Senior quarterback A’rique Fleming threw for 378 yards and five touchdown passes – two each to Qua’Yon Williams and Eric Cespedes – as the No. 7 Elizabeth Minutemen knocked off No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, 62-35, in a Big Central Conference American Gold Division game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Click below to listen to Alec Crouthamel and Dylan Allen call all the play-by-play live from Williams Field in Elizabeth, NJ, on September 18, 2026:
It was a night of snapped streaks at Williams Field in Elizabeth on Friday night.
No. 7 Elizabeth ran all over the stadium, defeating No. 2 St. Joseph (Met.) 62-35 in one of the wilder games of the season.
For one, the Minutemen (4-0) notched their first 4-0 start since 2015. They also handed the Falcons (2-1) their first Big Central American Gold Division loss in three years, since a loss to Union on September 16th, 2023, as well as their first conference loss in ten tries. It was also the first win in the head-to-head series since 2023, before any players on either side suited up in their respective uniforms.
And it was a wild, back-and-forth affair all night.
The gaudy yardage totals came from both ends.
Elizabeth senior quarterback A’rique Fleming notched a whopping 366 yards and five touchdowns through the air, plus 98 yards and a touchdown on the ground, in which he ran through multiple Falcons defenders on the way to a 20-yard scamper.
Senior Qua’Yon Williams might have had the crazier evening. He caught seven passes for 146 yards and three scores, while also scampering for a 55-yard punt return touchdown in the first quarter to give Elizabeth an early double-digit lead.
The Minutemen forced a three-and-out on the game’s opening drive, and got to work right away on offense.
On a fourth-and-long, Fleming lofted a pass into the corner of the end zone to senior wideout Erick Cespedes to open the scoring late in the first quarter.
Then, after forcing another punt, Williams weaved through the coverage to add another quick-strike score.
The Falcons got on the board on the ensuing possession, as quarterback Cole Seyler laced a 71-yard score up the middle to tight end Edgar Cruz, cutting the deficit in half.
But Elizabeth once again came back to score, marching down the field before a two-yard touchdown by running back Jah’Ki Williams.
St. Joseph’s offense stayed hot, as tight end Maddox Mingucci tiptoed the sideline for another quick score.
Williams scored on a jet sweep for his third touchdown of the evening, putting the Minutemen back up by two possessions with six minutes left in the first half, and Elizabeth got the ball back minutes later, working the clock perfectly to score another touchdown – Cespedes’s second score of the night – with just ten seconds on the game clock.
St. Joseph stole some of the momentum back to start the third quarter, forcing a three-and-out and marching down the field.
But Elizabeth defensive back Nahjae Smith stole it right back, boxing out receiver Nick Brust for an interception to get the ball back.
Backed up near their own goal line, the Minutement still marched down the field, aided by a 39-yard run from Fleming, setting up another strike to Williams from 30 yards out.
Down 42-14, the Falcons worked their way back into the game, with an efficient drive capped by a ten-yard throw to Brust for a score. They then recovered the onside kick, and struck again for another as Seyler found Mingucci again.
But Williams sprang free for a 39-yard score, taking a hard turn multiple times over the middle in between would-be tacklers, to put Elizabeth back up 49-28 in the final minute of the third quarter.
In the fourth, the Minutemen notched two more scores, a rumbling 25-yard run by Fleming and a strike to Williams for his fourth score on offense in the final seconds.
St. Joseph continued to fight back into the game with a long score from Seyler to Brust. Seyler finished with 377 yards passing, the most by a Falcon since Justin Scaramuzzo threw for 394 against Ridge in 2024.
In the end, Elizabeth controlled the game from the start and sent a message to the rest of the Big Central: They aren’t afraid to throw and run the ball all over the yard, and run straight past you.
The Minutemen did much of that all night, to start 4-0 for the first time in over a decade.
Click below to hear CJSR’s Dylan Allen talk with Elizabeth head coach Eugene Kline following the Minutemen’s victory over St. Joseph (Met.), sponsored by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:
On paper, No. 2 St. Joseph of Metuchen may have looked set up for a downturn after back-to-back Big Central American Gold Division titles. The Falcons (2-0) lost their leading passer, top four rushers, and top three receivers from 2025.
But on the field, St. Joseph has been just fine.
The Falcons, with a strong mix of rising youngsters and returning veterans, have continued their winning ways, already with a division win in their pocket, as they target a third straight crown. They’re also looking for their tenth straight win in the division, having not dropped an American Gold contest since nearly three years ago to the day, a 22-15 loss to Union on September 16th, 2023. They have also won ten straight Big Central Conference matchups.
Who stands in their way? No. 7 Elizabeth, armed with a star quarterback and a high-flying offense, as well as a desire for vengeance.
