Tag: Summit

October 11, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

No. 4 Bernards rallies in the 4th to pick up 17-14 win at Summit, extends state-best regular season win streak to 32 games

When you lose your starting quarterback, even for part of a game, the effect can sometimes immediately be felt. But it’s up to the next guy in – and those around him – to elevate their game.

That’s what’s been happening for the last two-and-a-half weeks up at Bernards, where the No. 4 Mountaineers saw starting QB Nolan Walsh get hurt a couple of weeks ago against JP Stevens.

And while he might be back soon, the keys were handed to freshman A.J. MacCracken, not only to finish out the 39-0 win over the Hawks, but to start the next two games, both on the road. He’d be the first freshman to start at the position in 50 years, according to head coach Jon Simoneau.

The next two weeks may not have been perfect, but MacCracken and his very skilled teammates got the job done in a 7-0 win at South Plainfield last week, and did it again Saturday afternoon at Tatlock Field against Summit.

The fourth-ranked Mountaineers got a 17-yard touchdown run from Logan Stevens with 10:29 to go in the game to take a 17-14 lead they would never relinquish, en route to their seventh win of the season in as many games.

And it all extends two significant Bernards’ streaks. They’ve now won 32 consecutive regular season games, starting with their last seven of 2022 – and that’s the best active winning streak in New Jersey. They had perfect, 9-0 regular seasons each of the last two years – with a sectional title in ’23 and a trip to the final last season, and now are 7-0 on the year with two games left, both at home, against Governor Livingston next week, and Carteret on Cutoff Weekend.

They’ve also won 30 straight Big Central Conference games, second only to St. Thomas Aquinas, whose streak is currently at 35.

Summit, meanwhile, falls to 5-2 and has dropped two straight after starting 5-0. They’ll face Woodbridge on the road next week, then come back home to close out against Scotch Plains-Fanwood on the Saturday of Cutoff Weekend.

Click below for postgame reaction from Bernards head coach Jon Simoneau:

October 6, 2025October 6, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

First six hold steady, Phillipsburg still No. 1, but Sayreville-Piscataway result shuffles bottom half of Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten

Consistency again was the name of the game in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week Five, as one result – Sayreville’s 42-24 win over Piscataway – caused a shift in the bottom half of the rankings, but St. Thomas Aquinas’ loss to Paramus Catholic in a non-conference game didn’t yield any changes.

Phillipsburg (5-0) stays in the top spot after a come-from-behind, 24-20 win over West Orange, a battle of two teams very much in play for playoff top seeds in their respective supersections. The Stateliners are back in action Saturday afternoon when they visit No. 6 St. Joseph-Metuchen in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Kickoff is slated for 1 pm at Brenner Family Field.

Holding at No. 2 is Woodbridge (6-0). The Barrons pounded Perth Amboy 41-0 back on Friday night, and have a big showdown this Friday night at No. 8 Montgomery (5-1). CJSR analyst Marcus Borden will have coverage of that game.

In third is St. Thomas Aquinas (4-2), despite taking a Week five loss. That came out of conference to North Jersey parochial Paramus Catholic, 42-14. This week, the Trojans stay in town again, but play Edison on the road Friday evening.

In fourth still is Bernards (6-0), which narrowly escaped a road trip to South Plainfield with a 7-0 win as A.J. MacKracken became the first freshman to start at QB for the Mountaineers in 50 years, according to head coach Jon Simoneau. Bernards will visit Summit Saturday.

Speaking of Summit, the Hilltoppers were handed their first loss of the season Saturday by Somerville (5-1), which holds at No. 5 this week. The Pioneers were 41-20 winners, and return to action Friday at North Hunterdon, which beat Monroe Friday for its first win of the season.

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At No. 6 is St. Joseph-Metuchen (5-0). The Falcons hold serve after a 42-7 win at North Brunswick Friday, and host No. 1 Phillipsburg Saturday at 1:00 on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Sayreville (6-0) moves up to No. 8 in the rankings after a 42-24 win at previous-No. 7 Piscataway Friday night. The Bombers have gotten 100-plus yards in all six games from Shaun Jackson, and the Bombers will take their act to Franklin this Friday night.

The next two teams behind Sayreville also notched up a spot this week. Montgomery (5-1) moves from nine to eight after a 22-16 home win over Linden Friday night, the first game at the newly-dedicated Zoran Milich Field at Cougar Stadium. They’re back home again Friday night when No. 2 Woodbridge visits on a 15-game regular season winning streak, tied for fourth-best in the state.

