and James Keneally had 5 1/2, while defensive back Jack Fitzgerald had nine – and 11 TFLs – leading the team in both categories. But all of them were seniors.

A.L. Johnson Crusaders (7-2, 2-1, 2nd place Patriot Silver)
Head Coach: Mike Ryan, 1st season

  • Week 0: OPEN
  • Week 1: at Delaware Valley
  • Week 2: New Providence*
  • Week 3: at Roselle*
  • Week 4: Spotswood*
  • Week 5: at Governor Livingston
  • Week 6: Metuchen*
  • Week 7: at Perth Amboy*
  • Week 8: JFK

After a year of Athletic Director Gus Kalikas as head coach, with his son the starting quarterback, veteran Middlesex County coach Mike Ryan steps in; he’s been at Sayreville and Edison, while also serving as head coach for a run at JP Stevens. The Crusaders were a playoff entrant last season, and while senior QB Jack Kalikas is gone, he mostly ran the show, throwing for just under 200 yards and rushing for 215 and two scores. The backs – many of them – did the dirty work, with six going for 200 or more on the season, and none more than Zaire Majerska, who rushed for 600 and 11 TDs as a junior last season. He’s a two-way player, and is perhaps the most disruptive player returning, with four sacks and six TFLs from his linebacker spot, while junior Vincent Cilento had two sacks, eight TFLs and a pair of interceptions on the year. Governor Livingston and JFK round out a solid crossover schedule.

Roselle Rams (2-9, 1-2, 3rd place Patriot Silver)
Head Coach: James Roach, 1st season

  • Week 0: Ferris
  • Week 1: at Hillside
  • Week 2: at Perth Amboy*
  • Week 3: Johnson*
  • Week 4: New Providence*
  • Week 5: at Brearley
  • Week 6: Spotswood*
  • Week 7: at Metuchen*
  • Week 8: Roselle Park

The Rams were 6-16 in two seasons under Tyrone Turner, who’s now with Steven Brown as offensive coordinator at North Plainfield, and it’ll be up to James Roach – a local youth coach – to turn things around at Abraham Clark H.S. That’ll be tough with a senior-laded team in 2025. The only non-12th grader to take a snap last year was sophomore Vaylen Webb, who was 1-for-2 passing in limited time against JP Stevens in late October last year. Top rusher Davon Rhodes (547 yards, 5 TDs) graduated, as did No. 1 receiver Shymir Burgess (680 yards, 4 TDs). Defense is much of the same, as Burgess had two interceptions, including a pick-six, while Daniel Diaz (5 sacks), Mike Henderson, Jr. (4 sacks) and Kevin Sanchez (3 sacks) are among the top defensive players who will be missed.

Metuchen Bulldogs (5-5, 0-3, 4th place Patriot Silver)
Head Coach: Joe Riggi, 1st season

  • Week 0: Dunellen
  • Week 1: New Brunswick
  • Week 2: at Spotswood*
  • Week 3: at New Providence*
  • Week 4: Perth Amboy*
  • Week 5: JFK
  • Week 6: at Johnson*
  • Week 7: Roselle*
  • Week 8: at Highland Park

Joe Riggi comes to the Bulldogs from the other side of town, where he had been the defensive coordinator at St. Joseph-Metuchen under Bill Tracy. Metuchen started the season 1-4 last year, but then won four straight before dropping their finale to Governor Livingston. They lose a lot, including senior QB Cam Hayes-Durina, who threw for 1,471 yards and 15 TDs last year, while also being the team’s leading rusher at 431 yards and six TDs. Seniors were the big contributors this year, so it might be a challenge to see improvement right off the bat. It’s a little less of a problem on defense, where juniors like Chris Esso (1 sack, 1 TFL), Eli Major (1 1/2 sacks, 3 TFLs) and others had an impact, including junior Gio Tan, who snared five picks last season on defense, bringing one in for a score.