Nobody on St. Joseph’s roster has lost a division game in their time on the field, and the Falcons have beaten the Minutemen three straight times, including one- and two-point victories in 2023 and 2024.
The two unbeaten teams will battle at Williams Field, in a Big Central American Gold showdown, on Friday at 6 pm, with both teams already 1-0 in division play. You can hear it live as one of two Bellamy & Son Paving Games of the Week this week, with pregame at 5:45. Alec Crouthamel and Dylan Allen are on the call; click here to listen.
After losing standout quarterback Justin Scaramuzzo to graduation, rising junior Cole Seyler has fit in seamlessly. He’s spread the ball through the air, with 571 yards and seven touchdowns in two games.
The run game has been strong as well, as it always is under fifth-year skipper Bill Tracy. All around, the offense is versatile, featuring several different contributors, with a stable of options to run the ball and catch passes from Seyler.
And the Falcons have been tested in the early goings as well.
In the Week 1 opener against No. 5 Bridgewater-Raritan, St. Joseph held a 20-point lead early in the third quarter. But a fellow high-powered offensive attack from the Panthers helped them storm back into the game, rallying to take a one-point lead in the fourth quarter.
But the Falcons kept to their plan, and Seyler came through with two touchdown passes in the quarter to give St. Joseph the lead back, eventually holding on for a wild 43-36 victory.
Things came a little bit easier in a 28-6 win over division opponent Westfield in Week 2, but the goals remain the same.
It’ll be another tough test for a stout Falcons defense on Friday, facing fourth-year starting quarterback A’rique Fleming, the Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week. Fleming and his strong cast of targets are going to put a lot of pressure on first-year DC Don Sofilkanich’s unit, but St. Joseph has shown over the years it can handle nearly anything the Big Central slate throws its way.
That doesn’t mean it has to be easy, though.
Click below to hear St. Joseph (Met.) head coach Bill Tracy talk about the Falcons’ season so far and the upcoming trip to Elizabeth with CJSR’s Alec Crouthamel:
With one exception, St. Joseph-Metuchen and Elizabeth have played some tight games the last few years.
The Falcons won this game 41-20 a year ago. The previous two times these two clashed, in 2023 and 2024, the combined margin of victory for St. Joseph was three points. And in 2022, Elizabeth won 23-21, but that was four years ago.
This new class of Minutemen and head coach Eugene Kline, since being named the head man at Elizabeth, have yet to know the feeling of defeating the Falcons.
In order for history to be made Friday night, fourth-year staring quarterback A’rique Fleming has to be on his A-game. The senior is 0-3 against St. Joe’s in his career, completing 58.9% of his passes for 565 yards (188.3 ypg), six total touchdowns, and three interceptions.
You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio in the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Kickoff is set for 6 pm, with pregame at 5:40 pm from Williams Field. Alec Crouthamel and Dylan Allen are on the call; click here to listen.
More importantly, the Minutemen’s run defense has to be top-notch.
In the past three games against St. Joseph, the Falcons have averaged 197.7 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns per contest. In that span, the closest Elizabeth has been to victory was a 21-20 loss in 2024. The Minutemen held Joe’s to just 62 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, while shutting them out in the second half.
It was almost a comeback for the ages as Elizabeth trailed 21-0 at halftime. But across the other two losses, the Falcons ran for a combined 531 yards.
Fortunately for A’rique Fleming – the Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week, who earned the award for a big pick-six he had late to seal the win, in addition to his QB exploits – he has some star-studded wide receivers to choose from in Qua’Yon Williams, Erick Cespedes, and Nahjae Smith.
Williams and Cespedes have combined for 433 yards and five touchdowns, while Smith has missed time due to an ankle issue, according to Kline, he’s still a player you do not want to take lightly. In 2024, his sophomore season, Smith had his breakout year with 32 receptions, 640 yards, and seven touchdowns – all career highs.
What’s at stake for these two teams besides snagging a win in the American Gold division? Remaining unbeaten. St. Joseph enters the contest at 2-0; Elizabeth at 3-0, for the first time since 2015, when they started 4-0, and finished 7-2.
St. Joseph is coming off a 28-6 win at Westfield, while Elizabeth took the trip to Union, beat the Farmers 19-7, and now are playing their first home game of the season.
Click below to hear Elizabeth football head coach Eugene Kline talk about the Minutemen’s season so far and upcoming matchup against St. Joseph-Metuchen, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Dylan Allen:
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:
St. Thomas Aquinas holds the Big Central Conference record for most consecutive league wins with 35, a streak that was snapped last season. That put Bernards in the catbird’s seat, and they entered 2026 just three wins away from tying that mark.
