Tag: North Plainfield

by Mike Pavlichko

Strong 3rd quarter, Longo’s 20, solid “D” power Monroe past North Plainfield in GMCT round of 16

Even if they had no idea Layla Gutierrez scored 50 points Monday night in a GMC Tournament preliminary round game against New Brunswick, Monroe had every idea of her talents, having split a pair of regular season games against North Plainfield already this year.

And while she finished with 19 Wednesday, Monroe did its job against her all game, throwing double- and triple-teams her way, trapping, and – most importantly – holding her scoreless in the third quarter.

That was the decisive eight minutes in the game, as the seventh-seeded Falcons won the quarter 19-3, and pulled away in the fourth for a 61-43 victory over 10th-seed North Plainfield in the GMCT’s round of 16.

The Falcons (9-10) will move on to Saturday’s quarterfinal round against either second-seed East Brunswick or 18th-seed North Brunswick; that game tips at 6 pm Wednesday in East Brunswick.

Kiera Longo – battling a bit of a bug in the morning – was healthy enough to score 22 points for Monroe to lead all scorers.

In the second quarter, when Monroe actually got the lead back on just the contest’s second lead change, freshman Avery Tanjutco nailed back-to-back threes that not only gave her team the lead for good, but brought the house down, and gave the Falcons some confidence.

Things started out well for Monroe, which jumped out to a 4-0 lead early, but North Plainfield (5-16) went on a 13-2 run to take a seven-point lead, their biggest of the game, and the Canucks were up 13-11 after one.

But Monroe settled in in the second, and led by five at the half before their well-rounded effort in the third quarter helped earn them the win.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with Monroe junior Kiera Longo and head coach Brian Hinz, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Gutierrez knocks down career high 50 for North Plainfield, as Canucks top New Brunswick to advance to GMCT round of 16

Fifty points. Eight treys. A whopping 61-percent from the field.

And yet, her eight assists and three steals may have been just as impressive.

No matter how you slice it, North Plainfield senior Layla Gutierrez had a game for the ages Monday night, scoring 50 in a 79-38 win for the 10th-seeded Canucks over 26-seed New Brunswick in the GMC Tournament’s preliminary round Monday.

The win earns North Plainfield a third chance at Monroe this season, as they will travel to face the 7th-seeded Falcons in the first round/round of 16 Wednesday evening.

It’ll be the rubber match this season, as North Plainfield lost to Monroe 76-47 at home on January sixth, but beat them 44-43 on the road less than two weeks later.

High-scoring games aren’t exactly rare for the four-year varsity starter. Gutierrez scored 42 on January 15th of this year in a 65-54 home win over South Brunswick, in which she also scored her 1,000th point. She’s currently at 1,176.

Click below to hear North Plainfield’s Layla Gutierrez talk about her 50-point game Monday night against New Brunswick in the GMC Tournament with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Manville hangs on for 48-46 win over Highland Park in opening round of Mustangs’ Holiday Tournament, will meet North Plainfield Monday

After a big 15-0 run to break a 26-all tie and end the third quarter, Manville had to sweat one out, as the Mustangs hung on to beat Highland Park 48-46 in the opener of their own holiday tournament Friday afternoon.

Manville (3-2) got 12 points apiece from junior Jonathon Gosk and sophomore Owen Kenyon, the second of whom scored six straight points in that third-quarter run, with and and-one followed by a triple.

The teams played a tight first quarter, with the Owls (2-4) taking a 2-0 lead, but ending the first eight minutes down 12-8. The second quarter saw Highland Park close on a 13-4 run to make it a tie game at 22 at the break.

The second half was back-and-forth early, with the teams trading buckets, and they were knotted up at 26.

Owls head coach Colin Copperthwaite called a time out at that point, with 4:55 to go in the third, just to settle things down a little. But over the next three minutes, the Mustangs went on a 12-0 run to take a 38-26 lead, forcing Highland Park to call another time out. Manville finished the half on a 15-0 run to take a 41-26 lead into the final period.

That’s when Evangelinos Kambitsis came alive, hitting a pair of threes early in the fourth. Cooper Ballentine scored a couple, and all of a sudden, the Owls were within nine. After a three by Ballantine, and another by Kambitsis, Manville’s lead was slashed to three. With the ball, and a minute to go, Highland Park again called time out.

They got a good look at a three but missed, and couldn’t convert on two putbacks. A foul put Manville at the line, where Collin Shimp missed a pair with 25.6 seconds left. The Owls got the rebound, but a pass up the floor went out of bounds on the sideline. Manville got fouled again with 13.4 to go, and this time Josh D’Ambrosio split a pair, making the second, putting them up by four.

But Highland Park couldn’t quickly get a good look, and settled for a late bucket to make it 48-46, as the clock ran out with just a few seconds left, and the Owls out of time outs.

The Manville Holiday Basketball Tournament resumes Tuesday for the boys, with the Consolation Game at 3 pm and the Championship at 7.

The Consolation will feature Dunellen (2-3) and Highland Park, while the Mustangs will meet North Plainfield (1-4). The Canucks got their first win of the season Friday, beating the Destroyers 56-32 behind a game-high 17 points from Cayden Prince. It was a solid defensive effort in the game from North Plainfield, which led 32-11 at the break; the Canucks also hit seven times from beyond the arc.

Click below to hear Manville head coach Bill Rooney talk about the Mustangs’ win over Highland Park with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Group 3 playoff chase: Summit, Somerville hold top-seeds, but nothing’s guaranteed; Cranford sits in the middle of the pack but could move up

Group 3 only finds two teams from the Big Central in playoff contention, although a third may be able to jump into that fray.

There aren’t too many Group 3 schools to begin with, and a couple of teams with 2-3 records sit well outside the playoffs in the North Group 3 supersection. A late run and going 2-1 of either team down the stretch could get Carteret (24th) and North Plainfield (21st) back in the conversation, with South Plainfield at 2-4, but much closer just two spots out of the top 16.

But hold the phone. A fight a couple of weeks ago in a game between Weequahic and Newark West Side resulted in enough disqualifications for both teams that, per NJSIAA rule, neither will be eligible for the postseason.

West Side is 1-5, so it probably won’t change much there, but Weequahic (4-2) sits in ninth, rising this week. They’re out, so that means, the 17 team would get in as of today, that being Snyder (3-2). But South Plainfield sits right behind them, so they’re “technically” just one spot out of the playoffs. And they may not have to worry about the three teams directly behind them either. Besides West Side at 21, Paramus (19) and Parsippany Hills (20) are both 0-6, with three games left each, and there’s a minimum of two wins to get into the postseason.

Table displaying standings and statistics for Group 3 football teams, including wins, losses, ties, playoff averages, and rankings.

The only two Big Central teams in the top 16 here are Summit and Cranford. Summit is the second seed overall in the supersection, and the loss to Somerville Saturday didn’t hurt them much, as the Hilltoppers were 5-0 with a solid OSI value. Should they drop out of the top two, they could shift up to the North 1 section, but if they stay a top-seed they should be in North 2, as they’re one of the more southern teams in the supersection. They’ll have to watch 6-0 West Morris, just 0.6 UPR points behind them

The Cougars sit 12th overall, a spot behind Wayne Hills. But again, as we’ve talked about, with the new system, you need to look at overall UPR rank since geography decides which section the teams are placed in. Wayne Hills is 10th, and Passaic Valley – fourth in North 1 Group 3 – is in fourth. So to jump two teams and get a home game, Cranford would need to get to No. 6 overall, a jump of six places in the top 16.

The saving grace could be if teams North of them get in the playoffs, displacing the southernmost North 1 teams (Cranford and West Essex) which would bump them into North 2. But even that wouldn’t be a guarantee. We think they’ll end up on the road in the first round.

A table displaying the standings for Central Group 3 and South Group 3 high school football teams, including wins, losses, ties, and various rankings.

In the South Group 3 supersection, again just one Big Central team is in the running, with Somerville at 5-1 sitting second overall, and in the top spot in Central Group 3. They’re the northernmost team in the entire section, so as long as the teams don’t change from year to year, they will never be in a “South Jersey” section again.

They’re not locked in though, just 0.4 UPR points ahead of Holmdel (3-2). The Pioneers have North Hunterdon, Plainfield and Watchung Hills left, and Holmdel has Marlboro, Raritan and Middletown North left. Neither team has huge power point or OSI opportunities left, nor is either schedule particularly weak, and even North Hunterdon’s SI – with just one win – is comparable to anyone Holmdel plays.

We think the Pioneers could be good – as long as they keep winning.

by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s 2025 Camp Caravan: Dunellen travels to nearby North Plainfield

Week two of the 2025 Big Central Camp Caravan continued Friday for Central Jersey Sports Radio high school football analyst Marcus Borden. This time, it was a visit to Dunellen, where the Destroyers and first-year head coach Phlip McGuane welcomed in their neighbors from up the road, North Plainfield.

