Saturday was a busy day in the Big Central Conference, with seven games on tap, but in particular for Belvidere and Dayton.

The two played a 10 am game out in Warren County this morning, and by the time they were done, it was well into the afternoon. That’s because an 8-8 game at the end of regulation went to three overtimes, with the Bulldogs eventually winning, 17-11.

Belvidere scored in the first quarter on a ten-yard TD pass hookup from Jake Enderley to Chris Vannata., and a two-point conversion run by Geoffrey Young. The rest of the half was scoreless, but the Bulldogs tied it at 8-8 with a 32-yard hookup from Adrian Bernknopf to Jackson Babiarz – plus a two-point conversion from the QB.

Regulation would end 8-8, and even the first overtime saw now scoring. In the second, Pedro Isaque Dos Santos kicked a 32-yard field goal for Belvidere, while Dayton matched with a 17-yard field goal from Babiarz.

In the third overtime, Chidiogo Iherobiem caught a ten-yard touchdown pass, but the two-point try failed. The defense saved the day, keeping Belvidere off the board, as the defense knocked down a last-ditch fourth-down pass into the end zone.

Dayton is now 4-1, off to its best start since a -2 season in 2010 under Joe Goerge, just the fifth year of the program that he resurrected, with its first varsity season in 2006. That year, the Bulldogs dropped the opener, but won nine straight, falling in the second round of the North 2, Group 3 playoffs to Lincoln, and finished 9-2.

The Bulldogs – who have made six playoff appearances in their history – were 21st in the North 2, Group 2 playoff standings heading into the weekend. They’ll close with Spotswood at home next week, then at Dunellen, and home to Brearley as they seek their first playoff berth since 2012. The top 16 teams in each supersection qualify for the playoffs.

Here’s a look at the Saturday scoreboard in the Big Central Conference, with links to individual game stories on Somerville-Summit and Hillsborough-Westfield:

• No. 5 Somerville 41, Summit 20 (game story with audio)
• Hillsborough 42, Westfield 21 (coverage by Mike Pavlichko)
• Ridge 24, Union 13
• Manville 41, JP Stevens 12
• Dayton 17, Belvidere 11 (3 OT)
• Delaware Valley 43, South River 13
• Hillside 20, Roselle 18

Here’s a look back at the Friday evening scoreboard from the Big Central for Week Four, with links to individual game stories:

• No. 1 Phillipsburg 24, West Orange 20
• No. 2 Woodbridge 41, Perth Amboy 0
• Paramus Catholic 42, No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas 14
• No. 4 Bernards 7, South Plainfield 0
• No. 6 St. Joseph-Metuchen 42, North Brunswick 7
• No. 8 Sayreville 42, No. 7 Piscataway 24 (Recap with audio)
• No. 9 Montgomery 22, Linden 16
• No. 10(t) Bridgewater-Raritan 34, Elizabeth 23
• No. 10(t) Old Bridge 24, Morristown 0
• New Providence 46, Middlesex 7
• Voorhees 41, North Plainfield 13
• Spotswood 36, Bound Brook 7
• Metuchen 36, Highland Park 13
• Watchung Hills 20, South Brunswick 15
• Plainfield 34, Franklin 8
• North Hunterdon 30, Monroe 12
• Colonia 21, Edison 0
• Hunterdon Central 28, East Brunswick 7
• Johnson 21, Governor Livingston 20 (OT)
• Carteret 45, New Brunswick 0
• Cranford 43, Rahway 41
• JFK 33, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 14
• Brearley 21, South Hunterdon 0 (Coverage from Marcus Borden)
• Roselle Park 50, Dunellen 8

Top-ranked Phillipsburg was among eight Big Central Conference teams in action Friday night, and all eight of them won, with two more – Summit and Manville – in action Saturday afternoon.

The Stateliners, along with Bernards, St. Joseph-Metuchen, Sayreville, Woodbridge, Spotswood and New Providence, all remain perfect heading into Week Six play next week, with just three games left before the NJSIAA’s Cutoff Weekend.

Stateliners win tight contest with West Orange…

It was a rare mid-season non-conference game for No. 1 Phillipsburg (5-0), which topped West Orange (4-2) at home, 24-20, for the program’s 753rd win all-time.

Down three in the fourth quarter at Maloney Stadium, the Stateliners went 68 yards on 16 plays – 15 of them on the ground – and went ahead for good with 6:19 left on a two-yard run by Shane Moore. Ziyahn McGurn and Sam Dech also scored touchdown runs, while Alexie Moriera kicked a 31-yard field goal after missing a 46-yarder where a personal foul on the Mountaineers moved them 15 yards closer and gave him another shot.

Click below for postgame reaction from Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Metuchen takes rivalry game with Highland Park…

The Bulldogs won their eighth straight in their longstanding series with Highland Park Friday night, a 36-13 victory where Metuchen pulled away in the second half. They still trail the series 61-27-1, but the victory tied the longest win streak in the series, which Highland Park has done twice, from 1958-1965 and 1973-1980. The series started in 1937 and is one of the oldest in New Jersey.

With a 13-7 lead at the half, the Bulldogs controlled the game after the break, outscoring the Owls 23-6.

QB Cam Hayes-Durina had himself a night, going 20 of 26 passing for 366 yards and three touchdowns, while Justus Leitner 8 catches for 197 yards and a score.