But the Mountaineers’ streak came to an end Friday, as Bernards dropped to 0-2 on the season, dropping their league opener at home, 31-24 to Cranford.
Of the top four active league win streaks, two came to and end this past weekend. Besides Bernards, Manville had a 12-game league stretch going, but the Mustangs lost their 2026 BCC opener as well, falling by a field goal at Brearley on Friday night, 21-18.
So who does that leave next?
New Providence now owns the league’s best current streak with 15 straight wins. They’re 1-0 this year, opening the season in fine form Thursday night, with a 27-7 home win over Voorhees, the first win for new head coach Anthony Conzentino. He took over for Chet Parelvecchio, Jr., who’s now the Defensive Coordinator at Delbarton. New Providence will look to extend that streak Thursday when they visit Johnson at 7 pm.
Next up is St. Joseph-Metuchen. The second-ranked Falcons have won nine-in-a-row, dating back to the start of last season, when they won all eight of their league contests. St. Joe’s will put that streak on the line Friday afternoon at 4 pm when they visit Gary Kehler Stadium in Westfield to take on the Blue Devils.
State leaders all from down South…
Around the state, Glassboro and Washington Township have the top two overall winning streaks, with no one else even close; that’s because they were thew only two non-Ivy teams (Super Football Conference squads with a “relief” schedule who are ineligible for the playoffs) to finish last year entirely undefeated.
Glassboro has won 29 straight; the Bulldogs are the two-time defending state Group 1 champions, and finished 13-0 in 2024, then 14-0 last year. They are off to a 2-0 start this season, their most recent win coming Friday at Mainland, 38-6. This week, they host Winslow at 6 pm Friday. The Eagles have won two straight state Group 4 titles, and 15 straight games, including their last 13 last season, and their first two this year, over Neptune and defending South Jersey Group 5 champion Kingsway.
In the regular season, Glassboro has won 21 straight – the best streak in the state – while Washington Township has won 13 regular season contests in a row.
As for losses…
The state’s longest active skid currently belongs to Dunellen, which will try and break it Friday when the Destroyers host Belvidere. Longtime mentor Dave DeNapoli stepped down after the 2024 season, and Phlip McGuane came in to take over, while also becoming the new AD in the middle of the school year. That turned out to be a transition year for football, with Kyle Baach becoming the head coach this off-season.
Dunellen dropped its opener at JP Stevens, 12-7, and they will have some opportunities to get off the schneid this season if they can develop what has always been a small group. Their last win came on October 19, 2023, a 34-28 win at Columbia Park over Brearley.
After that, it’s Orange and West Windsor-Plainsboro at 16, but the next two teams both snapped their skids last week. Long Branch had lost 14 straight, but is 1-1 now after a 51-0 win at Keansburg last Thursday. And Paterson Kennedy (an Ivy team) snapped its 13-game losing streak with a season-opening win at Ferris Saturday, 32-6.
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:
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.
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:
To help non-publics find games against opponents who might not otherwise want to schedule them, the NJSIAA years ago began an incentive for public schools: the multiplier.
While it’s undergone various tweaks over the years, the intent was to reward public schools for playing tougher opponents, by giving them more points in the playoff qualification system than they would otherwise get.
The newest iteration gives teams extra OSI points for losses to certain schools deemed “multipliers.” While teams that play multipliers still get 100 percent of the opponent SI value for a win, they would get 80 percent for a win against a Category A school, 75 percent against Category B, and 70 percent against C and D schools.
For non-publics in Category A, B, and C, a loss to a non-multiplier would move them down to the D category. A second loss would mean loss of multiplier status entirely.
Category D teams lose that status with just one loss.
In the Big Central Conference, St. Joseph-Metuchen moves up from a Category D to a Category B multiplier, on the strength of an 8-2 campaign in 2026, which included an unbeaten regular season, with a win over North 2, Group 4 champion Phillipsburg in early October. Their only two losses were to Donovan Catholic in the regular season and Bergen Catholic in the Non-Public Group A first round.
St. Thomas Aquinas moves from a Category C to a Category D team. They will still be the same value (70%) as last year, but this year, one loss to a non-multiplier would eliminate them entirely, rather than two. The Trojans went 5-6 last season, with regular season losses to Catholic Memorial (MA), Paramus Catholic, Pope John and St. Joe’s-Metuchen (all multipliers), Sayreville (a non-multiplier), and a playoff loss to Immaculata.
The Spartans are not among this year’s multipliers.
Here are the Categories for the 2026 football season, as unveiled Wednesday afternoon by the NJSIAA in the 2026 Football Regulations, which are now published on its website and can be found here.
While the multiplier list still includes 16 teams, one dropped out, one new team is on the list, and there are some changes from last year:
