NJ Football: Video of the Central Conference’s big media day
The Big Central Conference held a media day for the upcoming football season on Thursday at Kean University’s Hardwood Arena in Union.
Ranking the best high school football teams in the Big Central Football Conference before the 2024 season:
(Records from last season in brackets)
1. Phillipsburg (10-2) – The Stateliners reached the North 2, Group 5 sectional finals for the second year in a row last year, securing their third straight division title. P’Burg returns plenty of proven talent, including QB Jett Genovese and receiver Matt Scerbo, and is relegated to Group 4. The Liners open their season on Sept. 6 against Westfield.
More: Central Jersey High School Football: Links to our 2024 Season Preview
More: Group classifications released for the 2024 NJ football season. See where your team landed
2. Saint Thomas Aquinas (10-1) – The Trojans return with a balanced core after reaching the Non-Public B semifinals, including Roman Blanks, Chase Young and big linemen Elijah Thomas and Caden Sternlieb, as well as some promising transfers. They open Saturday against Mount St. Joseph (MD) in Delaware.
3. Hillsborough (8-3) –The Raiders rode their defense to their third straight winning season and sixth straight playoff berth a year ago, allowing just 11 points per game. Now with the majority of that unit back, as well as some great offensive players including Jackson Jankowicz, Boro should be much more balanced and ready for another great season. Hillsborough heads to Somerville on Thursday night.
4. North Brunswick (8-1) – The Raiders have won back-to-back National Silver Division titles and are a power in Middlesex County under Mike Cipot. This season should be no different. Quarterback Al Trevilese and Penn newcomer Jahir Dawud (RB/WR/S) are among several key returnees. The Raiders travel to Jackson on Friday.
5. Somerville (5-5) – After doing well in the American Gold last year, the Pioneers move to the more size-appropriate Liberty Silver and enter the season as division favorites. Terrell Mitchell leads a strong group of returning talent for Somerville, which also added some key transfers. The Ville hosts Hillsborough in its opener Thursday night.
6. Ridge (8-2) –The Red Devils have qualified for the playoffs for the eighth year in a row and reached the semifinals for the fifth year in a row last year. And although Ridge has lost some top talent to graduation, including Will Deady and Ryan Olivo, this program isn’t rebuilding, it’s reloading, and that should certainly be the case in 2024. The Red Devils open play Sept. 7 at St. Joseph-Metuchen.
7. Woodbridge (6-4) — Veteran captain Joe Goerge takes over as head coach of the Barrons, taking over a star-studded staff. Senior quarterback Derek Anderson leads the new triple option and looks to bond with his twin, Bryan. All-division linemen JanCarlo Mena and Jaden Feliciano are also back. The Barrons travel to Old Bridge on Thursday.
8. Plainfield (6-5) – The once-dominant program finally broke free from nearly two decades of failure, posting its first winning season in 18 years last year. It reached the playoffs for the first time since 2010 and hosted a playoff game for the first time since 2001. Senior lineman Josue Cordoba (Kent State) is a big loss, but Plainfield gets back a ton of established talent, including quarterback/linebacker Ala-Meen Watkins and receivers/DBs Joel Cordoba and Al-Khabir Bethune. The Cardinals, who also added three key transfers, will play their opening game Friday at Newark Eastside.
9. Piscataway (6-4) — The Chiefs missed the playoffs last year despite posting a second straight six-win season. Now they’re looking toward the postseason with a beefed-up schedule. First-team all-division picks Jahai Johnson (WR/FS), Josh Stephens (LB/FB) and Riley Wingate (OT/DE) are key players on a balanced team that loses just four seniors. Piscataway hosts Manalapan in its opener Friday.
10. Sayreville (8-3) – Longtime assistant and former star quarterback Mark Poole takes over the program as head coach. The Bombers must replace Zaimer Wright (1,743 yards, 22 touchdowns) and others, such as all-area linemen Frank Paczkowski and Connor Walsh. But the Sayreville program is expected to replenish quickly. The Bombers host Colonia on Thursday.
11. Old Bridge (4-6) – The Knights return 17 starters from a team that won four of its final six games last season, including dual-threat quarterback Brody Nugen and all-division players Jaden Griffith (WR), Thomas Kasoff (LB) and Aidan Reynoso (DB). Old Bridge hosts Woodbridge in its opener Thursday.
12. St. Joseph – Metuchen (7-3) – The Falcons won their final six games of the regular season last year and made the playoffs comfortably before losing to a tough team, Seton Hall Prep. Now the young team must replace some key players, but also get back starters like Javon Hudson (ILB/FB), Ashton Irving (FS/WR) and one of the area’s best kickers, Tyler Huseth. St. Joseph plays at home against Ridge on September 7.
13. Union (5-6) – The Farmers won the American Gold last year despite an overall record of under .500. With a new head coach in Jason Scott and some key departures and transfer losses, it remains to be seen which way Union goes in a completely wide open division. The Farmers head to Seton Hall Prep on Saturday for their opener.
14. Summit (7-3) – The Hilltoppers emerged as Union County’s best team last year, with their only losses coming to powerhouse St. Thomas, fellow Non-Public powerhouse St. Joseph and Group 3 finalist West Essex in the sectional semifinals. Summit is coming off some big losses in the seniors, but should be back in the mix at a very competitive United Gold. The Hilltoppers host Montgomery on Sept. 7.
15. Cranford (4-5) –– The Cougars have 11 starters back looking to put their sub-.500 finish from last year behind them and continue their run that saw them have 13 consecutive winning seasons until last year. Junior Tyler Veltre returns at quarterback, leading a talented group of players that includes senior halfback Justin Hoeffler, who was named to the All-County second team last season. Cranford faces No. 5 Somerville at home on Sept. 6 to open the season.
ALSO TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT: Carteret (7-3), Colonia (5-5), Edison (3-7), Hillside (6-3), Hunterdon Central (6-4).
Simeon Pincus has been covering sports in New Jersey since 1997. He can be reached at [email protected]Follow him on Twitter @SimeonPincus
You can reach Andy Mendlowitz at [email protected]Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Mendlowitz