Click below for postgame reaction from Metuchen head coach Jordan Leitner with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Bernards survives scare…

Even after losing senior defensive end and all-time school sack leader Thomas Deimar to a season-ending knee injury in Game Three, Bernards has been able to maintain. They got a 31-21 win at Voorhees the next game, then beat JP Stevens 39-0 at home the following week.

But Friday night, a trip to South Plainfield – a gritty, blue-collar team – almost derailed them. But almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

And it was another injury that set up the Mountaineers to start a freshman quarterback in a game for the first time in 50 years, according to head coach Jon Simoneau, who says he scoured the building and talked to everyone to find out the last time it happened.

No. 1 QB Nolan Walsh injured his ankle last week in the first half against JP Stevens, sending ninth-grade A.J. MacKracken in, and he threw a touchdown pass in the win.

This week, he threw one they really needed: a four-yarder to Ricky Giebel on the second possession of the game, to give his team a 7-0 lead that would hold all the way to the final horn.

South Plainfield ran the ball, ran it more, and ran it some more, keeping it in the sure hands of Dominic Massaro. Simoneau says – without looking at the official numbers – his team probably ran about 19 plays, as the Tigers’ strategy was to keep the ball away from the Mountaineers.

It nearly worked.

But in the end, Bernards extended its state-best winning streak to 31 games, and its second-best Big Central win streak to 29 games, while improving to 5-0 on the season ahead of a visit to undefeated Summit (which plays Somerville Saturday this week) next weekend.

Other notes…

• North Hunterdon got its first win of the season, beating Monroe on the road, 29-21. The Lions had lost their first five games, but broke through Friday night ahead of a home game with Somerville next Friday in Annandale.
• Wins by No. 1 Phillipsburg and No. 6 St. Joseph will set up a battle of unbeatens next Saturday in Metuchen, our Saturday “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with kickoff from Brenner Family Field set for 1 pm. The two met last year on CJSR this same week, with the Stateliners 4-1 and the Falcons 5-0. Phillipsburg won that game and went on to win the North 2, Group 4 title, going all the way to the Group 4 final, while St. Joe’s lost its next four after that.
• Hunterdon Central‘s win over East Brunswick gave the Red Devils a two-game win streak, following losses to Phillipsburg and Bridgewater-Raritan, back-to-back. They visit Ridge next Friday in their final regular season road game, before finishing at home with Old Bridge and Hillsborough.
• Montgomery‘s win over Linden will set up a big clash next Saturday, as the Cougars will host No., 2 and 6-0 Woodbridge Friday night. That could be the biggest game in the Big Central on Friday night in Week Six.

Here’s the Friday evening scoreboard from the Big Central for Week Three, with links to individual game stories:

• No. 1 Phillipsburg 24, West Orange 20
• No. 2 Woodbridge 41, Perth Amboy 0
• Paramus Catholic 42, No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas 14
• No. 4 Bernards 7, South Plainfield 0
• No. 6 St. Joseph-Metuchen 42, North Brunswick 7
• No. 8 Sayreville 42, No. 7 Piscataway 24 (Recap with audio)
• No. 9 Montgomery 22, Linden 16
• No. 10(t) Bridgewater-Raritan 34, Elizabeth 23
• No. 10(t) Old Bridge 24, Morristown 0
• New Providence 46, Middlesex 7
• Voorhees 41, North Plainfield 13
• Spotswood 36, Bound Brook 7
• Metuchen 36, Highland Park 13
• Watchung Hills 20, South Brunswick 15
• Plainfield 34, Franklin 8
• North Hunterdon 30, Monroe 12
• Colonia 21, Edison 0
• Hunterdon Central 28, East Brunswick 7
• Johnson 21, Governor Livingston 20 (OT)
• Carteret 45, New Brunswick 0
• Cranford 43, Rahway 41
• JFK 33, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 14
• Brearley 21, South Hunterdon 0 (Coverage from Marcus Borden)
• Roselle Park 50, Dunellen 8

Here’s a look at Saturday’s Big Central Conference slate:

• Dayton at Belvidere, 10 am
• Delaware Valley at South River, 1 pm
• No. 5 Somerville at Summit, 2 pm
• Hillsborough at Westfield, 2 pm (follow CJSR for updates on Twitter)
• Ridge at Union, 2 pm
• Hillside at Roselle, 2 pm
• Manville at JP Stevens, 3 pm

Saturday saw a light schedule in the Big Central Conference, with just three teams in action in two games, and only one of them in New Jersey.

Dayton’s best start in a long time…

Dayton ran past South River, 42-7, in Union County Saturday afternoon, moving the Bulldogs to 3-1. It’s their best start in 14 years, since they went 3-1 to begin 2011, dropping the season opener to New Providence, but winning their next three games over Bound Brook, Brearley, and Roselle Park.

That was Year Six under Joe Goerge, who resurrected the Dayton varsity program in 2006, and followed a 2009 season that was their best, at 9-2. The 2011 team went 5-5. Dayton will visit Belvidere (2-3) next Friday night.

South River drops to 0-5 and will host Delaware Valley (3-2) next Saturday.