Spotswood Chargers (8-2, 4-1, Freedom Gold Division Champions)
Head Coach: Brian Russo, 12th season (63-46)

  • Week 0: Monmouth Regional
  • Week 1: at JFK
  • Week 2: Metuchen*
  • Week 3: Perth Amboy*
  • Week 4: at Johnson*
  • Week 5: at North Plainfield
  • Week 6: at Roselle*
  • Week 7: New Providence*
  • Week 8: South River

Coming off three consecutive 8-2 seasons in the last years under Chris Meagher, former East Brunswick mentor Andy Steinfeld takes over the Chargers, with his son Matt having already been on the staff as an assistant. The offense will take a big hit with the graduation of Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage, who threw for 735 yards and 11 scores, while rushing for 834 and 11 more scores, leading the ground game. He also had two sacks, three TFLs and a pick six on defense, and it’s not easy to replace a player like that. But top receiver Ryan Foster, who caught 25 balls last year for 336 yards and three scores, will be back. Senior Sebby Saracino also was a punishing rusher, carrying 105 times for 67 yards and six touchdowns, but he’s gone to graduation. On the defensive side of the ball, senior Dan Keelan – a lineman with three sacks, five TFLs, a safety and a blocked kick – also will be missed, along with big-time kicker Gavin Pereira, who was 6-of-9 with a long of 48 on field goals, and 31 of 33 on PATs.

Perth Amboy Panthers (1-9, 0-4 in Liberty Gold Division)
Head Coach: TBA

  • Week 0: Monroe
  • Week 1: at Carteret
  • Week 2: Roselle*
  • Week 3: at Spotswood*
  • Week 4: at Metuchen*
  • Week 5: New Brunswick
  • Week 6: at New Providence*
  • Week 7: Johnson*
  • Week 8: at South Plainfield

The schedule doesn’t do the Panthers a lot of favors, and they’re yet to officially hire a new head coach, though word is one should be in place shortly, so stay tuned. William Clark was not brought back after winning just nine games total over the past five seasons. Amboy had two underclassman QBs on the roster last year, though only junior Amauris Peguero played, passing for 847 yards and 9 TDs a year ago, but the rest of the skill spots were very senior-laden. Top defensive players like Sebastian Medina Moreno (4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery) and Jordany Rodriguez (2 sacks, 2 TFLs) also graduate.

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2026: Woodbridge, Colonia will need to fill some holes to compete for Liberty Gold supremacy, but don’t count out Linden, Plainfield or newcomer Rahway

Two of the three high school in Woodbridge – Woodbridge and Colonia – help make up the Big Central Conference’s Liberty Gold Division, and both were the cream of the crop last year. But they’ll both have to figure out how to replace some big graduation losses to have the same kind of success in 2026.

Then, of course, they’ll also have to hold the rest of the division at bay, which may not be easy, especially with Plainfield going into its second season under Donald Jones, and Linden doing the same under veteran Mark Ciccotelli. And, of course, there’s Rahway – which moves into the Liberty Gold to take the place of Perth Amboy – who will have to handle the loss of all-world senior Andrew Avent, the Central Jersey Sports Radio Three-Way Player of the Year in 2025, but has plenty of talent returning.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the Liberty Gold Division teams – in order of 2025 finish – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge as of the date of publication, along with a few notes on each squad. Division games are starred.

Woodbridge Barrons (8-3, 4-0, Liberty Gold Division Champions)
Head Coach: Joe Goerge, 3rd season (18-4 at Woodbridge)

  • Week 0: Bridgewater-Raritan
  • Week 1: at Edison
  • Week 2: Rahway*
  • Week 3: at Plainfield*
  • Week 4: at Colonia*
  • Week 5: Westfield
  • Week 6: at Summit
  • Week 7: Linden*
  • Week 8: Franklin

Things start hot right off the bat for Woodbridge, with their home opener against defending North 2, Group 5 champion Bridgewater-Raritan. Veteran mentor Joe Goerge will need to work quickly to find a replacement for Joshua Allen, who rushed for 1,579 yards and 20 scores last year on 203 carries. The next two – rising senior Kyle Campis (376 yards, 2 TDs) and rising junior Dylan Stephen (335 yards, 7 TDs) – are good options. Many of the top defenders, like A’arrow Andrewz (4 sacks, 9 TFLs, 2 INTs), Jhonny Collado (3 sacks, 14 TFLs) and Dylan Saab (4 sacks, 4 TFLs), among others, have graduated, but junior Kyle Campus grabbed three picks last year in the secondary.