Below is video from the August 22, 2025 scrimmage at Columbia Park in Dunellen:

North Plainfield: Head Coach Derrick Eatman and seniors Alexander Kruszczynski (WR/RB/LB), Jhonnie Parker (MLB/DE), Julius King (WR/DB) and Luis Spagnuolo (RB/LB), as well as sophomore Anthony Costello (WR/DB).

Dunellen: Head Coach Phlip McGuane and seniors Kahbir Casey (FB/LB), Jackson Portik (TE/LB), Devyn DaSailva (HB/SS), Zahmir Dixon (OL/DL) and Jamael Davis (QB).

by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: United Silver Division

Just like the Patriot Silver Division – which we previewed yesterday – the United Silver Division of the Big Central Conference also was defined by parity in 2024, for the most part.

Three teams shared in the division title, going 3-1, led by Governor Livingston, which was 5-5 overall, and should be right in the mix again this year.

South Plainfield has a solid defense, and JFK loses a good deal on defense, but also has much experience back. North Plainfield is coming off a 3-6 season, but also expecting to improve.

New Brunswick is another story, having gone winless in each of the last two seasons. But they have a new coach in Geoffrey Chrisman who seems poised to at least bring a new culture to the program, that hasn’t existed in a long time. The results may or may not show up in wins and losses, but it will be interesting to watch.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Tight United Silver Division could be jam-packed again

Of the five United Gold Division teams in 2024, three of them finished 3-1 in divisional play, a symbol of parity in the group, even though North Plainfield and New Brunswick both struggled overall.

But it was a tight race between Governor Livingston, South Plainfield and JFK, as the three ended up tied for first, with the Highlanders beating the Tigers, the Tigers beating JFK and the Mustangs beating Governor Livingston. Are we having fun yet?

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

Governor Livingston Highlanders (5-5, 3-1, tied for 1st with South Plainfield, JFK in ’24)
Head Coach: Pete Ramiccio (15-15, 4th season)

  • Week 0: Lakeland (Thurs, 4p)
  • Week 1: New Providence (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 2: at JFK* (6p)
  • Week 3: at North Plainfield* (Sat, 12p)
  • Week 4: South Plainfield* (Sat, 6p)
  • Week 5: at Johnson
  • Week 6: Voorhees (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 7: at Bernards
  • Week 8: New Brunswick (Sat, 12p)

It will be quite the challenge making up for some of the Highlanders who graduated this June, including starting QB Lucciano Santamaria (844 yards, 7 TD), runningback Jack Dally (1,195 yards, 15 TD) and their top three receivers, led by Ryan Honey (386 yards, 3 TDs). There’s a little more back on the defensive side, including junior two-way lineman David Dorsett, who logged three sacks and seven TFLs last season, along with two fumble recoveries. Linebacker Max DiDonatto and soph lineman Joey Switlyk could be players to watch as well for GL.

JFK Mustangs (4-6, 3-1, tied for 1st with Governor Livingston, South Plainfield in ’24)
Head Coach: Michael Henderson (7-22, 4th season)

  • Week 0: at Perth Amboy (6p)
  • Week 1: Voorhees (6p)
  • Week 2: Governor Licingston* (6p)
  • Week 3: at New Brunswick*
  • Week 4: Monroe (6p)
  • Week 5: at Scotch Plains-Fanwood
  • Week 6: at North Plainfield*
  • Week 7: Middlesex (6p)
  • Week 8: at South Plainfield* (6p)

Unlike Governor Livingston, the top three offensive returnees are all back for Mike Henderson, and that could make for a fun year in Iselin. QB Richie Trotman threw for 1,297 yards and 17 TDs last season as a junior – but will need to cut down on the picks this year – while top rusher Fieheem Howell, Jr., (1,307 yards, 12 TD) and No. 1 WR Grant Lorentzen (48 catches, 632 yards, 9 TD) also return, as do several key backups. There’s plenty to work with there, but the defense will lose big chunks of numbers, although Jamir Campbell (3.5 sacks, 4 TFLs, 1 INT) could be a big key on that side of the ball. Lorentzen is also a solid kick returner, averaging nearly 25 yards per return last season.

New Brunswick Zebras (0-9, 0-4, 5th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Geoffrey Chrisman (first season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: at Plainfield
  • Week 2: at Scotch Plains-Fanwood
  • Week 3: JFK* (6p)
  • Week 4: North Plainfield* (6p)
  • Week 5: at Carteret
  • Week 6: South Plainfield* (6p)
  • Week 7: Rahway (Sat, 12p)
  • Week 8: at Governor Livingston* (Sat, 12p)

The results have not been good for Zebras football in many years, and in the last two seasons under Steve Gluchowski, scoring just 33 points in 2023, 32 last season, and going a combined 0-18. The program is lacking numbers, and now it’ll be Geoffrey Chrisman’s turn to try and fix it. Chrisman, whose joined the district as a teacher for 2024-25, but hasn’t coached football since 2019, when he was an assistant at North Hunterdon. His biggest job? Finding kids in the halls to play football for a Group 5 school whose numbers look more like a small Group 1.

North Plainfield Canucks (3-6, 1-3, 4th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Derrick Eatman (5-24, 4th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: Belvidere (6p)
  • Week 2: at South Plainfield*
  • Week 3: Governor Livingston* (Sat, 12p)
  • Week 4: at New Brunswick* (6p)
  • Week 5: at Voorhees (6p)
  • Week 6: JFK* (6p)
  • Week 7: Johnson
  • Week 8: at Metuchen

All three QBs the Canucks played last year are graduating, including Mohammad Ahsan, who threw for just under 600 yards. North Plainfield struggled to put up points against good teams last season, and they’ll do the same this year unless some new talent emerges. Senior RB Aaron Potts (913 yards, 14 TD) is gone to graduation, too. The defense will have to shore up as wel, allowing 35 points or more in five of their six losses.

South Plainfield Tigers (5-5, 3-4, tied for first with Governor Livingston, JFK)
Head Coach: Bill Hamilton (19-20), 5th season)

  • Week 0: at East Brunswick (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 1: at Delaware Valley
  • Week 2: North Plainfield* (6p)
  • Week 3: at Cranford
  • Week 4: at Governor Livingston (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 5: Bernards (6p)
  • Week 6: at New Brunswick (6p)
  • Week 7: South River (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 8: JFK* (6p)

If the Tigers can start 2025 the same way they finished 2024 – with four straight wins – or anything close to it, they’ll compete for a division title. Senior QB Ryan Balent is gone, and returnee Jordan Magazine only threw one pass last year as a sophomore. The good news is that he, or whoever else Coach Hamilton goes with, will have Dom Massarro back to run the ball; he went for 1,049 yards last year on 105 carries and scored nine touchdowns, while Jaydon Jones also returns after a sophomore year rushing for 543 yards and four scores, while junior King Hills went for 504 and two scores. That’s more than 2,000 rush yards back from a team that ran for over 2,700 last season. The defense has some standouts back, too. Massari had two INTs, one for a touchdown, while junior Erick Hernandez (4 TFLs, 1 fumble recovery) and Kaydin Daniel (4 TFLs) could be players to watch.

by Mike Pavlichko

Mostly routs as all higher seeds win in GMC Muldowney Championship play-ins; First Round tourney matchups set for Monday

The full first round of the Greater Middlesex Conference Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament is set, as South River, Perth Amboy, North Plainfield, and Metuchen moved on with play-in round wins on Saturday afternoon.

Monday’s first round will feature all 16 remaining teams, with the winners moving on to Wednesday’s Quarterfinals at North Brunswick Community Park, where Central Jersey Sports Radio will have full coverage including play-by-play of two of those games.

(16) South River 13, (17) South Brunswick 1 (5 inn.)

Julius Rosado got the nod and went the distance, allowing just one hit and striking out eleven en route to a ten-run rule, five-inning win. Rosado also was two-for-three with two RBIs as the Rams worked out eleven walks against Viking pitchers. All but one South River batter scored a run in the game and four scored twice in two big innings; the Rams got seven across in the second and four in the sixth after South Brunswick got its only run in the top of the inning.

South River (13-5) now has won five straight and moves on to play at top-seed and Red Division champion Woodbridge Monday afternoon at 4:15. South Brunswick falls to 3-16.

(13) Metuchen 13, (20) South Amboy 0 (5 inn.)

The Bulldogs scored in all four innings in which they hit in a mercy rule-shortened game, getting one in the first and exploding for an eight-spot in the second before plating two more runs each in the third and fourth en route to the shutout. Junior Lucas Malamung went the distance in the win, scattering five hits and striking out six. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate, knocking in three runs, including a two-run single in the big second inning.

South Amboy fall to 5-12. Metuchen (14-6) snaps a three-game skid with the win, and moves on to visit four-seed East Brunswick Monday at 4:15 pm.

(14) North Plainfield 2, (19) JFK 0

The Canucks scrambled for one run apiece in the third and sixth innings to claw out a home win over the Mustangs at Krausche Field. Tommy Zotollo drove in the first run with a two-out double, scoring Victor Ceda, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. The insurance run came in the sixth on an Iam Lameira double, scoring Zotollo. Meanwhile, starter Bennie Sokolowski went the distance, allowing just three hits in seven innings of work, striking out 12 in a whitewash of the Mustangs, who fall to 9-9.

North Plainfield (12-5) moves on to play at third-seed St. Thomas Aquinas in North Edison Monday at 4:00 Monday afternoon.

(15) Perth Amboy 10, (18) Carteret 0

The Panthers blew up for five runs in the second, for more in the fourth, and one more to walk it off in the sixth with a ten-run rule win over the Ramblers. Chris Rodriguez, Yendy Tomas each knocked in two runs for Perth Amboy, with Rodriguez going 4-for-4. Justin Foy threw six solid innings, needing only 78 pitches to get the win, striking out nine while walking none.

Carteret drops to 8-9 on the season. Perth Amboy (5-1) will visit second-seed South Plainfield Monday afternoon a 4:00.

Here’s the full schedule of First Round games Monday in the GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament:

  • (16) South River at (1) Woodbridge, 4:15
  • (9) Monroe at (8) Spotswood, 4:00
  • (12) Sayreville at (5) St. Joseph-Metuchen, 4:00
  • (13) Metuchen at (4) East Brunswick, 4:15
  • (14) North Plainfield at (3) St. Thomas Aquinas, 4:00
  • (11) Edison at (6) Old Bridge, 4:00
  • (10) Middlesex at (7) Colonia, 4:00
  • (15) Perth Amboy at (2) South Plainfield, 4:00

by Mike Pavlichko

GMC Jim Muldowney Tournament Play-In Round Preview: Four games on tap Saturday

With the Greater Middlesex Conference seeding the Jim Muldowney Championship and Ray Cipperly Invitational on Friday – with Woodbridge getting the overall top seed – the Championship tourney will get underway Saturday with the play-in round, while the Invitational will kick off on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at the four Saturday games in the Championship bracket, including a look ahead to who’s next. Scroll to the end for the first round Invitational matchups.

(17) South Brunswick (3-15) at (16) South River (12-5), 12 pm: This is the type of game that’s impossible to pick, a double-digit team from the Blue Division against a Red Division team with just three overall wins, and one in its own division. The Red has been competitive just about from top-to-bottom, with six of the eight teams cracking the ten-win mark, and besides South Brunswick, Monroe has eight victories. So, it’s tough to tell. Couple that with the fact that the Rams have one of the top pitchers in the league in Julius Rosado, who will be playing not far away at Rutgers next Spring. Does Mike Lepore throw him Saturday, since you have to win that game to advance? Does he save him for Monday’s first round against top-seed and GMC Red champion Woodbridge – in which he would give the South River a fighting chance – but risk not getting a win Saturday, leaving him on the table? Or does he start him, cap him at 50 pitches, allowing him to only take one-day rest, leaving him with 90 against the Barrons? Rosado has only thrown 90 or more pitches once this year, in a 4-3 win over JP Stevens on April 23rd, and he hasn’t thrown more than 25 in four appearances since. Maybe this is what they’ve been saving him for? The Vikings have struggled at the plate, hitting just .227 on the season, and only Timothy Christian (21) has scored fewer runs that South Brunswick, which has 49, as does North Brunswick (2-13). The winner travels to face the Barrons Monday.

(19) JFK (9-8) at (14) North Plainfield (10-5), 12 pm: Here’s two teams more on a par with each other in an all-Blue Division matchup. And this one could be a toss-up. Kennedy gotten some good pitching, but little run support. The workloads have gone to junior Myles Ulaky (1.83 ERA) and Grant Lorentzen, who has allowed just one earned run, four overall, all season in 36 1/3 innings pitched for a barely-noticeable 0.19 ERA. North Plainfield is on its first losing streak of the year – just two games – showing how solid a season they’ve had. The Canucks have gotten decent pitching – with a team ERA of just 2.23 – but they’re hitting just .204 on the year, with no single player batting better than .300 on the season. The winner goes to GMC White champ and third-seed St. Thomas Aquinas Monday.

(18) Carteret (8-8) at (15) Perth Amboy (4-10), 12 pm: Is the fact that the Panthers have just four wins in the white and the Ramblers eight wins in the Blue an equalizer? Sometimes, when comparing teams from different divisions, the GMC seeding committee considers what one team might do in the other division. Add in that this is a classic rivalry – their all-time football series having been the longest running in Middlesex County – and this should be a good one. Perth Amboy comes in strong. After a 3-10 start, the Panthers have won three straight: two over North Brunswick and one over South Brunswick. They scored just 12 runs on that eight game skid, but have scored an average of ten over the last three games, hitting .337 in that span. And it doesn’t matter the opponent, baseball people know hitting is contagious. Yet, the Ramblers will be a tougher opponent. Winners of five of their last seven, Carteret is hitting a healthy .283 and led by senior Eric Thompson, batting .370, while Joneil Martinez has knocked in a team-best 12 runs and is hitting .345 on the year. The winner goes to No. 2 South Plainfield Monday.

(20) South Amboy (5-11) at (13) Metuchen (13-6), 2 pm: It’s an all-Blue Division matchup between the sixth-place Governors and the pennant-winning Bulldogs. South Amboy is hitting .278 as a team, led by senior Benjamin Smith, batting .434, tied for a team-high in RBIs with Jeremy Vasquez, who also has five of the Guvs’ seven home runs. Pitching has been an issue, with a team ERA just over six, and no single pitcher lower than a 4.43 ERA. Metuchen is an interesting story. They were 11-2 before May first, but have lost four of their last five and three straight, although two of those losses came to Red Division foes in Edison (a 4-3 loss) and Monroe (a 7-2 defeat). Metuchen is the beat-hitting team of the eight in the play-in round (as well as the highest-seeded, so maybe they should be?) and has just a 2.62 team ERA, with a number of options to choose from on a staff that doesn’t have a single senior and is dominated by juniors. The winner gets four-seed East Brunswick on the road Monday.

GMC RAY CIPPERLY INVITATIONAL – 1st ROUND
TUESDAY, MAY 13

  • (9) Highland Park (3-13) at (8) Piscataway Magnet (8-8), 4 pm (Winner at (1) JP Stevens on Thursday)
  • (11) Timothy Christian (0-11) at (6) Dunellen (12-6), 4 pm (Winner at (3) East Brunswick Magnet on Thursday)
  • (10) Perth Amboy Magnet (3-11) at (7) Somerset Tech (7-6), 4 om (Winner at (2) North Brunswick on Thursday)
by Mike Pavlichko

Power Points Analysis: South, North Plainfield and Colonia still bunched up at the top of North 2, Group 3 standings

We’re exactly two weeks from the NJSIAA cutoff for the state playoffs – May 17th – and teams across the area continue to jockey for position in the standings. Here’s a closer look beyond the numbers at where teams stand and what their chances are, based on NJ.com’s official standings as of games played on May 2nd. For a full explanation of the new power point formula, click here.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: The same three teams that headed up this section last week are exactly where we left them standings-wise, but the lead is a little slimmer now. South Plainfield (12-5, 22.028) is first, while neighboring North Plainfield (10-4, 21.477) is second and Colonia (11-3, 21.038) is third. That’s 0.99 points separating the three, whereas last week the margin between them was a shade under four. All three are going to have to keep winning these final two weeks, and all would seem to have a shot at the top overall seed, plus the fourth-place team, Millburn, which is just 7-8, but has 20.778 power points.

One of the big developments here is that JFK made a big jump this week, despite just going 2-2 since our last update. Now 8-5 (17.754), the Mustangs jumped from seventh to fifth place, and while they’re a tinge more than three points out of the top four, they’d have to go on some kind of win streak to crack that group. And yet, they’re actually closer to falling out of the top eight than they are to making the top four. That’s because Somerville (7-6, 16.193) is about 1.6 points away, and still in ninth. They have a good shot to make the top eight if they finish strong.

The other big mover is Carteret, which soared from eleventh to seventh place this week, again, even on just a 2-2 week. The Ramblers are 7-9 with 16.46 points, but still could fall back to the bottom eight, so they also might need to finish strong to stay there.