Plainfield drops game out of state…

The Cardinals fell to Haverford (PA) 4-25 on the road Saturday afternoon, dropping them to 2-3 on the season. They’re back in action at Hub Stine Field next Friday night when Franklin (3-2) comes to town. The Warriors are fresh off a thrilling 33-28 win at Edison where junior quarterback Jah’naad Cady scored from seven yards out as time expired to pull off the win.

Here’s a look back at the Friday evening scoreboard from the Big Central for Week Four, with links to individual game stories:

• No. 1 Phillipsburg 59, Hillsborough 20
• No. 2 Woodbridge 27, Linden 20
• No. 3 Bernards 39, JP Stevens 0
• No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas 35, Elizabeth 21 (Coverage from Marcus Borden)
• No. 5 Somerville 21, Hillside 7
• Ridge 33, No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan 14 (Game Recap)
• No. 7 Piscataway 28, South Brunswick 0
• No. 8 St. Joseph-Metuchen 24, Westfield 0
• No. 9 Sayreville 46, North Brunswick 7
• No. 10(t) Montgomery 36, Watchung Hills 7
• No. 10(t) Old Bridge 48, East Brunswick 0
• North Plainfield 35, New Brunswick 0
• JFK 32, Monroe 13
• Brearley 17, Roselle Park 7
• Colonia 49, Perth Amboy 18
• New Providence 41, Roselle 6
• Johnson 14, Metuchen 7
• Middlesex 44, Dunellen 8
• Franklin 33, Edison 28 (Game Recap)
• Scotch Plains-Fanwood 39, Carteret 48
• Bound Brook 28, Belvidere 27
• Rahway 33, North Hunterdon 0
• Voorhees 21, Delaware Valley 12
• Hunterdon Central 28, Union 14
• Governor Livingston 12, South Plainfield 9
• Manville 49, South Hunterdon 12
• Summit 24, Cranford 19

It was nearly a perfect 10-for-10 for the Big Central Conference teams that entered Week 4 undefeated.

Spotswood kicked things off in fine fashion with a solid 34-3 win over a good Highland Park team Thursday night, behind 108 rushing yards from Sebastian “Sebby” Saracino, and two TD runs from Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage, who also scored on defense with a pick-six.

Friday night, the remaining nine unbeaten teams played, and eight remain undefeated. But No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan – playing without senior QB Declan Kurdyla, out at least three weeks with a knee sprain – lost 33-14 at Ridge. The Red Devils are now 2-2, with both losses coming to undefeated Phillipsburg and St. Joe’s.

Otherwise, the rest – No. 1 Phillipsburg, No. 2 Woodbridge, No. 3 Bernards, No. 8 St. Joseph-Metuchen, No. 9 Sayreville, along with Manville, Summit and New Providence – all won Friday night to keep their unblemished records.

Wild one in Edison…

This one had a little bit for everyone. Double fumbles, interceptions, penalties on PATs. you name it, it happened in Edison, where Franklin won a wild one 33-28 as time expired on a seven-yard run by QB Jah’naad Cady.

No one ever led by more than a touchdown, and a raucous crowd saw two touchdowns in the final minute, one which put Edison ahead by one, and the final one which sent the visitors back to Somerset County at 3-2, ahead of a second straight road game, next week at Plainfield.

Brearley goes back-to-back…

Last week, the Bears snapped a 14-game skid with a win over Highland Park. Friday night, Brearley (2-3) got a 30-yard field goal from Chris Miserendino, an 85-yard kickoff reurn for a score from Monroe Passmore, and a 57-yard touchdown run from Matthew Resende en route to a 17-7 win over Roselle Park (2-2). It was the first time they’d won back to back games since 2023 under previous head coach Allen Phillips.

Bound Brook does it again…

How about those Crusaders? They are now 4-1 for the first time since 2020 after a 28-27 win over Belvidere at LaMonte Field. John Archer had an 18- and a one-yard touchodwn run, while Dorian Roundtree caught a 90-yard touchdown pass from John Archer and Zahmir Moore fell on a fumble in the end zone for another TD.

But next up are three straight road games for the Ghosts, who visit Spotswood (5-0) next week, followed by trips to Middlesex and New Providence before closing out against Manville at home. The Chargers, Pioneers and Manville all are unbeaten this season.

Here’s the Friday evening scoreboard from the Big Central for Week Three, with links to individual game stories:

• No. 1 Phillipsburg 59, Hillsborough 20
• No. 2 Woodbridge 27, Linden 20
• No. 3 Bernards 39, JP Stevens 0
• No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas 35, Elizabeth 21 (Coverage from Marcus Borden)
• No. 5 Somerville 21, Hillside 7
• Ridge 33, No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan 14 (Game Recap)
• No. 7 Piscataway 28, South Brunswick 0
• No. 8 St. Joseph-Metuchen 24, Westfield 0
• No. 9 Sayreville 46, North Brunswick 7
• No. 10(t) Montgomery 36, Watchung Hills 7
• No. 10(t) Old Bridge 48, East Brunswick 0
• North Plainfield 35, New Brunswick 0
• JFK 32, Monroe 13
• Brearley 17, Roselle Park 7
• Colonia 49, Perth Amboy 18
• New Providence 41, Roselle 6
• Johnson 14, Metuchen 7
• Middlesex 44, Dunellen 8
• Franklin 33, Edison 28 (Game Recap)
• Scotch Plains-Fanwood 39, Carteret 48
• Bound Brook 28, Belvidere 27
• Rahway 33, North Hunterdon 0
• Voorhees 21, Delaware Valley 12
• Hunterdon Central 28, Union 14
• Governor Livingston 12, South Plainfield 9
• Manville 49, South Hunterdon 12
• Summit 24, Cranford 19

Here’s a look at a light Saturday schedule in the Big Central:

• South River at Dayton, 1 pm
• Plainfield at Haverford (PA), 1 pm

With eight games on the Saturday slate in the Big Central, there was plenty of football to take on in a beautiful day in Central Jersey, and they made the most of it.