And Bridgewater-Raritan (5-1) is back on the winning track, rising after a 34-23 win over Elizabeth Friday night. The Panthers travel to Hillsborough Friday in the Battle of Route 206.

Falling down to tenth and tying with Old Bridge (5-1) – who they beat in Week Two – is Piscataway (4-2). The Knights were 24-0 winners out of conference over Morristown, an host Monroe Friday night, while the Chiefs fell at home, 42-14 to then-No. 9 Sayreville. Piscataway will entertain East Brunswick this Friday.

Again no one dropped out, and the same four teams remain in the “Also Considered” category. Summit is still there at 5-1 – despite dropping their first game of the season Saturday, to Somerville – with New Providence at 5-0 and Voorhees 5-1, while Ridge at 3-2 is still in the mix.

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week Five Top Ten:

Table displaying the Week Five Top Ten rankings for the Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Conference, showing team names, records, and previous rankings.

October 4, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

No. 5 Somerville hands Summit first defeat as Pioneers get everyone into the act in 41-20 win

For much of Saturday’s game at Investors Bank Field at Tatlock Park, Summit and fourth-ranked Somerville were in a closer game than the final score would indicate.

The Hilltoppers scored first, on a 79-yard pick-six by Gavin Schnall. The Pioneers tied it on a 66-yard touchdown reception by Justin Bowen, then went ahead on a 52-yard TD catch by Dario Lozano from QB Dylan Bohem.

Then Summit tied it on a 12-yard run in the second quarter.

But from then on, it was nearly all Somerville, as the Pioneers would score the next four touchdowns – one in the second, two in the third, and one in the fourth – to take a 41-13 lead, ultimately winning 41-20 to hand Summit its first loss of the season.

Both teams are now 5-1.

Of the game’s nine combined touchdowns between the teams, all but two were plays longer than 30 yards. Somerville’s James Hampton had a 64-yard touchdown catch, Aidan Vesuvio-Bush had a 61-yard TD reception of his own, and he ran for a 45-yard score on the Pioneers’ final trip into the end zone.

Connor Gawronski also caught a 30-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

Somerville travels to North Hunterdon (1-5) Friday, after the Lions beat Monroe last night, 29-12, for their first win of the season. Summit will host Bernards in another battle of very good teams next Saturday afternoon.

Click below for postgame reaction from Somerville head coach Matt Bloom with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

October 4, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

State’s “perfect” teams whittled down to 29, with nine left in Big Central; Summit, Manville put streaks on the line Saturday

Of the 29 teams left in New Jersey high school football with unblemished records, nine remain in the Big Central Conference.

How that translates in the postseason is anyone’s guess, but at this point of the season, it’s a remarkable number, considering how the rest of the state has gone.

The Super Football Conference has ten remaining unbeatens, with four going down Friday night and two more to play Saturday. The West Jersey Football league is down to five after four of its teams fell Friday. The NJIC has three, with one to play Saturday, and the Shore Conference has two.

Here’s a closer look at the undefeated teams left in the Big Central, and a list of the perfect squads remaining statewide:

BIG CENTRAL CONFERENCE:

Bernards, 6-0: The Mountaineers narrowly escaped Frank Jost Field with a 7-0 win over South Plainfield that extends its state-best active regular season win streak to 31 games, and its second-best Big Central streak to 29, five behind St. Thomas Aquinas. Last 3 games: at Summit, Governor Livingston, Carteret.
Manville, 5-0: The Mustangs have yet to play this week, traveling to JP Stevens for a 10 am game Saturday. Last 3 games: Dunellen, Highland Park, at Bound Brook.
New Providence, 5-0: With a big 46-7 win at Middlesex on Friday, the Pioneers will head out of conference next week before closing with two Big Central Conference games, one at home, the last one away. Last 3 games: Verona, Bound Brook, at Delaware Valley.
Phillipsburg, 5-0: The Stateliners needed a fourth-quarter touchdown to beat West Orange Friday, 24-20 to keep their perfect streak in tact. Last 3 games before the Cutoff: at St. Joseph-Metuchen (Saturday on CJSR), Union, Bridgewater-Rarirtan.
Sayreville, 6-0: The Bombers dominated up front and pulled away from Piscataway in the second half, for a 42-24 road win heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Last 3 games: at Franklin, Montgomery, St. Thomas Aquinas.

