Tag: New Brunswick

by Mike Pavlichko

Gill St. Bernard’s heads first CJSR Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

In the first Central Jersey Sports Radio preseason boys’ basketball rankings, Gill St. Bernard’s young but talented group takes the top nod.

Following are the full preseason rankings, with each team followed by last year’s record and postseason achievements:

  1. Gill St. Bernard’s (20-8, Non-Public North B runner-up)
  2. St. Thomas Aquinas (23-5, GMC Tournament champions)
  3. Rutgers Prep (27-2, SCT champions, Non-Public South B runner-up)
  4. Watchung Hills (25-5, SCT runner-up, North 2-Group 4 runner-up)
  5. South Brunswick (25-5, GMC Tournament runner-up, Central-Group 4 champions)
  6. Colonia (22-7, North 2-Group 3 finals)
  7. St. Joseph-Metuchen (19-9)
  8. Bound Brook (25-2, Central-Group 1 runner-up)
  9. Somerville (21-7)
  10. Dunellen (25-2, North 1-Group 1 runner-up)

Also receiving consideration: New Brunswick (20-8)

by Mike Pavlichko

Woodbridge takes sole possession of top spot in CJ Sports Radio Top Ten

Though they’ve only played one game, the Woodbridge Barrons sit alone atop the Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten.

Woodbridge shared the No. 1 position in the preseason and a week ago with Union, but took over on their own after the Farmers were knocked off by unranked Bridgewater-Raritan, which jumped into the poll at No. 5. The Barrons were dominant in a 34-0 win at in-town rival Colonia.

It was a tumultuous week in the Big Central Football Conference, as none of the ten teams in the Week 1 rankings retained the same spot in Week 2.

North Brunswick also entered the rankings after a win over No. 8 New Brunswick, 28-7.

Below are the Week 2 rankings.

This post has been updated to reflect Cranford and South Brunswick also receiving votes.

by Mike Pavlichko

Union, Woodbridge share No. 1 again in Week One Top 10

Just as in the preseason Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten, Union and Woodbridge share the top spot.

Both teams were affected by COVID cancellations in Week One, but only the Farmers were able to play. Westfield’s program shutdown happened far enough in advance that Union was able to find an opponent; they traveled to Eastern down in South Jersey and won 39-15.

Linden, however, cancelled on Union in the middle of the week, too late for the Barrons to find a replacement game. Woodbridge will open at Colonia Friday night.

Below is the Week One Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Woodbridge, Union share top pick in preseason CJSR poll

The first preseason Top Ten in Central Jersey Sports Radio history will be marked by a split decision.

Woodbridge and Union each got a Number One vote from Mike Pavlichko – who picked the Barrons – and Dom Savino – who tabbed the Farmers.

Woodbridge – GMC Blue Division Champions in the league’s football swan song – finished 2019 with a 10-1 mark, setting a school record for victories, and making it to the North Group 1 Final, the Barrons first appearance in a championship game since they won a state title in 1997.

Union won its first state crown since 1993, taking the North 2 Group 5 title, and won the final Mountain Division Championship in the now-defunct Mid-State conference.

Following are the Preseason Rankings, with teams followed by last year’s record. First place votes are also marked.

1t. Woodbridge, 1 (10-1)
1t. Union, 1 (12-1)
3. Somerville (10-2)
4. St. Joseph-Metuchen (8-2)
5. Phillipsburg (8-3)
6. Hillside (13-0)
7. Watchung Hills (5-5)
8. Hillsborough (8-3)
9. New Brunswick (0-9)
10. Old Bridge (8-1)

ARV: Summit (6-3)

by Mike Pavlichko

COVID takes some lustre off Big Central’s inaugural season

by Mike Pavlichko

There were supposed to be some highly intriguing matchups in 2020.

That was the promise of the Big Central Football Conference, the long awaited merger that follows the trend around the rest of the Garden State: large superconferences swallowing up smaller ones and encompassing large swaths of New Jersey.

The Big Central gives us 60 teams that used to be in the Greater Middlesex and Mid State Conferences.

The names had a nice ring to them. The GMC will survive in all sports besides football. The Mid-State also was a football-only league, as Hunterdon, Warren and Union Counties make up the Skyland Conference in other sports.

Continue reading “COVID takes some lustre off Big Central’s inaugural season” →