Three teams remained undefeated with wins, including New Providence and No. 9 St. Joseph of Metuchen, both now 3-0, while Spotswood cruised past South River on the road to improve to 4-0 on the season.

No. 9 Piscataway put together what might have been the most impressive win of the day, beating Ridgewood 16-8 at home. The Chiefs – whose defense has been up-and-down much of the year, but also knocked off No. 6 Old Bridge last week – faced Ridgewood and their difficult-to-defend Wing-T attack. But Piscataway allowed them just a single touchdown and two-point conversion in a 16-8 win. In the fourth quarter, they came up with a red zone stop, held the ball for seven minutes, landed a punt inside the one, then got a safety to cap the win, recovered the free kick, got a first down, and kneeled the rest out.

Falcons continue to fly…

Senior quarterback Justin Scaramuzzo scored four times – all on one-yard touchdown runs- and threw another to Reggie Bropleh as No. 9 St. Joseph beat Elizabeth 41-20 Saturday afternoon at Brenner Family Field in Metuchen.

The Falcons never trailed in this one, jumping out to a 14-0 lead, but found themselves locked in a 20-20 game after A’rique Fleming threw touchdown passes for 40 yards to Qua-Yon Williams and 30 yards to his twin brother Quameen. But Joe’s took the lead right back on reggie Bropleh’s 36-yard TD reception and the third score of the day from Scaramuzzo. Leading 34-20 heading into the fourth, Scaramuzzo added one more touchdown for insurance it turned out the Falcons would never need.

Now 3-0 on the season, St. Joseph will host Westfield (2-2) next week, while Elizabeth falls to 2-2 and will visit No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1) Friday night.

More undefeated teams…

Spotswood and New Providence also kept their perfect seasons going as we approach the halfway point of the season. The Chargers improved to 4-0 with a 35-8 win at South River, holding the Rams scoreless until the second- and third-team came in for the final quarter and the running clock. They’ll host Highland Park (2-1) on Friday night. The Rams drop to 0-4 with a trip to Dayton (1-2) Friday night.

And New Providence is now 3-0 after a 30-0 shutout at Metuchen. That’s the Pioneers’ best start since 2020, when they went 8-1 in the COVID season, their only loss coming to Glen Rock, 42-28, in Week Five. They’ll get Roselle (1-2) next Friday night at home, while the Bulldogs fall to 1-3 ahead of a Friday trip to Johnson (2-1) for the first of back-to-back road games with the Crusaders and Highland Park.

Somerville rebounds…

Coming off a tough home loss last week, the No. 5 Pioneers took to the road Saturday afternoon and beat Rahway, 20-7. It comes after a 22-15 home loss to Montgomery that snapped their eleven game regular season win streak. Now back on the winning side of the ledger, Somerville (3-1) is back at Brooks Field next week to play Hillside

Here’s the Saturday afternoon Big Central scoreboard:

• No. 5 Somerville 20, Rahway 7
• No. 8 Piscataway 16, Ridgewood 8 (Click for the game story)
• No. 9 St. Joseph-Metuchen 41, Elizabeth 20
• New Providence 30, Metuchen 0
• Spotswood 35, South River 8
• Governor Livingston 26, North Plainfield 0
• Westfield 21, Union 0
• Hillside 17, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 12

Here’s the Friday evening scoreboard from the Big Central for Week Three, with links to individual game stories. Click here for the full Friday Night Big Central Roundup.

• No. 1 Phillipsburg 28, Ridge 6
• No. 2 Woodbridge 34, Colonia 21
• No. 3 Bernards 31, Voorhees 21
• No. 4 St. Thomas 57, Franklin 45
• No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan 35, No. 7 Hunterdon Central 7 (heard LIVE on CJSR)
• No. 10(t) Montgomery 24, North Hunterdon 8
• No. 10(t) Old Bridge 45, South Brunswick 7
• Sayreville 28, Hillsborough 14 (Coverage from Marcus Borden)
• JFK 35, New Brunswick 0
• Edison 20, North Brunswick 14
• Plainfield 33, Perth Amboy 7
• Brearley 27, Highland Park 26
• Delaware Valley 48, JP Stevens 0
• Johnson 34, Roselle 8
• East Brunswick 35, Monroe 26
• Cranford 35, South Plainfield 14
• Bound Brook 14, South Hunterdon 2
• Dayton 37, Roselle Park 20
• Linden 28, Watchung Hills 21
• Summit 21, Carteret 0
• Belvidere 53, Dunellen 20
• Manville 42, Middlesex 0 (recap with audio)

It was a busy Week 3 Friday night in the Big Central – with nobody playing Thursday – and there were some huge wins as well.