Spotswood, 6-0: The Chargers are in the thick of the playoff hunt, but if they keep wining, they’ll be guaranteed to get in no matter where they seed. They also could be in the hunt for a first-round home game. They beat Bound Brook Friday night, 36-7. Last 3 games: at Dayton, at South Hunterdon, Roselle Park.
St. Joseph-Metuchen, 5-0: The Falcons cruised past North Brunswick on the road Friday night, 42-7. Last 4 games: Phillipsburg (Saturday on CJSR), at St. Thomas Aquinas, Woodbridge, at Donovan Catholic.
Summit, 5-0: The Hilltoppers host a dangerous Somerville team Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. Last 3 games: Bernards, at Woodbridge, Scotch Plains-Fanwood.
Woodbirdge, 6-0: The Barrons were 41-0 winners over Perth Amboy in their second shutout victory of the season. Last 3 games: at Montgomery, Summit, at St. Joseph-Metuchen.

SHORE CONFERENCE (2):

Red Bank Catholic, 6-0
Southern, 6-0

WEST JERSEY FOOTBALL LEAGUE (5):

Burlington Twp., 6-0
Cherry Hill East, 6-0
Glassboro, 6-0
Paulsboro, 6-0
Washington Twp., 6-0

SUPER FOOTBALL CONFERENCE (10):

Belleville, 5-0
Don Bosco Prep, 5-0
East Orange, 5-0
Fort Lee, 5-0 (Ivy Division)
Hanover Park, 6-0
Hoboken, 6-0
Kinnelon, 6-0
Mount Olive, 5-0 (Saturday at Morris Knolls)
St. Peter’s Prep, 5-0 (Saturday vs. Seton Hall Prep)
West Morris, 6-0

NJIC (3):

Butler, 5-0
Rutherford, 4-0 (Saturday vs. Cresskill)
Wood-Ridge, 6-0

September 29, 2025September 28, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Top two – Phillipsburg, Woodbridge – stay put, but rest of Bellamy & Son Paving Week 4 Top Ten shifts with Bridgewater-Raritan’s first loss

It was just one game, and it didn’t exactly cause major upheaval in the Bellamy & Son Paving Week Four Big Central Top Ten, but it did move some teams around.

Only four of the eleven teams in the Week Three rankings stayed in the same spot this week (there was a tenth place tie last week). Additionally, nobody dropped out.

Phillipsburg (4-0) remains No. 1 following a 50-29 road win at Hillsborough Friday night. The Stateliners are winning by an average 32.5 points per game through their first four, and host West Orange (4-1) in a non-league game this Friday night at Maloney Stadium. Phillipsburg is second in the latest UPR playoff standings in the North Group 4 supersection, which puts them in line for one of the top two seeds. West Orange is in the same spot in North 5, right behind Bridgewater-Raritan.

Woodbridge (5-0) remains at No. 2 after a 27-20 victory at Linden Friday night. The Barrons are back home this Friday against winless Perth Amboy (0-5).

Moving up a spot this week to three is St. Thomas Aquinas (4-1). Their lone loss came out-of-state, and the Trojans beat a solid Elizabeth school at home Friday night, 35-21. They’re back to an out-of-conference game this week as Paramus Catholic (1-4) comes to North Edison Friday night.

Switching places with STA is Bernards (5-0), checking in at No. 4. After a 39-0 cruise past JP Stevens, the Mountaineers go to South Plainfield (2-3) this Friday night, carrying with them the No. 2 spot in the North Group 2 supersection, putting them in line for a top-seed in the playoffs.

Holding steady at No. 5 is Somerville (4-1). The Pioneers were 21-7 winners Friday over Watchung Hills, and play a very good undefeated Summit (5-0) team on the road this Saturday afternoon.

Checking in at No. 6 is St. Joseph-Metuchen (4-0). The Falcons blanked Westfield at home Friday night under the temporary lights – an annual tradition at St. Joe’s – 24-0, and are back in action this Friday with a road trip to North Brunswick (0-5).

Holding at seven is Piscataway (4-1), which also had a shutout win this week, 28-0 at South Brunswick. The Chiefs will host Sayreville (4-1) in an old-fashioned GMC rivalry game at 6 pm, the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Piscataway also will honor early 2000s standout Kyle Wilson at halftime; he went on to star at Boise State and play in the NFL with the Jets and New Orleans.

Up a spot to No. 8 is Sayreville (5-0). The undefeated Bombers were 46-7 winners over North Brunswick at home Friday night, and as mentioned above, visit Piscataway this Friday night on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Up one to ninth is Montgomery (4-1). The Cougars were 36-7 winners over Watchung Hills at home Friday night, and will host Linden (1-4) this Friday.