Colonia Patriots (7-4, 3-1, 2nd place Liberty Gold)
Head Coach: Tom Roarty, 14th season (82-51)

  • Week 0: at Summit
  • Week 1: at Franklin
  • Week 2: Plainfield*
  • Week 3: at Montgomery
  • Week 4: Woodbridge*
  • Week 5: at Hillsborough
  • Week 6: at Linden*
  • Week 7: Rahway*
  • Week 8: South Brunswick

We won’t beat around the bush: Colonia – for the first time in a while – has a lot to replace from a squad that went to the North 2, Group 4 semifinals. That’s not to say they can’t be successful, but gone to graduation are senior QB Dylan Chiera (2,436 yards, 23 TD, just 3 INT) and top receiver R.J. Wortman, who finished with 101 catches, 1,307 yards and 15 TDs. The biggest returning stat line on offense belongs to that of junior runningback Kyle Bell, who rushed for 434 yards last season. On defense, senior Julien Jones (8 sacks, 14 TFLs, 1 INT for a TD, 1 forced fumble, one safety) was a one-man wrecking crew, but also had a solid cast around him. Non-seniors last year who made an impact included junior defensive lineman Jason Eyetan (2 sacks, 12 TFLs) and junior linebacker A.J. Reinoso (2 sacks, 8 TFLs, second on the team in total tackles with 117, 1 fumble recovery).

Plainfield Cardinals (4-6, 2-2, 3rd place Liberty Gold)
Head Coach: Donald Jones, 2nd season (4-6)

  • Week 0: at Sayreville
  • Week 1: Elizabeth
  • Week 2: at Colonia*
  • Week 3: Woodbridge*
  • Week 4: Linden*
  • Week 5: at Union
  • Week 6: Rahway*
  • Week 7: Watchung Hills
  • Week 8: at Westfield

Now in his second season, Donald Jones will have to find a replacement for senior QB Devin Thomas, a mobile QB who ran for nearly 500 yards while also throwing for 2,214 and a mind-boggling 29 touchdowns, with just four picks. And he’s the only one who threw a varsity pass last year. Top receiver Tymir Huff caught 60 passes for 919 yards and 11 TDs as a junior, a good target to have back for whoever is under center. And the defense will miss a guy like senior Tylor Hunter- who got to the QB 13 times last season, while also grabbing an interception – and was very senior-laden in 2025.

Linden Tigers (3-7, 1-3, 4th place Liberty Gold)
Head Coach: Mark Ciccotelli, 2nd season (3-7 at Linden)

  • Week 0: OPEN
  • Week 1: at Scotch Plains-Fanwood
  • Week 2: New Brunswick
  • Week 3: Rahway*
  • Week 4: at Plainfield*
  • Week 5: at Elizabeth
  • Week 6: Colonia*
  • Week 7: at Woodbridge*
  • Week 8: Union

Coming off a 3-7 first season, mobile quarterback Joe Boyd returns after a 1,090-yard rushing year as a junior, with 11 TDs, and 523 passing yards for another five touchdowns. The next two best runningbacks also return, including rising senior. Four junior receivers – led by Zion Francis with seven catches for 158 yards and a touchdown – also should be back. The defense is more senior, but junior Alan Szurgot was a bright spot last year with five sacks, seven TFLs and a fumble recovery. And returner Elijah Pierre brought back one for a touchdown as well. If the Tigers can improve, with teams above them replacing key pieces, they can make a move up in the division.

Rahway Indians (6-4, 3-1, three-way Liberty Silver Co-Champions)
Head Coach: Brian Russo, 12th season (63-46)

  • Week 0: at Willingboro
  • Week 1: Summit
  • Week 2: at Woodbridge*
  • Week 3: at Linden*
  • Week 4: Cranford
  • Week 5: South Brunswick
  • Week 6: at Plainfield*
  • Week 7: at Colonia*
  • Week 8: Edison

The loss of Andrew Avent – one of the most decorated players in Rahway history – will be a big blow for head coach Brian Russo and company. His 1,961 rushing yards set the single-season school record, and helped him take the all-time record, finishing with 4,524 yards and 77 career rushing touchdowns. And last year, not only did he move from linebacker to defensive end, picking up 10 1/2 sacks and 21 1/2 TFLs, but he was also a solid punter as well. So, who’s back? How about rising senior WB Jaquan Robinson, who – despite all Avent did on the ground – managed to throw for 1,045 yards and 15 touchdowns while turning it over through the air just once. He could end up running it more, and even looking to fellow senior Jyvon Cooper (24 carries, 158 yards, 2 TD last season). Wideout Tristan Driscoll is back for another year as well, after catching ten passes for 240 yards and four scores. Jaylen Eastman should be disruptive again on the D-line as a senior; last season, he had 8 1/2 sacks, 14 1/2 TFLs and a fumble recovery for a defense that should be aggressive again this year. Couple that with a solid, entrenched coaching staff, Rahway still could make noise this season.

by Mike Pavlichko

Both Big Central top-seeds advance, as Bridgewater-Raritan cruises past Linden, Phillipsburg blows out Newark Central; Woodbridge, Montgomery and Colonia also win in North 2, Group 4

The two Big Central Conference teams that earned top-seeds in the NJSIAA playoffs this season both won their opening round games handily Friday night.