Starting at the top:

• No. 1 Phillipsburg was a 28-6 home winner over Ridge, putting the Stateliners at 3-0 ahead of a trip to struggling Hillsborough next Friday night.
• No. 2 Woodbridge edged out Colonia in their rivalry game, 34-21, to improve to 4-0.
• No. 3 Bernards pulled out a 31-21 win at Voorhees in a battle of 3-0 teams, in their first game without defensive end Thomas Diemar, the school’s all-time sack leader who injured his ACL and meniscus last week against Delaware Valley. It was the Mountaineers 27th straight Big Central Conference win – second-best in the league – and 29th straight regular season win, the top active streak in New Jersey by 13 over Butler, which won Friday night and is on a 16-game streak.

Meanwhile, fourth-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas won a shootout against Franklin, 57-45, extending its Big Central-best league win streak to 33 games, The 45 points allowed was the most the Trojans had given up since 2022, in a 50-21 first-round playoff loss at Holy Spirit, and most in a regular season since a 49-0 loss to Hillside in 2019, when the Comets finished a perfect 12-0, won the South Jersey Group 2 title, and won the South 2 regional championship game, a precursor to the state group finals. It’s the most they’ve ever allowed in Big Central play, but it was also the second time this season they’ve scored more than 50 in a game. The other was the 56-3 win in the season opener over Montclair. They also topped 50 for times last year, including a 61-6 playoff-opening win at home over St. Mary-Rutherford.

And congratulations to Brearley, which snapped a 14-game losing streak dating back to 2023 with a 27-26 win over Highland Park. It was the first win for new head coach Elliott Platt. Their last win also came over the Owls, a 52-14 win at home on October 5, 2023.

Bound Brook wins third straight…

The last few years haven’t been kind to Bound Brook, which went 4-6 in 2021 after a five-win COVID season, but then went 0-9 in 2022, then 2-7 and 1-8 over the next two seasons.

Friday night, they equaled the combined win total of their last two years, beating South Hunterdon at LaMonte Field, 14-2. And they’re now 3-1 after a 14-12 home win over South Hunterdon. It’s their first 3-1 start since they went 4-1 to start 2020, a year they went 5-2. And they’ve allowed just two points in their last two games.

The Crusaders host Belvidere (2-2) next Friday night before playing their next three games on the road.

Gega gets first win with Bears…

First-year East Brunswick head coach Zach Gega got his first win with the Bears, via a 35-26 win at Monroe (1-3). The Bears are now 1-3 on the season, and host Old Bridge (3-1) next Friday in the first of back-to-back home games, the second with Hunterdon Central.

Woodbridge wins bragging rights battle…

Big players step up in big games, and Friday night, in the battle for bragging rights, second-ranked Woodbridge got 252 rushing yards from Josh Allen – a career high – in a 34-21 win over Colonia. While the Patriots have a 29-26-4 advantage in the series, the Barrons have won three straight. Colonia’s last win came by a 14-13 decision in 2022.

Now 4-0, and on a 13-game winning streak – they had a perfect regular season last year before a second-round playoff exit – Woodbridge will visit Linden (1-3) next Friday night, while Colonia visits 0-4 Perth Amboy.

Here’s the Friday evening scoreboard from the Big Central for Week Three, with links to individual game stories:

• No. 1 Phillipsburg 28, Ridge 6
• No. 2 Woodbridge 34, Colonia 21
• No. 3 Bernards 31, Voorhees 21
• No. 4 St. Thomas 57, Franklin 45
• No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan 35, No. 7 Hunterdon Central 7 (heard LIVE on CJSR)
• No. 10(t) Montgomery 24, North Hunterdon 8
• No. 10(t) Old Bridge 45, South Brunswick 7
• Sayreville 28, Hillsborough 14 (Coverage from Marcus Borden)
• JFK 35, New Brunswick 0
• Edison 20, North Brunswick 14
• Plainfield 33, Perth Amboy 7
• Brearley 27, Highland Park 26
• Delaware Valley 48, JP Stevens 0
• Johnson 34, Roselle 8
• East Brunswick 35, Monroe 26
• Cranford 35, South Plainfield 14
• Bound Brook 14, South Hunterdon 2
• Dayton 37, Roselle Park 20
• Linden 28, Watchung Hills 21
• Summit 21, Carteret 0
• Belvidere 53, Dunellen 20
• Manville 42, Middlesex 0 (recap with audio)

Here’s a look at Saturday’s Big Central slate:

• No. 5 Somerville at Rahway, noon
• Governor Livingston at North Plainfield, noon
• Elizabeth at No. 9 St. Joseph-Metuchen, 1 pm
• New Providence at Metuchen, 1 pm
• Union at Westfield, 1 pm
• Spotswood at South River, 1 pm
• Scotch Plains-Fanwood at Hillside, 1 pm
• Ridgewood at No. 8 Piscataway, 2 pm

Look for our Saturday Big Central Roundup for details on the day’s games.

Two big upsets highlighted a busy Friday night of action in the Big Central Conference in Week Two, with unranked Montgomery and Piscataway both scoring big upsets over ranked teams. And in two other games, more history was made.