Old Bridge (4-1) remains in tenth, tied again this week, this time with Bridgewater-Raritan (4-1), which falls from sixth after a 33-14 loss at Ridge, without senior QB Declan Kurdyla, who missed the first of at least three games with a knee injury. He’ll be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, the Panthers will host Elizabeth (2-3) Friday, while the Knights will play Super Football Conference opponent Morristown (2-3) at home this Friday night.

While no one dropped out, a fourth team is now in the “Also Considered” category. Summit is still there at 5-0, with New Providence at 4-0 and Voorhees 4-1, while Ridge at 2-2 joins the fray. The Red Devils beat Bridgewater-Raritan this week, and their two losses have both come to unbeaten teams in the Top Ten: St. Joseph-Metuchen and Phillipsburg.

As for next week, Summit hosts Somerville (5-0) on Saturday, New Providence is at Middlesex (2-3), Voorhees hosts North Plainfield (2-2) and Ridge travels to Union (0-5).

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week Four Top Ten:

Table displaying the Week Four Top Ten rankings for Central Jersey Sports Radio's Big Central Conference, including team names, records, and previous rankings.

September 26, 2025September 26, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

More than four dozen NJ football teams remain undefeated as regular season reaches midpoint; Big Central has ten perfect squads left

They surely won’t all maintain their perfect records through the end of the regular season, as many will play each other in the coming weeks as we head toward Cutoff Weekend and the 2025 playoffs, but as we head into Week Four of play here in New Jersey, there were 49 teams still yet to see a blemish on their record. (There are now 48, as Dickinson of Jersey City took its first loss Thursday night.)

Ten of those teams are in the Big Central Conference, spanning small schools and big.

There are also now 18 undefeated teams in the Super Football Conference, as well as 13 in the West Jersey Football League, three in the Shore Conference and four in the NJIC. None of the handful of independents are undefeated.

Here’s a closer look at the undefeated teams in the Big Central, followed by a list of those remaining perfect, by division, around the rest of the state.

St. Joseph-Metuchen (3-0): The Falcons are No. 8 in the Central Jersey Sports Radio/Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten. They host Westfield (2-2) Friday night before going to North Brunswick, then facing perhaps the most challenging stretch of their season: Phillipsburg home October 11th (LIVE in CJSR at 1 pm), at St. Thomas Aquinas on the 17th, and home to Woodbridge the Saturday of Cutoff Weekend. The Stateliners and Barrons are both undefeated, while Aquinas is 3-1 and has won 33 straight Big Central Conference games. (Correction: A previous version of this story had the St Joe’s-Westfield game on Saturday. It is Friday night)
Phillipsburg (3-0): The BCC’s first-ever true state finalist hasn’t skipped a beat despite losing some significant parts to graduation, and the No. 1 ranking is theirs until they decide they don’t want it anymore. Right now, they’re the class of the Big Central, even though there are some very good teams behind them. The Stateliners visit struggling Hillsborough (1-3) Saturday, and their biggest two tests likely will be the aforementioned October 11th game at St. Joe’s, and a Friday Cutoff Weekend matchup at home against Bridgewater-Raritan, which could have QB Declan Kurdyla back from a knee sprain by then.
Bridgewater-Raritan (4-0): Obviously, both the No. 6 Panthers and Stateliners won’t be able to run the table, since they’re division mates and will meet in a few weeks, but Bridgewater has looked very good. They’ll be tested Friday night at Ridge (1-2) in their first full game without Kurdyla, who’s out at least three weeks before he’ll be re-evaluated, which also includes a home game with Elizabeth next week and a road trip to Hillsborough on October 10th. And their regular season closes out at Maloney Stadium on the Friday night of Cutoff Weekend.
Spotswood (5-0): The Chargers played Thursday night, and remained perfect with a 34-3 shutout win over Highland Park. Next week, they get a much-improved Bound Brook team (3-1) at home before heading to Dayton and South Hunterdon, before closing it out with Roselle Park. Spotswood sat in 17th place in the South 2 playoff standings before the win over the Owls, which will help them. But if they can finish unbeaten, they’ll automatically be in the playoffs, regardless of where they stand. That’s a distinct possibility.
Manville (4-0): The Mustangs’ toughest remaining game might be Highland Park or Bound Brook, the first of which is home, the second of which is on the road, in the regular season finale. This week, it’s a trip to South Hunterdon (0-3). The Mustangs have allowed just six points all season – a touchdown in their opener at Keyport – but since then have pitched three straight shutouts and the defense has logged 14 consecutive scoreless quarters.

