Tag: Somerville

September 21, 2026September 20, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Three top-ten matchups force big shuffle in Bellamy & Son Paving Week 4 Top Ten, but Phillipsburg still leads the pack

It was inevitable that at least three ranked Big Central Conference football teams would go down this weekend, with three all-Top Ten matchups on tap. In the end, no one else lost, but those three games helped reshape the Bellamy & Son Paving Week Four rankings, while Phillipsburg remains at the top of the list.

Phillipsburg (3-1) got back on the winning track against its first New Jersey opponent of the year, beating Hillsborough Friday night at Maloney Stadium, 35-7. The Stateliners are back in action at No. 5 St. Joseph of Metuchen this Saturday for a 1 pm matinee against the Falcons.

Piscataway (4-0) edged up one place to No. 2 after a 41-17 win over South Brunswick on Friday, coupled with previous No. 2 St. Joe’s taking a loss. The Chiefs will look to go 5-0 for the first time since 2018, when they finished undefeated at 13-0 – and won the North Group 5 Regional Championship – when they visit No. 4 Old Bridge Friday night at 6 pm. The Knights built an early lead but hung on to beat then-No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas Friday night, 26-24.

Moving from seven to three is Elizabeth, which is 4-0 for the first time since 2011, a year they also started 5-0, following a 62-35 shootout win at home over then-No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen heard Friday night on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Minutemen visit No. 10 Ridge Friday night at 6:30. St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-1) falls to fifth with that loss, and hosts No. 1 Phillipsburg this Saturday at 1:00.

To make room for Elizabeth, Bridgewater-Raritan (3-1) and Somerville (3-1) both edge down one spot, to fifth and sixth, respectively. The Panthers were 7-3 winners over then-No. 9 Ridge Friday night, and visit Westfield for a 1:00 kick Saturday afternoon, while the Pioneers were 55-24 winners against Watchung Hills Friday, and visit Montgomery at 6 pm this Friday.

Rahway (4-0) continues to rise, and finds itself at No. 8 this week, up two spots after a 42-14 win at Linden Friday. The Indians host Cranford at 6:00 this Friday night.

St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1) edges down one spot to No. 9 after taking its first loss of the season, falling to No. 4 Old Bridge, 26-24, Friday night when a second-half rally fell just short. The Trojans are back at it this Friday night as they host Sayreville at 6 pm.

And down one spot to ten is Ridge (2-1), after their 7-3 loss at then-No. 5 Bridgewater-Raritan. The Red Devils entertain third-ranked Elizabeth Friday night, a 6:30 kickoff.

Below is the complete 2026 Week Four Bellamy & Son Paving High School Football Top Ten:

September 14, 2026September 12, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

All but Phillipsburg win, and all ten teams remain the same in Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Top 10

Sure, there was a full slate of games in the Big Central in Week Two, but Top Ten wise, it was very quiet.

And while No. 1 Phillipsburg (2-1) was the only team to lose, falling 32-31 to Freedom (PA) in their final Pennsylvania game before getting into the BCC slate, that loss didn’t cost them, as they retained their top spot in the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Week Three Top Ten.

This week, the Stateliners open divisional play in the BCC American Silver Division when they come back home to Maloney Stadium to take on Hillsborough.

In fact, nobody moved this week – all ten teams remained in their same positions as last week.

That includes St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0), which beat Westfield on the road Friday night, 28-6. They’ll be one of six teams involved in three Top Ten matchups this weekend, as they travel to No. 7 Elizabeth (3-0) Friday night to face the Minutemen in a battle of unbeatens you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with kickoff set for 6 pm. Elizabeth was a 19-7 winner at Union Friday night.

Holding in third is Piscataway (3-0). The Chiefs were 42-7 winners at East Brunswick on Thursday night, and this week are back at Kenny Armwood Stadium to face South Brunswick at 6 pm.

Old Bridge (3-0) remains in fourth after a 21-0 win at South Brunswick Thursday night, in which starting QB Aiden Rios dinged up his non-throwing shoulder. The Knights will hope he can be back Friday for a home date with No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas. The Trojans (3-0) were 40-0 winners Friday night at Franklin.

Holding at No. 5 is Bridgewater-Raritan (2-1), which beat Hillsborough for the first time since 2017 Thursday night, 40-14. The Panthers, whose lone loss came in a barnburner at St. Joseph-Metuchen last Saturday afternoon, are back in action for a Top Ten matchup against No. 9 Ridge (2-0) at Basilone Field Friday night. They won out at Hunterdon Central Thursday night, 23-17.