Montgomery knocked off No. 2 Somerville on the road, 22-15, getting a late touchdown to erase a 15-14 deficit. That handed the Pioneers their first loss of the season, while the Cougars doubled last year’s win total in just three games after going 1-9 last season. QB Jack Kristjanson hit WR Trey McFadden for all three Monty touchdowns.

Meanwhile, in Piscataway, the Chiefs knocked off No. 6 Old Bridge, 28-21. It was a back-and-forth affair that was tied 14-all at the half. But Piscataway got a Landon Pernell 72-yard touchdown run in the third, and an 11-yard touchdown run for insurance by Zaire Young in the fourth. That turned out to be critical, after Brody Nugent connected on a 19-yard touchdown pass with Cam Olivencia to pull within a touchdown on the game’s final play.

The Chiefs improve to 2-1 ahead of a non-conference game next Saturday at home against Ridgewood, moved from Friday night because Rutgers hosts Iowa in Big Ten play that evening. The Knights drop to 2-1, taking their first loss of the season. Old Bridge will host South Brunswick next Friday at 6 pm.

Meanwhile, out in Flemington, No. 1 Phillipsburg got four touchdowns from senior Sam Dech to beat Hunterdon Central, 55-14, and claim the program’s 750th all-time win. They had come into 2025 at 748, and are now 2-0. You can see CJSR analyst Marcus Borden’s coverage here.

And with Woodbridge beating Plainfield 27-18 at Hub Stein Field Friday night, head coach Joe Goerge earned “at least” his 250th win. Tracking the records had brought a couple of conflicting totals, as Goerge – in addition to coaching at Franklin, Dayton and South Brunswick – also has coached in a couple of stints on Staten Island. He began his coaching career at Port Richmond, and went to St. Joseph by the Sea in between his two stints with the Vikings in Middlesex County. His son, Jason, says it could be 251, but he’s definitely cracked the 250 mark.

Here’s the Friday evening scoreboard from the Big Central for Week Week One, with links to individual game stories:

• No. 1 Phillipsburg 55, No. 7 Hunterdon Central 14 (Coverage via Marcus Borden)
• Montgomery 22, No. 2 Somerville 15
• No. 3 Woodbridge 27, Plainfield 18
• No. 4 Bernards 43, Delaware Valley 7 (heard LIVE on CJSR)
• No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas 50, North Brunswick 8
• Piscataway 28, No. 6 Old Bridge 21
• No. 8 Bridgewater-Raritan 27, Morris Knolls 21
• No. 9 St. Joseph-Metuchen 28, Union 21
• No. 10 New Providence 37, Johnson 14
• Middlesex 20, South Hunterdon 12
• Rahway 43, Perth Amboy 8
• Colonia 35, Linden 18
• Cranford 25, Carteret 14
• Bound Brook 48, Dunellen 0
• Franklin 50, East Brunswick 19
• Sayreville 46, Edison 14
• Elizabeth 36, Westfield 29
• Highland Park 26, Dayton 14
• Ridge 28, Hillsborough 7
• Voorhees 45, JP Stevens 8
• Governor Livingston 36, JFK 28
• Manville 31, Belvidere 0
• Watchung Hills 14, North Hunterdon 9
• Roselle Park 42, South River 0
• South Brunswick 31, Monroe 17
• South Plainfield 27, North Plainfield 7
• Spotswood 40, Brearley 7

There are just two games on the Saturday slate in the Big Central Conference:

• Roselle at Metuchen, 1 pm (Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for updates)
• Hillside at Summit, 1 pm

THURSDAY’S SCORES:

• Rahway 43, Perth Amboy 8
• Middlesex 20, South Hunterdon 12

There were just two games Thursday night in the Big Central Conference, with Middlesex and Rahway coming up winners.

The Saturday schedule is light, too, with the bulk of the teams in the league playing Friday night.

Here’s a look at Thursday night’s action, following by the weekend schedule.

Rahway 43, Perth Amboy 8

Senior runningback Andrew Avent scored three times for the Indians as they cruised past visiting Perth Amboy Thursday evening to improve to 2-1 on the season. He had a 29-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, one of three by Rahway, the other two coming from Jyvon Cooper on a four-yard TD run and a 52-yard pass play from Jaquan Robinson to Zaire Fields. Avent added a 54-yarder in the second to give his team a 28-0 lead at halftime, then had a 20-yard jaunt in the third quarter. Fields ran one in from 57-yards out in the third.

It was the second straight win for Rahway, which will host No. 2 Somerville (2-0) next Saturday at noon, while Perth Amboy falls to 0-3. The Panthers host Plainfield next Friday night.

Middlesex 20, South Hunterdon 12

The Blue Jays scored three ways Thursday night after falling down 6-0 early in the second quarter. Marcus Lavornia caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Petti, Jr., Julian Samuels grabbed a 50-yard pick-six, and Gerard Boateng ran one in from five yards to erase the deficit and give Middlesex a 20-12 lead at halftime. South Hunterdon would get to within eight on a 35-yard third-quarter touchdown run, but could get no closer.

It was the first win of the season for the Blue Jays, who’d lost big in their first two games. Next, they’ll visit Manville next Friday night. South Hunterdon drops to 0-2, and travels to Bound Brook next Friday evening.