Woodbridge (4-0): The No. 2 Barrons lost a lot, too, but also seemingly haven’t missed a beat. They travel to Linden (1-3) this week for a Friday tilt, then host Perth Amboy, but the schedule gets decidedly tougher after that. They’ll be at No. 10 Montgomery, home to Summit (also considered for the Top Ten) and at No. 8 St. Joseph-Metuchen on Cutoff Weekend. They should be heading into that stretch at 6-0, but how will they come out of it?
Sayreville (4-0): The Bombers have been very consistent all season. They scored between 26 and 28 points in three of their four games, and have allowed no more than 18 and no fewer than 14 points in that stretch, with wins over Colonia, Linden, Edison and Hillsborough. All but the Patriots are below .500 though, and after a home game with North Brunswick this week, the back-loaded schedule kicks in, with trip to Piscatway next week (on CJSR) a road game at Franklin on October 10th, followed by home games the next two weeks against No. 10 Montgomery and No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas.
Bernards (4-0): The Mountaineers lost all-world defensive end Thomas Diemar to a season-ending injury in the Delaware Valley game two weeks ago, but they still beat Voorhees in a battle of unbeatens on the road last week, 31-21. This week, it’s JP Stevens (0-4) at home, and their toughest matchup should come against a very good Summit team on the road, Saturday October 17th. The Hilltoppers have a mobile QB, and the test will be if the remaining healthy defensive players can limit Alex Schwark.
Summit (4-0): They’re not in the same division as Bernards, so, again, only one of these teams can finish undefeated since they face each other head-to-head. But the Hilltoppers’ remaining schedule is more challenging. After facing a tough Cranford team (2-2) this Friday night up in Union County, they host Somerville the week before Bernards comes to Tatlock Field, and then have a road game at Woodbridge the week after. Big tests.
New Providence (4-0): The Pioneers’ have looked very good this year, with a shutoout last week at Metuchen and a 42-7 win at Governor Livingston in Week 1. They get Roselle (1-2) at home this week, then visit Middlesex before an out-of-conference game against Verona, a home game with Bound Brook, and the regular season finale at Delaware Valley. Will that schedule – even if they go unbeaten – allow them to hold on to one of the two top seeds in the North 1 supersection? They have it now, but for how long?

Here’s a look at the rest of the leagues in the state, and their unbeaten teams:

Super Football Conference

4-0 Teams (12): St. Peter’s Prep, High Point, Dumont, Hanover Park, Northern Highlands, West Morris, Kinnelon, Hoboken, Old Tappan, Wayne Hills, St. Joseph-Montvale, Bergen Catholic
3-0 Teams (6): East Orange, Fort Lee*, Belleville*, Mount Olive, Boonton, Don Bosco Prep

West Jersey Football League

5-0 Teams (3): West Deptford, Paulsboro, Cherry Hill East
4-0 Teams (8): Washington Twp., Rancocas Valley, Glassboro, Burlington Twp., Delran, Burlington City, Sterling, Holy Cross
3-0 Teams (2): St. Joseph-Hammonton, Bishop Eustace

North Jersey Interscholastic Conference

4-0 Teams (2): Wood-Ridge, Glen Rock
3-0- Teams (2): Butler, Rutherford

Shore Conference

4-0 Teams (2): Red Bank Catholic, Southern
3-0 Teams (1): Holmdel

September 22, 2025September 22, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Six unbeaten teams make the Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, with Phillipsburg, Woodbridge, Bernards still 1-2-3; Sayreville joins

It was back to a sense of stability in the top half of the Week Three Bellamy & Son Paving high school football rankings, with the top six teams all staying put, and teams eight and nine moving up after wins. Undefeated Sayreville joins the fray this week, too with eleven teams ranked again for the second week in a row.

Phillipsburg (3-0) remains No. 1 after a 28-6 home win over Ridge, behind another solid defensive effort. The Stateliners visit Hillsborough (1-3) this Friday.

Holding at No. 2 is Woodbridge (4-0), which won it’s bragging rights game with Colonia, 34-21 at home on Friday night. The Barrons – who have won 13 straight regular season games dating back to lsat season’s opener – go to Linden (1-3) this Friday night.