Somerville (2-1) maintains the sixth spot, thanks to a 54-6 drubbing of North Hunterdon at Brooks Field Thursday night. The Pioneers are back in the Ville again this week, hosting Watchung Hills at 6:30 pm.

And No. 10 Rahway (3-0) held serve with a 42-21 win at Woodbridge, the return of head coach Brian Russo to his alma mater, where he also coached. The Indians visit neighbor Linden Friday night at 7.

Below is the complete 2026 Week Three Bellamy & Son Paving High School Football Top Ten:

September 7, 2026September 6, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Top teams win, middle teams drop games, so Bellamy & Son Paving Week 2 Top Ten sees more changes; Phillipsburg still No. 1

Four of the teams in the Bellamy & Son Paving Week One Top Ten lost last weekend, which leaves half of them still in the rankings, and the other half out, while the top four all stayed put in Week Two.

That starts with Phillipsburg (2-0) still atop the list, after a 24-10 win at Emmaus (PA) Friday. The Stateliners finish out their three-game Pennsylvania stretch to start the season this Friday when they visit Freedom (PA).

St. Joseph-Metuchen (1-0) won its season-opener in thrilling fashion Saturday afternoon, outlasting then-No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan, 43-36. The Falcons are back at it Friday afternoon at 4 when they travel to Westfield.

Holding in third is Piscataway (2-0). The Chiefs were 28-14 winners over then No. 5 Somerville Friday night in the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week, the first time the Pioneer offense has been held without a point since 2023. Thus week, it’s a Thursday trip to East Brunswick for Piscataway.

Rounding out the unchanged top four is Old Bridge (1-1), which got in the win column after a season-opening non-conference loss to Shawnee in the Battle at the Beach in Ocean City with a 49-21 win over Montgomery Friday. Thursday, the Knights visit South Brunswick, in our Friday night Bellamy & Son Paving Game of the Week on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Up a notch from six to five this week is Bridgewater-Raritan (1-1). Though the Panthers lost, they hung in nearly to the wire Saturday in a 43-36 loss at No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen. This week, it’s the Battle of Route 206 as Bridgewater welcomes in Hillsborough.

Flipping with Bridgewater and dropping one spot to sixth is Somerville (1-1), which took a 28-14 loss at No. 3 Piscataway Friday night in the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week. The Pioneers host North Hunterdon on Thursday.

The next two teams both move up two spots this week, after losses by then-No. 7 Sayreville and then No. 8 Summit, both of whom dropped out. It starts with Elizabeth (2-0) at No. 7, following a 43-20 home win over Plainfield Friday. The Minutemen visit Union this Friday. And St. Thomas Aquinas (2-0) moves up to No. 8 after a 24-20 win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood, with a Friday date at Franklin awaiting the Trojans.

The final two teams join the rankings for the first time this season. Ridge (1-0) is at No. 9 after opening its season with a 21-7 win over then-No. 7 Sayreville. The Red Devils visit Flemington to play Hunterdon Central this Thursday.

And Rahway (2-0) comes in at No. 10, after a 21-10 home win over previously-No. 8 Summit. The Indians visit Woodbridge Friday as head coach Brian Russo goes up against his alma mater, where he also previously coached.

Below is the complete 2026 Week Two Bellamy & Son Paving High School Football Top Ten:

September 6, 2026September 5, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: No. 3 Piscataway 28, No. 5 Somerville 14

Senior runningback Zaire Young ran for three touchdowns, going for 268 yards – the fifth-best single-game performance in school history – to help No. 3 Piscataway top No. 5 Somerville, 28-14, in a Big Central Conference crossover game, the first meeting between the schools since 1987.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Nick Hart call all the play-by-play live from Kenny Armwood Stadium in Piscataway, NJ, on September 4, 2026:

1st Half

2nd Half

September 4, 2026September 5, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Young’s monster game, No. 3 Piscataway defense, stifle No. 5 Somerville for 28-14 win

There were two big storylines out of No. 3 Piscataway’s big win Thursday night at Kenny Armwood Stadium over No. 5 Somerville, heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The first is obvious: senior Zaire Young ran 37 times for 268 yards – the fifth-best single-game rushing yardage performance in school history – and scored three touchdowns in the win, including gobbling up time on the clock late in the fourth quarter to keep the ball out of the Pioneers’ hands. That included runs of two, one and 57 yards, on the night’s final score.

The other was less obvious: the Chiefs (2-0) shutout the Somerville offense, the first time that’s happened since a 37-0 shutout at the hands of Westfield in 2022, the last game Ian Pace coached in his only season in The ‘Ville before Matt Bloom took over with two games left in that year’s regular season. (They won both to get into the playoffs.)

That’s because Somerville began the game in fine form, with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Dushawn Dorsey, who found a hole, then outraced the rest of the defense into the end zone. Their other score came on a 65-yard pick-six by cornerback Thyce Pappas.

But that was all they could muster in the win, in a game which had a lot of juice coming in, at least for the fans and coaches, if not the players, none of whom were alive the last time these two teams met, in 1987, the last of 23 consecutive meetings while members of the Mid-State Conference.

Somerville (1-1) could not get into a flow all night, and never really displayed its tempo, no-huddle offense as a result. Justin Bowen was held to 30 yards on 11 carries, with his long being 12, the only run he had over six yards on the night. Seven of his eleven runs were for three yards or less.

Click below for postgame reaction from Piscataway head coach Dan Higgins and senior runningback Zaire Young with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

September 4, 2026September 3, 2026 by Nick Hart

Somerville is off to a good start, but now, a Top 5 matchup as No. 5 Pioneers visit No. 3 Piscataway

After an unceremonious end to the 2025-2026 campaign, Somerville got right back on track to start the new campaign with a convincing 40-21 victory over South Plainfield. But now things get even tougher.

Next up for the Pioneers is a matchup against Piscataway, a familiar foe or a brand-new one, depending on what year you went to high school.

The two squads matched up quite a bit over a 22-year stretch ranging from 1965 to 1987, playing every year. But since then, Somerville and the Chiefs (1-0) have not faced off on the gridiron.

You can hear Friday night’s game – our Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week – live at 6 pm, with pregame at 5:45. Mike Pavlichko and Nick Hart are on the call; click here to listen.

While a lot has certainly changed since these two teams last met, not much has changed on the field for the Pioneers in the past season. Dylan Boehm returns as the signal caller in his sophomore season and is still producing at a high level for his offense.

Boehm’s introduction to Somerville football was stellar, completing over 57 percent of his passes for 1,449 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Much to the delight of the Pioneers, Bohem showed no signs of slowing down to kick off this season, throwing for 323 yards and a pair of touchdowns last week.

Slowing down simply is not something that this Somerville team seems to do often, running a fast-paced offense every game. If it is not the pace of the offense and the passing threat of Boehm wasn’t enough to keep defensive coordinators on their toes, the Pioneers also sport a strong run game.

Senior Justin Bowen made his presence felt early this season, rushing for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Somerville’s opening contest. Last season, Bowen rushed for 446 yards and seven touchdowns while splitting carries with then-senior Aidan Vesuvio-Bush.

With such a talented offense, it can be easy to overlook the Pioneers’ defense, unless they are your opponent for the upcoming week. Somerville surrendered 20 or more points in just three of its games last season and held opponents to an average of less than 15 points per game.

The Pioneers will have their work cut out for them on Friday, however, against a Piscataway team coming off of a seven-win season last year and an opening-week victory over East Orange last Saturday afternoon. Long-time head coach Dan Higgins, is no stranger to success with his program, sporting a 182-61 record in his 22 years with the team – along with seven state titles – and will surely have his squad ready to go against Somerville.

With a talented Piscataway team waiting for the Pioneers, fourth-year head coach Matt Bloom knows that his team has to execute well in all three stages of the game in order to take home a victory on Friday.

Click below to hear Somerville head coach Matt Bloom talk about his team’s matchup against the Piscataway Chiefs with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart:

September 3, 2026September 3, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

No. 3 Piscataway looks to fix mistakes, but keep the big plays when No. 5 Somerville comes to town for first tussle in nearly 40 years

Very few high school football teams play a perfect game in Week Zero, but somebody has to win.

Usually.

Neither Piscataway nor East Orange were perfect Saturday afternoon at Robeson Stadium in Essex County, but the Chiefs came up with the bigger plays at key times en route to a 26-20 win.

So, for head coach Dan Higgins, he takes the win and hopes his team both cleans up the mistakes this week, but still makes the big plays, all of which No. 3 Piscataway will need when the Chiefs host No. 5 Somerville (1-0) Friday night at Kenny Armwood Stadium.

That’s the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with kickoff set for 6 pm and pregame at 5:40. Mike Pavlichko and Nick Hart will call all the action. Click here to listen.

A couple of the mistakes: Piscataway had a bad snap on a punt that sailed 40 yards back toward their own end zone, and gave up a long touchdown pass for a score and another big play that set up first and goal with under a minute to play. They also couldn’t corral a bad bounce on an onside kick in the final few minutes.

But they also recovered with some big-time plays.

On the punt, kicker Patrick Novak was able to recover it inside the five and somehow boot it away to keep the Jaguars from recovering mere yards from the goal line.

And after East Orange recovered their onside kick and got down to the two, defensive lineman Donald Young was instrumental in the first stop at the one, and in the second by helping drive the ball carrier into the backfield. With no timeouts, the Jags ran out of time to get to the line, spike it, and run one more play.

And the Chiefs escaped.

Oh, and there were other big plays, too, that stood on their own, like the 23-yard pick-six Cody Hardy had in the first half when East Orange was pinned back inside their own five. A safety was a real possibility, but Piscataway came away with seven points instead of two.

One of the biggest challenges prepping for Somerville will be the Pioneers’ speed, but not just of their individual players. They run tempo, often go no huddle, and keep defenses on their heels.

But Piscataway should have an offense to counter. Senior Landon Pernell became the school’s all-time leading passer during the East Orange game – now at 3,736 yards – taking over the top spot from Chet Trechok, whose record has stood for 43 years. And Zaire Young is a bruising back, who’s not easy to bring down.

Click below to hear veteran Piscataway head coach Dan Higgins talk about the Chiefs and their Week One matchup against Somerville with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

August 31, 2026September 6, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

No change atop the Week 1 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten, but two new teams join the list

There was little change from the preseason in the latest Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, with Phillipsburg remaining atop the rankings, while two other teams flip-flopped and two others near the bottom dropped out with losses in their opening games.

Phillipsburg remained at No. 1 after a season-opening 28-21 win over Parkland (PA) at Maloney Stadium. The Stateliners open the season with three straight Pennsylvania opponents, and this week, they cross the “state line” to go play Emmaus (PA) Friday night at 7.

St. Joseph-Metuchen was idle, and remains in the No. 2 spot. The Falcons will welcome in No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan (1-0) Saturday for a 1 pm matinee to kick off their 2026 campaign.

Piscataway won its opener, hanging on with a goal line stand to win 26-20 at East Orange, moving them up one spot to No. 3 in the rankings. They’ll play host to No. 5 Somerville – their first meeting since 1987 – Friday night at 6 in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Old Bridge dropped a tough 43-35 decision to Shawnee out of the West Jersey Football League Friday down at the Battle at the Beach in Ocean City. The drops them one spot to fourth this week. Friday night at 6, they visit Montgomery.

Rounding out the top five is Somerville. The Pioneers beat South Plainfield in their opener at Brooks Field, 40-21, on Friday night, and this week, travel to No. 3 Piscataway. You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio at 6 pm.

Bridgewater-Raritan holds in the No. 6 position after opening the season with a dominating 28-7 win at then-No. 8 Woodbridge Friday night, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. This week, it’s a tough test at No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, Saturday at 1 pm at Brenner Family Field.

Sayreville also won its opener, beating Plainfield 23-19 Friday night. That lets them keep the seventh position. The Bombers will host Ridge this Friday at 6:30 pm.

Summit moves up a spot to No. 8 after beating Colonia at home Friday afternoon, 23-21, with Jackson Marx intercepting a two-point conversion just outside the goal line late in the fourth-quarter to help preserve a lead that ended up being the final margin. This week, they visit Rahway for a 6:00 start Friday night.

Jumping in at nine is Elizabeth, one of two new teams in this week’s rankings. The Minutemen were 53-6 winners at Carteret on Friday night, and will visit Plainfield this Friday for a 6 pm kickoff.

The other new team is St. Thomas Aquinas, which won its opener out in Sheepshead Bay over Frank J. Macchiarola (NY), 36-12. The Trojans are back in action Friday, when Westfield visits North Edison for a 6 pm kickoff.

Below is the complete 2026 Week One Bellamy & Son Paving High School Football Top Ten:

Dropping out this week are previous No. 8 Woodbridge and previous No. 10 Bernards. The Barrons lost to Bridgewater-Raritan, 28-7, Friday night, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, while the Mountaineers fell 26-20 at Rutherford Friday night.

August 24, 2026August 22, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg starts 2026 where it ended 2025: Atop the Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten

Most seasons, in most sports – at least as far as we’re concerned – are a crap shoot when it comes to preseason rankings.

It is, of course, impossible to get to see all 59 teams we cover in the Big Central Conference. There are scrimmages, but no true preseason games like in the pros. Coaches are going to talk up their teams, whether they were 1-8, 5-5, or 14-0 and state champs. Sometimes that 1-8 team will have a big turnaround, sometimes a sectional champ will lose a lot of players.

We do our best to weigh who’s coming back, and who graduated, but more often than not, we’ll give the top teams from the year before the benefit of the doubt: a place in the Top Ten is theirs to lose.

And of course, it’s never where you start, but where you finish. And rankings based on opinion are just that: opinion – no matter how objective we try to be.

Nevertheless, there’s a little bit of both in the 2026 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio High School Football Preseason Top Ten, starting at the top.

Phillipsburg opens the season at No. 1, coming off a 10-3 season a year ago in which they reached their fourth straight sectional final, and won their second straight North 2, Group 4 title. Though they’re expected (official classifications are not out yet) to bump up to Group 5 this year due to the “success formula” for open-enrollment and similar type schools, that doesn’t affect who they play in the regular season. They’ve got a bunch back, and should be solid again.

St. Joseph-Metuchen begins the year at No. 2, up one spot, coming off a very good 8-2 season in which they beat all eight of their Big Central Conference opponents before falling in their regular season finale to Donovan Catholic, and in the opening round of the playoffs to Bergen Catholic.

Old Bridge has lost some key talent, but the Knights are coming off a 10-2 season in which they were one of only two BCC schools in Group 3 or higher to win ten games. The Knights – who went to the Central Jersey Group 5 title game last year, will start the season at No. 3.

Right behind them at No. 4 is Piscataway, which was 8-3, and beat to Old Bridge in the regular season by a touchdown, but was knocked out of the playoffs in the sectional semis. The Chiefs, however, bring back an experienced group led by Landon Pernell at quarterback.

Checking in at No. 5 is Somerville. The Pioneers had a surprising early exit from the playoffs in the first round last year, but finished 8-2 and are expected to be right back in the mix for the division and a sectional title this year. At 20-3 over the past two seasons under Matt Bloom, with a Central Jersey Group 3 title in 2024, that’s the expectation every year, and they have the horses.

Checking in at No. 6 is last year’s North Jersey, Section 2 Group 4 champion, Bridgewater-Raritan. The Panthers were 6-3 heading into the playoffs last year, but won all three games in their section – including a thriller in the final against Bayonne – to claim their first-ever sectional title. Still, they face some significant losses, and they’ll work to earn their way back up in ’26.

Sayreville will begin the year at No. 7, taking a huge blow in the loss of Shaun Jackson, who led the Big Central in rushing each of the last two seasons. Still, that’s a program, and alum Mark Poore has done a great job his first two years, and they will remain in the mix this season.

Woodbridge – which will start at No. 8 – finished out of the Top Ten at the end of 2025, but coming off an 8-3 season in Year two under veteran mentor Joe Goerge – after going 10-1 his first year – we know the Barrons are well-coached, and that Goerge can adapt his offensive system to the talent he has, and there certainly is talent in the cupboard.

Summit checks in at No. 9, coming off a 9-3 season and a trip to the North 2, Group 3 final last year, where they lost to West Morris. They dealt with all kinds of injury adversity last year, and this well-coached program will again be highly-competitive.

Bernards comes in at No. 10, and another tremendous regular season, despite a firs-round playoff loss. The numbers speak for itself: The Mountaineers haven’t lost to a Big Central opponent since September of 2022, a defeat at the hands of Hillside. Since then, they have won 32 straight BCC contests, three shy of the record 35 set by St. Thomas Aquinas, which came to an end last year. Since the start of 2022, Bernards has an overall record of 40-5, by far the best in the league over that stretch.

Below is the complete 2026 preseason Bellamy & Son Paving High School Football Top Ten:

August 18, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan 2026: Somerville hosts Ridge, Woodbridge and Wall

It’s Week Two of high school football preseason camp in New Jersey, where teams start taking part in scrimmages, and Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden takes a trip to Brooks Field in Somerville to watch the Pioneers in a quad scrimmage with Ridge, Woodbridge and Wall.

Watch Borden’s full coverage below of Tuesday’s scrimmage, featuring interviews with head coaches and key players.

Click below to watch Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan coverage of Somerville with head coach Matt Bloom, along with seniors Shyheim Hobbs-Harris (TE/LB) and Elijah Jagroop (OL/DL), junior James Hampton (WR/CB), and sophomore Dylan Boehm (QB):

Click below to watch Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan coverage of Ridge with head coach Jeff Sutherland and seniors C.J. Griffith (RB/LB), Greg Brown (TE/DE), Tristan Frank (QB/DB) and Andres Garcia (G/NG):

Click below to watch Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan coverage of Woodbridge with third-year head coach Joe Goerge along with seniors Kyle Campos (WR/DB), Lukas Valentin (TE/LB), Nico Quesada (OL/DL) and junior Dylan Stephen (QB/SS):