Phillipsburg – the top overall seed in North Group 4 – won its first round game in the North 2, Group 4 section, blowing out eight-seed Newark Central at home, 55-14.

And Bridgewater-Raritan – the No. 1 seed in North 2, Group 5 – was a 35-6 winner over eight-seed Linden at Basilone Field.

Denzel Amoafo opened the scoring for the Panthers not even four minutes in with a 32-yard touchdown run, then after a Linden fumble late in the quarter, QB Declan Kurdyla scampered for 18 yards to make it 13-0. He then hit tight end Jack Cifuentes from six out, then ran another in from 17 to make it 28-0 with 5:52 to go before the half.

One more touchdown pass – eleven yards to Mikey Bratus – made it 35-0 at the break, a deficit the Tigers could not recover from, though they would get two second half scores with the running clock in effect for the final 24 minutes.

Bridgewater-Raritan (7-3) will host fourth-seed Union City (6-3) Friday night. The Soaring Eagles – who beat the Panthers 61-10 in the same round last year up at their place – edged five-seed Irvington at home Friday night, 21-14.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with head coach DJ Catalano and senior quarterback Declan Kurdyla, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

Meanwhile, out at Maloney Stadium, it was all Phillipsburg in this one, as the top-seeded Stateliners scored the game’s first seven touchdowns en route to a 55-14 win. Tyler Wargo scored twice on runs of five and eight yards, while Eddie O’Neill had a two-yard fumble return for a TD, and three others scored in the first half, including a Xavier Campbell-Graham 57-yard run, a six-yard run by Sincere Gilmer and a two-yard fumble return by Elian Cuevas.

Gilmer had a late 50-yard TD run in the fourth, while Thomas LaBella had a 14-yard run in the third quarter.

The Stateliners (8-1) will play fifth-seed Colonia (7-3) next week at home in one semifinal, after the Patriots topped Ridge, 20-19 on the road.

That game was a back-and-forth affair, with no one down by more than a touchdown throughout. After a scoreless first quarter, each team scored twice in the second to make it a 13-13 game at the half.

Jack Donley scored on a 44-yard touchdown for Ridge (5-4) to open the scoring, but the kick was blocked by Harsimran Mann. RJ Wortman answered with a 22-yard pick-six, Nick Pfenning got it back for the Red Devils on a seven-yard run, while Julien Jones tied it with a six-yard run, which also saw a blocked kick.

In the third quarter, Wortman scored again, this time on a four-yard run, and with a few minutes left in the game, Lenny Paolilo got Ridge within one with a 14-yard touchdown run that capped a long drive. But Mann came up big again, blocking the extra point.

“The second one was the biggest one I’ve ever seen,” said head coach Tom Roarty.

Click below for postgame reaction from Colonia head coach Tom Roarty with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

The other semifinal in North 2, Group 4 will feature second-seed Woodbridge (8-2) against third-seed Montgomery (7-3), a rematch of a game from three weeks ago that the Barrons won 41-31 in Somerset County. Second-seed Woodbridge topped seventh-seed Rahway (6-4), 21-7, while Montgomery was a 32-10 home winner over sixth-seed Westfield (4-6).

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

Fleming’s huge first half, 4 TD passes, powers Elizabeth past rival Linden, 42-7

Quarterback Arique Fleming’s first start for Elizabeth came as a freshman, against rival Linden, in a college stadium, two years ago.

That was a 27-22 loss at Kean University.

Two years later, now a junior, Fleming and his Minutemen opened the season at Linden’s Tiger Stadium.  

Friday night, in the season opener, he went 12-for-14 passing for 254 yards and 4 TDs, while running for another – all in the first half – en route to a 42-7 victory that gave Elizabeth its second straight win over the Tigers to open the season. He also ran for another score, a 28-yarder.

And all four passing touchdowns were long ones as the Elizabeth offensive line gave Fleming all the time in the world to throw.  No once could get to him, and that allowed him to get the ball to three different receivers, including a 36-yard TD to Qua’yon Williams, a 28-yard score to Nahjae Smith, and 62- and 65-yarders to Quameen Williams.