FRIDAY SCHEDULE:

• #3 Woodbridge at Plainfield, 6 pm
• North Brunswick at #5 St. Thomas Aquinas, 6 pm
• #6 Old Bridge at Piscataway, 6 pm
• Morris Knolls at #8 Bridgewater-Raritan, 6 pm
• Franklin at East Brunswick, 6 pm
• Governor Livingston at JFK, 6 pm
• Voorhees at JP Stevens, 6 pm
• Monroe at South Brunswick, 6 pm
• North Plainfield at South Plainfield, 6 pm
• Westfield at Elizabeth, 6 pm
• South River at Roselle Park, 6 pm
• Brearley at Spotswood, 6 pm
• Linden at Colonia, 6 pm
• Montgomery at #2 Somerville, 6:30 pm
• Johnson at #10 New Providence, 6:30 pm
• #1 Phillipsburg at #7 Hunterdon Central, 7 pm
• Delaware Valley at #4 Bernards, 7 pm
• #9 St. Joseph-Metuchen at Union, 7 pm
• Bound Brook at Dunellen, 7 pm
• Ridge at Hillsborough, 7 pm
• Belvidere at Manville, 7 pm
• Carteret at Cranford, 7 pm
• New Brunswick at Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 7 pm
• Watchung Hills at North Hunterdon, 7 pm
• Sayreville at Edison, 7 pm
• Dayton at Highland Park, 7 pm

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

• Roselle at Metuchen, 1 pm
• Hillside at Summit, 2 pm

Saturday was a mixed bag in the Big Central Conference, with some teams moving their games earlier to avoid the thunderstorms in the forecast, and others standing pat. Those who moved their games fared well. Others, not so much.

No. 1 Phillipsburg was already scheduled for a noontime kickoff at Westfield’s Kehler Stadium, and they didn’t disappoint, getting three touchdowns from Sam Dech and another from Tyler Wargo in a 28-0 whitewash of the Blue Devils.

Meanwhile, in Berkeley Heights, A.J. Whitehead scored four touchdowns – two three-yard runs, a long punt return for 57 yards and a 68-yard pick-six – as New Providence beat Governor Livingston for the seventh straight year, coming out with a 42-7 win.

No. 5. St. Thomas Aquinas’ already had an early start scheduled as well, an 11 am tussle with Catholic Memorial (MA), the No. 1 MaxPreps ranked team in Massachusetts, but they fell 35-7 to drop to 1-1. They’ll open their Big Central schedule next Friday night when North Brunswick (0-2) comes to town, with 31-game win streak going against league competition, a record for the BCC, now in its sixth season.

Then came the rain…

Hillside and Bernards didn’t fare as well up in Union County. They got through a half of football with the Mountaineers up 10-7, but lightning arrived at the break, and after a long wait, officials from both schools decided to resume the game Sunday morning at 11 am back at Conant Street Park, per CJSR analyst Marcus Borden, who was covering the game.

South River-Metuchen suffered a similar fate. The thunderstorms there came late in the third quarter with the Bulldogs up 34-6. Head coach Jordan Leitner told CJSR he discussed the situation, and they decided to call the game entirely, evening up their record at 1-1 ahead of a home game with Roselle (1-1) next Saturday afternoon. The Rams (0-2) will visit Roselle Park (1-0) next Friday night.

East Brunswick was set to kickoff at Hamilton at 2 pm. And they did. They got to halftime before the game had to be suspended, with Hamilton up 13-7. East Brunswick Athletic Director Frank Malta says they will finish it at 4:30 Monday afternoon.

Here’s a look at the very limited Saturday scoreboard due to the weather:

• No. 1 Phillipsburg 28, Westfield 0
• New Providence 42, Governor Livingston 7 (heard live on CJSR)
• Catholic Memorial (MA) 35, No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas 7
• Metuchen 34, South River 6 (came called late in third quarter)
• No. 4 Bernards 10, Hillside 7 (suspended at halftime, will finish 11 am Sunday)
• Hamilton 13, East Brunswick 7 (suspended at halftime, will finish at 4:30 pm Monday)

And here’s the Friday evening scoreboard from the Big Central for Week Zero, with links to individual game stories:

• No. 2 Somerville 28, Cranford 12 (Coverage via Marcus Borden)
• No. 3 Woodbridge 26, Watchung Hills 23
• No. 6 Old Bridge 28, Edison 6
• St. Joseph-Metuchen 24, No. 7 Ridge 7
• Bridgewater-Raritan 34, No. 8 Piscataway 27
• Bayonne 26, No. 9 Elizabeth 21
• Bound Brook 43, JP Stevens 28
• Colonia 24, North Hunterdon 21
• Delaware Valley 26, South Plainfield 0
• Franklin 20, Passaic 14
• Highland Park 34, Dunellen 6
• Manville 34, Hopatcong 0
• Voorhees 43, JFK 13
• Johnson 35, Brearley 0
• Hunterdon Central 41, Monroe 13
• Summit 31, Montgomery 28
• North Plainfield 19, Belvidere 13
• Carteret 28, Perth Amboy 2 (heard LIVE on CJSR)
• Plainfield 56, New Brunswick 6
• Roselle Park 45, Middlesex 13
• Sayreville 28, Linden 14
• Rahway 35, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 7
• Dayton 21, South Hunterdon 6
• Spotswood 31, Roselle 8
• Hillsborough 20, Union 13

There was also one game Thursday night, as South Brunswick (1-1) topped rival North Brunswick 10-0, dropping the Raiders to 0-2 for the second time in as many seasons. The last time they’d gone 0-2 before 2024 was in 2017, a year they finished 6-4 in Mike Cipot’s second year as head coach. Kamari Toney rushed for 128 yards on 25 carries, while Daniel Duffie had a rushing touchdown and Greg Schifrin kicked a 26-yard field goal.