In third is Bernards (4-0), which remains there after a 31-21 win at Voorhees, as the Mountaineers adjust to life without Thomas Diemar, their all-time sack leader, who injured his ACL and meniscus a week ago Friday in a win over Delaware Valley. Winners of 29 straight regular season games – the best in the state – and 27 straight in Big Central play – second-best in the league – Bernards hosts JP Stevens (0-4) Friday night.

St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1) holds in fourth. A 57-45 shootout home win over Franklin Friday night extends their Big Central record win streak to 33 games heading into Friday’s home game with Elizabeth (2-2).

Holding in fifth is Somerville (3-1), which rebounded from its first loss of the season last week to then-unranked Montgomery with a 20-7 victory at Rahway Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers come back home to host Hillside (1-2) at Brooks Field Friday evening.

At six again this week is Bridgewater-Raritan (4-0), which was a 43-7 winner over then-7th-ranked Hunterdon Central Friday night in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. But starting QB Declan Kurdyla went down in the game with a leg injury, and his status for next week is unknown. The Panthers travel to Ridge (1-2) Friday night.

The next two teams both moved up a spot.

Piscataway (3-1) is up to seventh after a 16-8 win Saturday afternoon over a very tough Ridgewood squad, which employs the Wing-T offense. The Chiefs are at South Brunswick (2-2) Friday, and will have two transfers from St. Thomas Aquinas ready to play, in Josiah Zayas and Mickeye Simmons, who had to sit out 30 days due to NJSIAA transfer rules.

Up one to No. 8 is St. Joseph-Metuchen (3-0). The Falcons are 3-0 for the third time in four seasons under head coach Bill Tracy, following a 41-20 win Saturday afternoon over Elizabeth at Brenner Family Field. They visit Westfield (2-2) Saturday afternoon.

New this week at No. 9 is Sayreville (4-0), which has beaten Colonia, Linden, Edison, and – last week – Hillsborough, 28-14, the third straight game the Bombers have allowed just 14 points. The Bombers are back in action Friday night at War Memorial Stadium when North Brunswick (0-4) comes to town.

And again this week, two teams are tied for tenth. Montgomery (3-1) held after a 24-8 win over North Hunterdon. While the Lions are 0-4, it was their first loss this season by more than eight points. The Cougars host Watchung Hills (2-2) this Friday night at the newly-named Zoran Milich Field.

Old Bridge (3-1) is the other team in tenth with Monty, rebounding off a loss to Piscataway with authority, picking up a 45-7 win over South Brunswick. This Friday, they’re at East Brunswick (1-3), which just got its first win last week for new head coach Zack Gega, a 36-25 victory at Monroe.

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week Three Top Ten:

Image of a table displaying the Week Three Top Ten rankings for the Big Central Conference, detailing team names, records, and previous rankings.

Dropping out this week was previous No. 7 Hunterdon Central (2-2), which lost its second straight game Friday, falling 43-7 at No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan.

In the “Also Considered” category, Sayreville jumped into the Top Ten, while Voorhees (3-1) and Summit (4-0) remain, while New Providence is back in, too. The Vikings remain despite a loss to Bernards at home, 31-21 Friday, while the Hilltoppers won at Carteret Friday, 21-0, in the Ramblers first game back at Walt Overholt Stadium after summer renovations. New Providence (3-0) was a 30-0 winner at Metuchen on Saturday.

September 15, 2025September 14, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Week 2 upsets knock some teams down a peg, while Montgomery joins, Piscataway rejoins Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten

Stability was the name of the game in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten in the first two weeks of the season, Weeks Zero and One.

The third week, Week Two, was another story.

Big wins by Piscataway and Montgomery put both in the rankings this week, with the Chiefs returning after a one-week absence, and the Cougars making their debut this season.

Phillipsburg (2-0) remains in the top spot after dismantling Hunterdon Central Friday in Flemington, 55-7, for the 750th win in program history. The Stateliners are back in action Friday against Ridge (1-1) at Maloney Stadium. Ridge was the only team to beat P’burg last year as they went all the way to the state Group 4 final.

The next three teams all moved up a notch after Somerville’s loss to previously-unranked Montgomery. Woodbridge (3-0) moves up to second following a 27-18 win at Plainfield back on Friday. The Barrons play in their bragging rights game against Colonia (1-2) at home this Friday evening.

Bernards (3-0) moved up as well after a 43-7 home win over Delaware Valley. They’ll face another unbeaten team this week when they travel out to Glen Gardner to take on Voorhees (0-3).

