St. Thomas Aquinas holds the Big Central Conference record for most consecutive league wins with 35, a streak that was snapped last season. That put Bernards in the catbird’s seat, and they entered 2026 just three wins away from tying that mark.
But the Mountaineers’ streak came to an end Friday, as Bernards dropped to 0-2 on the season, dropping their league opener at home, 31-24 to Cranford.
Of the top four active league win streaks, two came to and end this past weekend. Besides Bernards, Manville had a 12-game league stretch going, but the Mustangs lost their 2026 BCC opener as well, falling by a field goal at Brearley on Friday night, 21-18.
So who does that leave next?
New Providence now owns the league’s best current streak with 15 straight wins. They’re 1-0 this year, opening the season in fine form Thursday night, with a 27-7 home win over Voorhees, the first win for new head coach Anthony Conzentino. He took over for Chet Parelvecchio, Jr., who’s now the Defensive Coordinator at Delbarton. New Providence will look to extend that streak Thursday when they visit Johnson at 7 pm.
Next up is St. Joseph-Metuchen. The second-ranked Falcons have won nine-in-a-row, dating back to the start of last season, when they won all eight of their league contests. St. Joe’s will put that streak on the line Friday afternoon at 4 pm when they visit Gary Kehler Stadium in Westfield to take on the Blue Devils.
State leaders all from down South…
Around the state, Glassboro and Washington Township have the top two overall winning streaks, with no one else even close; that’s because they were thew only two non-Ivy teams (Super Football Conference squads with a “relief” schedule who are ineligible for the playoffs) to finish last year entirely undefeated.
Glassboro has won 29 straight; the Bulldogs are the two-time defending state Group 1 champions, and finished 13-0 in 2024, then 14-0 last year. They are off to a 2-0 start this season, their most recent win coming Friday at Mainland, 38-6. This week, they host Winslow at 6 pm Friday. The Eagles have won two straight state Group 4 titles, and 15 straight games, including their last 13 last season, and their first two this year, over Neptune and defending South Jersey Group 5 champion Kingsway.
In the regular season, Glassboro has won 21 straight – the best streak in the state – while Washington Township has won 13 regular season contests in a row.
As for losses…
The state’s longest active skid currently belongs to Dunellen, which will try and break it Friday when the Destroyers host Belvidere. Longtime mentor Dave DeNapoli stepped down after the 2024 season, and Phlip McGuane came in to take over, while also becoming the new AD in the middle of the school year. That turned out to be a transition year for football, with Kyle Baach becoming the head coach this off-season.
Dunellen dropped its opener at JP Stevens, 12-7, and they will have some opportunities to get off the schneid this season if they can develop what has always been a small group. Their last win came on October 19, 2023, a 34-28 win at Columbia Park over Brearley.
After that, it’s Orange and West Windsor-Plainsboro at 16, but the next two teams both snapped their skids last week. Long Branch had lost 14 straight, but is 1-1 now after a 51-0 win at Keansburg last Thursday. And Paterson Kennedy (an Ivy team) snapped its 13-game losing streak with a season-opening win at Ferris Saturday, 32-6.