The first full weekend of the high school football season saw plenty of excitement in the Big Central, and the results could lead to a shakeup among the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten when the new rankings come out Monday.

No. 2 Somerville, third-ranked Woodbridge and No. 6 Old Bridge all picked up wins, but Ridge, Piscataway and Elizabeth – all ranked seven through nine – all fell in Friday night action.

The Pioneers went down early but came out with a 28-12 home win over Cranford thanks to three touchdowns from senior Aidan Bush and a 100-yard pick six from sophomore James Hampton. The Barrons topped Watchung Hills for the third time in two seasons – and all-time – picking up a 26-23 home win. And the Knights improved to 2-0 with a 28-6 road win over Edison, a week after a big win in the Battle at the Beach over Cedar Creek down at Rowan University.

How ’bout those Owls from Highland Park?

For the second straight season, Highland Park – which had struggled for so long since the mid-2010s – is off to a 1-0 start. They beat Dunellen 34-6 at home in the season opener for both squads Friday night.

Kosta Hantsoulis opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 61-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Smith, who took over signal calling duties this season after the graduation of Hantsoulis’ cousin Markos. The Owls then scored twice more in the quarter, on TD runs of 11 and 21 yards by Jacob Quiros.

Kaseem Qualls added touchdown runs of 14 and 21 yards in the second quarter.

Smith was 2-of-2 for 80 yards and a touchdown, while Qualls rushed just five times but racked up 113 yards and the two scores. The Owls rushed for 250 yards as a team.

Other notes…

Dayton picked up a season-opening win for the first time since 2022 with a 21-6 win out at South Hunterdon.

In Bridgewater-Raritan’s 34-27 home win over Piscataway, the Panthers and Chiefs are establishing a pattern of high scoring games. Last year, Bridgewater won at Piscataway, 52-48, in a game in which there were four kickoff returns for touchdowns, three by P’way. That’s now 161 points the teams have combined for in those two games. BR is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2021.

Bound Brook avenged a 22-21 overtime loss in last year’s season opener at JP Stevens with a resounding 43-28 home victory, evening their record at 1-1. They also were 1-1 to start last year, but lost their next seven to finish 1-8. They’ll be at Dunellen next week, which they beat 35-20 last year for their lone win. Their last 2-1 start came in a 4-6 season in 2021.

Voorhees has shown it can score. The Vikings won their second of three road games to start the season, 43-13 at JFK. It’s Voorhees’ first 2-0 start since 2018, and they’ve scored a combined 82 points in those two wins, the most they’ve put up in their first two games since at least 2003, the first year for which records are publicly and readily available.

Here’s the Friday evening scoreboard from the Big Central for Week Zero, with links to individual game stories:

• No. 2 Somerville 28, Cranford 12 (Coverage via Marcus Borden)
• No. 3 Woodbridge 26, Watchung Hills 23
• No. 6 Old Bridge 28, Edison 6
• St. Joseph-Metuchen 24, No. 7 Ridge 7
• Bridgewater-Raritan 34, No. 8 Piscataway 27
• Bayonne 26, No. 9 Elizabeth 21
• Bound Brook 43, JP Stevens 28
• Colonia 24, North Hunterdon 21
• Delaware Valley 26, South Plainfield 0
• Franklin 20, Passaic 14
• Highland Park 34, Dunellen 6
• Manville 34, Hopatcong 0
• Voorhees 43, JFK 13
• Johnson 35, Brearley 0
• Hunterdon Central 41, Monroe 13
• Summit 31, Montgomery 28
• North Plainfield 19, Belvidere 13
• Carteret 28, Perth Amboy 2 (heard LIVE on CJSR)
• Plainfield 56, New Brunswick 6
• Roselle Park 45, Middlesex 13
• Sayreville 28, Linden 14
• Rahway 35, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 7
• Dayton 21, South Hunterdon 6
• Spotswood 31, Roselle 8
• Hillsborough 20, Union 13

There was also one game Thursday night, as South Brunswick (1-1) topped rival North Brunswick 10-0, dropping the Raiders to 0-2 for the second time in as many seasons. The last time they’d gone 0-2 before 2024 was in 2017, a year they finished 6-4 in Mike Cipot’s second year as head coach. Kamari Toney rushed for 128 yards on 25 carries, while Daniel Duffie had a rushing touchdown and Greg Schifrin kicked a 26-yard field goal.

Here’s the Saturday schedule in the Big Central:

• New Providence at Governor Livingston (Listen LIVE on CJSR)
• Catholic Memorial (MA) at No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas, 11 am
• No. 1 Phillipsburg at Westfield, 12 pm
• East Brunswick at Hamilton, 2 pm
• No. 4 Bernards at Hillside, 1 pm (Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for updates)
• Metuchen at South River, 1 pm