And St. Thomas Aquinas (2-1) is up to No. 4 after getting back to its winning ways with a 50-8 rout of North Brunswick at home last Friday night. Franklin (2-1) hosts the Trojans this week.

Somerville (2-1) falls to fifth with a 22-15 home loss to Montgomery, which joins the list further down. The defeat snapped an 11-game regular season win streak for the Pioneers, whose last loss had come to Hillsborough and Kevin Carty, Jr., a Somerville alum. The Cougars are coached by his brother Sean, who also played for Somerville. The Pioneers are back at it Saturday when they visit Rahway (2-1).

Checking in at No. 6 is Bridgewater-Raritan (2-1), which is up two spots after a 27-21 non-conference win Friday night at home over Morris Knolls. The Panthers are on the “Big Central Game of the Week” this Friday at 6 pm when they take on Hunterdon Central (2-1). The Red Devils took a 55-7 home defeat to Phillipsburg last week for their first loss of the season.

At No. 8, it’s Piscataway (2-1), which returns to the rankings in the same spot they left after Week Zero, following a huge upset win over then-No. 6 Old Bridge at home, 28-21. The Chiefs play a non-conference game this Saturday against Ridgewood out of the Super Football Conference. Ridgewood beat P’way at their place last year, 14-13, their first meeting since their 2018 clash in the North Group 5 Bowl Championship, which the Chiefs won to become the first Middlesesx County school to go 13-0, a feat none has matched since.

St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0) hold in ninth after a 28-21 win at Union Friday night. The Falcons will entertain Elizabeth Saturday afternoon.

And, we have a tie for tenth between Montgomery and Old Bridge, both of whom are 2-1 for different reasons. The Cougars upset previously-No. 2 Somerville, winning on the road, 22-15, while the Knights lost to previously-unranked Piscataway on the road, 28-21. Monty will host North Hunterdon (0-3) this Friday night, while the Knights host South Brunswick (2-1).

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week Two Top Ten:

Graphic showing the Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Conference Week Two Top Ten standings with team names, records, and previous rankings.

Dropping out this week – on no fault of its own, mainly because of the upsets by Piscataway and Montgomery – was No. 10 New Providence. The Pioneers are 2-0, and beat Johnson 34-17 this week; they’ll visit Metuchen (1-2) this Saturday afternoon.

In the “Also Considered” category, the same four teams remain: Sayreville, Voorhees, and Summit (all 3-0) along with Elizabeth (2-1). Sayreville has a big home game with Hillsborough (1-2) Friday, with a lot on the line for both squads. Voorhees hosts No. 4 Bernards (3-0) Friday, while Summit goes on the road to play Carteret (1-1) and Elizabeth meets No. 9 St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0) Saturday afternoon.

September 13, 2025September 13, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Schwark, no-huddle attack puts Hillside on its heels, gives Summit 35-20 win over Comets

The no-huddle offense is tough to defend, and on a mid-September day with temperatures nearing 80, both conspire to make it difficult for a defense to catch it’s breath.

So, when Summit got the ball to start the game after Hillside won the toss and deferred Saturday afternoon at Investors Bank Field at Tatlock Park, the Hilltoppers went right for the jugular.

And halfway through the opening quarter, they had a 14-0 lead.

First, it was a nine-play, 67-yard drive capped by a 16-yard touchdown pass from QB Alex Schwark to Charlie Garvey. And after a three-and-out stop by the defense, a 32-yard strike to Will Holmes.

Matt McKeeevr added a one-yard run midway through the second, and a 30-yard pass to Connor Gawronski made it 27-0, but Hillside answered on the ensuing kickoff when Kamari Robinson fielded it at the eleven and took it 89 yards to the house.

The Comets made some halftime adjustments and put together some good drives in the second half. They got a 26-yard touchdown catch from Travis Miles in the third, and another eight-yard catch from him with 4:19 to go, but McKeever’s second TD run, which came with 1:49 to go in the third and helped keep Hillside at bay.

Kamari Robinson finished with 96 yards on 16 carries. Miles had three catches for 54 yards, two of them going for touchdowns.

Schwark – a converted running back playing QB – ran the offense well. In Summit’s 3-0 start, he’s rushed for over 100 yards in all three. Saturday, he unofficially went for 132 on a workman-like 22 carries, and was 7-of-16 passing for 133 yards and three touchdowns.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Summit QB Alex Schwark and RB Matt McKeever

Summit Head Coach Kevin Kostibos

September 8, 2025September 13, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Stability at the top, chaos at the bottom of Week One Bellamy & Son Paving Football Rankings

While a good chunk of the first five teams in the Bellamy & Son Paving football rankings won this weekend (only St. Thomas Aquinas lost, and to the No. 1 team in Massachusetts) teams seven through nine all dropped out while three teams that haven’t lost yet made their first appearances.

Through it all, the top six and the tenth team all held their positions, while Hunterdon Central, Bridgewater-Raritan and St. Joseph of Metuchen – the first and last of which were in the “Also Considered” category last week – all joined the Top Ten after Week One of play.

Phillipsburg remains in the top spot after winning its opener Saturday afternoon, blanking Westfield 28-0 behind a 219 rushing yard performance from Sam Dech, who scored the first three touchdowns in the win. The Stateliners will visit Hunterdon Central (2-0) Friday night.

Somerville (2-0) remains in second following a 28-12 home win over Cranford at Brooks Field Friday night. The Pioneers got 182 yards and three scores from Aidan Vesuvio-Bush in the win. Next up, Montgomery (1-1) comes to town Friday night, with Somerville putting a 12-game regular season winning streak on the line.

Woodbridge (2-0) hangs tight in third after a 26-23 win at Watchung Hills, the Barrons third win over the Warriors in two seasons, having beaten them in the regular season and the playoffs last year. Woodbridge – winners of 11 straight regular season contests – visits Plainfield (1-1) next Friday night.

Holding in fourth is Bernards (2-0), which took two days to beat Hillside on the road, 24-14, after thunderstorms in the area suspended Saturday’s game at halftime. The Mountaineers had to finish it off Sunday, and extended their state-best regular season winning streak to 27 games.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1-1) took a tough home loss Saturday, falling 35-7 to Catholic Memorial (MA), the No. 1 ranked MaxPreps team in the Bay State, but holds on to the No. 5 spot with an out-of-state loss to a very good team. They’ll host struggling North Brunswick (0-2) Friday night in North Edison.

Old Bridge (2-0) remains in sixth after a 28-6 road win at Edison Friday night. The Knights will have a big test when they visit Piscataway (1-1) Friday night.

Next up are three teams making their 2025 debuts in the rankings.

Hunterdon Central (2-0) joins the fray at No. 7. The Red Devils were 41-13 winners at Monroe Friday night behind a big offense. QB Drew Cella threw for 171 yards, while Jayden Cozze caught four passes for 110 yards and a touchdown and Reggie Osae-Aye ran 15 times for 197 yard and four scores. Central will host No. 1 Phillipsburg (1-0) Friday night.

Checking in at No. 8 is Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0). The Panthers followed up a season-opening win over Notre Dame with a 34-27 win over Piscataway, sweeping a home-and-home going back to last year. Bridgewater hosts Morristown (1-1) in non-conference action on Friday before welcoming in Hunterdon Central on the 19th in a game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

In ninth is St. Joseph-Metuchen (1-0). The Falcons won their opener, 24-7 at Ridge on Friday night, behind a 102-yard, one-touchdown passing performance from senior quarterback Justin Scaramuzzo. The Joe’s will visit Union (0-2) Friday night.

And finally, New Providence (1-0) holds in tenth after winning Saturday at Governor Livingston, 42-7. In his first varsity start, junior Quarterback Kevin Reilly threw for 171 yards and a touchdown, while A.J. Whitehead scored two rushing touchdowns. The Pioneers will host Johnson (1-0) Friday night.

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week One Top Ten:

A table displaying the Week One rankings for the Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Conference, including team names, their records, and previous rankings.

Dropping out this week were No. 7 Ridge (0-1) after a 24-7 home loss to St. Joseph, No. 8 Piscataway (1-1) after a 34-27 loss at Bridgewater-Raritan, and No. 9 Elizabeth (1-1) after a 26-21 loss to Bayonne.

In the “Also Considered” category, Sayreville (2-0) is there for a second straight week after a 28-14 win over Linden. So is Voorhees (2-0), which put up big numbers – including a 224-yard rushing effort from Matteo Tramutolo – in a 43-14 win at JFK. Summit (2-0) also get some attention after a 31-28 win at Montgomery. And Elizabeth – which was No. 9 last week, but lost to Bayonne, 26-21 – remains in consideration.

Next week, Sayreville travels to Edison (1-1), Voorhees goes to JP Stevens (0-2), and Elizabeth hosts Westfield (1-1), all on Friday night. Summit hosts Hillside (0-1) on Saturday.