  

Elizabeth led 42-7 at the half, setting off a running clock for the final two quarters.

The Tigers’ Elijah Pierre had the lone first half score,  95-yard kick return that answered Elizabeth’s opening score, tying it at 7-7.

But that was as close as Linden would get.

It was Elizabeth’s largest margin of victory since a 55-6 win over Plainfield on October 5, 2018.

Click below for post game reaction from Elizabeth Head Coach Eugene Kline and junior QB Arique Fleming, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: Liberty Gold Division

Even with two new head coaches, the Liberty Gold Division in the Big Central Conference could see another really competitive year in 2025.

Last year’s division champ Woodbridge loses some key parts, including the Derek-Bryan Anderson twin tandem, but second-year veteran mentor Joe Goerge has shown he can adapt over the years, and we may even see more of the option from the Barrons this year as well.

There are new coaches at Plainfield and Linden, with the Cardinals opting for alum and NFL veteran Donald Jones. Coming off a 6-4 year in which they also beat arch-rival Westfield in their Thanksgiving Day game, Plainfield hopes to be even better this year, while Linden went with veteran coach Mark Ciccotelli to replace Al Chiola, who stepped down and will spend some time watching his son play at Colonia this year.

Speaking of the Patriots, they have key parts like Dylan Chiera and Julien Jones back, both of whom have been on the basketball team, which won the GMC Tournament and the North 2, Group 3 championship last year, the second of which was their fourth straight title, so they know more than a little about winning.

And then there’s Perth Amboy, which has a brand-new high school and new administration to support their push to make a move up in the Liberty Gold Division.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Defending Liberty Gold champion Woodbridge may face biggest test while Colonia returns a ton to challenge Barrons

The Woodbridge football team was the class of the Big Central’s Liberty Gold Division in 2024, running the table with a perfect 9-0 record in the regular season. But with some key losses, could the door be open for the rest of the division to make a move?

Plainfield (Donald) and Linden (Mark Ciccotelli) will have new head coaches, while Colonia has always been a consistent performer and will have a veteran team, so there’s no shortage of squads looking to make a move, and they’re more than capable. Then there’s Perth Amboy, whose new Athletic Director, John Fiore, starts July first and has promised to “put a fence around Perth Amboy” and keep talented kids home.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the Liberty 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 (*).

Colonia Patriots (4-6, 2-2, 3rd place in ’24)
Head Coach:  Tom Roarty (75-47, 13th season)

  • Week 0: Sayreville
    Week 1: North Hunterdon
  • Week 2: Linden* (6p)
  • Week 3: at Woodbridge* (6p)
  • Week 4: Perth Amboy* (6p)
  • Week 5: Edison
  • Week 6: at Plainfield (6p)
  • Week 7: Cranford
  • Week 8: at Old Bridge (6p)

The Patriots could be poised for a big year. Quarterback Dylan Chiera returns for his senior year, after throwing for 1,835 yards and 19 TD a year ago. Their only two rushers to graduate accounted for just 24 of 1,254 rushing yards, and while they lose top receiver Nygel Hill (708 yards, 5 TD) they bring back over 1,000 yards there as well. Defensively, it’s much of the same story, with guys like Jones (3 sacks, 13 TFL, 1 INT for TD), Harsimran Mann (3 sacks, 7 TFLS, and Jaylen McCrae (team-leading 4 INTs) back. Even on special teams, top return man Kyle Bell, who had 15 kick returns for 359 yards and a 91-yarder for a TD last year as a sophomore, is back. Yes, this could be a big year for Colonia.

Linden Tigers (4-6, 1-3, 4th place in ’24)
Head Coach (Mark Ciccotelli, 1st season)

  • Week 0: Elizabeth
  • Week 1: at Sayreville
  • Week 2: at Colonia* (6p)
  • Week 3: Watchung Hills
  • Week 4: Woodbridge*
  • Week 5: at Montgomery
  • Week 6: Perth Amboy*
  • Week 7: at Carteret
  • Week 8: Plainfield*

It’s a changing of the guard at Linden, where Al Chiola retired, and will spend some time watching his son Tyler, a senior WR/DB, in what we mentioned could be a huge year for Colonia. Getting out of the blocks hot is the goal for the Tigers under first-year head coach Mark Ciccotelli, after a 1-4 start last season, and having a new coach can sometimes make that work, as there’s little game film to work off of in the very beginning. But Ciccotelli will have some work to do, replacing a senior dual-threat quarterback in Tyrone Hinton, as well as three of their top receivers. There are some key defensive standouts expected back, like senior Daryl Agyei (4 sacks, 8 TFLs) and junior Joe Boyd (1 sack, TFL and INT).

Perth Amboy Panthers (1-9, 0-4, 5th place in ’24)
Head Coach: William Clark (11-43, 7th season)

  • Week 0: JFK (6p)
  • Week 1: Carteret (6p)
  • Week 2: at Rahway (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 3: Plainfield* (6p)
  • Week 4: Colonia (6p)
  • Week 5: at Woodbridge* (6p)
  • Week 6: at Linden*
  • Week 7: Scotch Plains-Fanwood (6p)
  • Week 8: at Johnson

The season opened on a high note for the Panthers last year, beating JFK 27-9. But that wound up being their highest offensive output of a season in which they never won again, finishing 1-9 in 2024. And they graduate dual-threat senior QB Laivon Balthazar (1,447 pass yards, 12 TD, 415 rush yards, 4 TD) as well as Brandon Bradsher, with his 1,055 receiving yards. It’s a similar story on defense for William Clark’s squad. And though the impact may not be immediate, if new AD John Fiore can help keep kids home, Clark’s program could get a boost in the next year or two.

Plainfield Cardinals (6-4, 3-1, 2nd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Donald Jones (1st season)

  • Week 0: Westfield (Thurs)
  • Week 1: New Brunswick (6p)
  • Week 2: at Wodobridge (6p)
  • Week 3: at Perth Amboy (6p)
  • Week 4: at Haverford School (PA) (Sat, 2p)
  • Week 5: Franklin (6p)
  • Week 6: Colonia* (6p)
  • Week 7: at Somerville (6:30p)
  • Week 8: at Linden

With James Williams out, and former NFL player and Cardinal alum Donald Jones taking the reins of a resurgent program. Williams took a program that hadn’t won five games since it won six in a 6-4 campaign in 2005 and went 5-5 in 2021, his first season, and even better, won five of its last seven games after an 0-3 start. They never won fewer than five games under his tutelage, and last year, beat Westfield on Thanksgiving, in the rain, 14-9, their first win in the longstanding rivalry in 13 years. Quarterback Kamai Lowery threw for 1,026 yards and nine TDs last season as a junior, but top runningback E.J. Brown – and his 1,008 yards and 12 touchdowns – are lost to graduation. The receiving core will get hit hard with the loss of Brown, Joel Cordoba and Ala-Meen Watkins. Defensively, they’ll miss Watkins (4.5 sacks, 5 TFLs, 2 blocked kicks, 1 FR) and Cordoba (2 sacks, 4 TFLs, 4 forced fumbles, 3 recoveries, 2 INT, 1 for a TD).

One side note: Another Thanksgiving game bites the dust, though the rivalry will remain alive, as Plainfield and Westfield will square off on Week Zero, which has become the default old Turkey Day rivalry meeting for many schools since the expansion of the state football playoffs.

Woodbridge Barrons (10-1, 4-0, Liberty Gold champs in ’24)
Head Coach: Joe Goerge (10-1, 2nd season)

  • Week 0: Union (Thurs, 6 p)
  • Week 1: Watchung Hills
  • Week 2: Plainfield* (6p)
  • Week 3: Colonia* (6p)
  • Week 4: at Linden*
  • Week 5: Perth Amboy (6p)
  • Week 6: at Montgomery
  • Week 7: Summit (6p)
  • Week 8: at St. Joseph-Metuchen (Sat, 1p)

Joe Goerge walked into a great situation last year, with a senior laden team led by the Anderson twins, with Derek the QB (1,470 pass yards, 19 TD) and Bryan the receiver (50 catches, 857 yards, 11 TDs, plus 203 rush yards, 1 TD) both gone to graduation. So it top rusher Jahmir Beal (596 yards, 11 TD). The defense was very senior-heavy, too. But all-in-all, after a year in the Goerge system, which blended his option with the passing game Woodbridge had before his arrival, there’s plenty of talent in the program, it’s just a matter of identifying it and putting the pieces in the right spot. A successful year for the Barrons will be one of the more challenging, and potentially rewarding seasons, for Goerge if they can make it happen.