CoachesAid.com - High School Sports

Welcome to the New Jersey site of CoachesAid.com, where each Monday we will unveil our rankings of the top 20 football teams in the state, regardless of classification. We will also rank the top 10 teams in each of the five classifications. You agree with our rankings? Disagree? Please make your case in our forum or by emailing Andy Mendlowitz, site editor, at andymendlowitz@coachesaid.com 

NEW JERSEY RANKINGS

1 DON BOSCO IRONMEN (3-0) 1 (Previous Ranking)

Last Week: Def. Passaic, 49-8

This Week: vs. Clifton, Friday, 7 p.m.

2 ST. JOSEPH-MONTVALE GREEN KNIGHTS (3-0) 2

Last Week: Def. Wayne Hills, 17-15

This Week: at Fair Lawn, Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

3 WAYNE HILLS PATRIOTS (3-1) 2

Last Week: Lost to No. 2 St. Joseph-Montvale, 17-15

This Week: Friday, Bayonne, 7 p.m.

4 ST PETER’S PREP MARAUDERS (2-1) 4

Last Week: Def. Bayonne, 60-7

This Week: at Union City, Friday, 7 p.m.

5 BERGEN CATHOLIC CRUSADERS (3-1) 5

Last Week: Def. Ridgewood, 40-14

This Week: at Bergen Tech, Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

6 CHEROKEE CHIEFS (3-0) 6

Last Week: Idle

This Week: vs. Pennsauken, Friday, 7 p.m.

7 DELSEA CRUSADERS (4-0) 8

Last Week: Def. Clearview, 42-22

This Week: vs. Absegami, Friday, 7 p.m.

8 MANASQUAN WARRIORS (3-0) 10

Last Week: Def. Pinelands, 28-6

This Week: vs. Barnegat, Saturday, 2 p.m.

9 MAINLAND MUSTANGS (3-0) 9

Last Week: Idle

This Week: at Holy Spirit, Friday, 7 p.m.

10 WILLIAMSTOWN BRAVES (3-0) 11

Last Week: Def. Cumberland, 33-7

This Week: at Paramus Catholic, Saturday, 2 p.m.

11 PATERSON CATHOLIC COUGARS (4-0) 12

Last Week: Def. Lodi, 22-12

This Week: vs. Pompton Lakes, Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

12 HAMMONTON BLUE DEVILS (3-0) 13

Last Week: Def. Oakcrest, 41-0

This Week: vs. Ocean City, Friday, 7 p.m.

13 UNION FARMERS (4-0) 14

Last Week: Def. Watchung Hills, 35-0

This Week: vs. Hillsborough, Friday, 7 p.m.

14 MIDDLETOWN SOUTH EAGLES (4-0) 15

Last Week: Def. Freehold Boro, 21-10

This Week: at Central, Friday, 7 p.m.

15 TIMBER CREEK CHARGERS (3-0) 18

Last Week: Def. Northern Burlington, 48-21

This Week: vs. Camden, Friday, 7 p.m.

16 GLASSBORO BULLDOGS (3-0) 16

Last Week: Idle

This Week: at Gloucester City, Friday, 7 p.m.

17 SAYREVILLE BOMBERS (4-0) 19

Last Week: Def. Old Bridge

This Week: vs. Freehold Township, Friday, 7 p.m.

18 HUNTERDEON CENTRAL RED DEVILS (4-0) NR

Last Week: Def. No. 20 Phillipsburg, 24-15

This Week: vs. Elizabeth, Friday, 7 p.m.

19 HOWELL REBELS (4-0) NR

Last Week: Def. Toms River North, 7-3

This Week: vs. Manalapan, Friday, 7 p.m.

20 PHILLIPSBURG STATELINERS (2-1) 7

Last Week: Lost to Hunterdon Central, 24-15

This Week: at Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Notes: Three loses from Top 20 teams results in two drop outs and two newcomers. Howell’s in after beating previous No. 17 Toms River North in a surprising defensive battle. Then-No. 20 Freehold Boro drops out after losing to No. 15 Middletown South 21-10. Hunterdon Central debuts at No. 18 after beating last week’s No. 7 Phillipsburg. The question was how far does Wayne Hillls drop after its 17-15 defeat to St. Joseph? Answer: not very far. I simply swapped the two teams. Wayne Hills is a legit Top 5 team and was a few bounces away from a victory Friday. … No. 6 Cherokee gets a tough one Friday against Burlco/Olympic American Division foe Pennsauken, which suffered its first defeat last week against Washington Township, 12-8. … In maybe the longest travel in-state distance game of the season, No. 10 Williamstown goes to Paramus Catholic.

GROUP 4

1 Mainland (3-0) 1 (Previous Ranking)

2 Cherokee (3-0) 3

3 Williamstown (3-0) 4

4 Union (4-0) 5

5 Sayreville (4-0) 7

6 Roxbury (4-0) 8

7 Egg Harbor Township (4-0) 9

8 Hunterdon Central (4-0) 10

9 Howell (4-0) NR

10 Phillipsburg (2-1) 2

Notes: Last week’s No. 6 Toms River North drops out after the 7-3 loss to Howell in the Shore Conference American Division game. With so many good Division 4 teams, even a “good” loss hurts you. The Mariners (2-1) must quickly regroup to play Brick Memorial (3-1), the preseason No. 5 team … No. 1 Mainland gets perhaps its toughest test yet Friday at Holy Spirit (3-1).

GROUP 3

1 Wayne Hills (3-1) 1 (Previous Ranking)

2 Hammonton (3-0) 2

3 Middletown South (4-0) 3

4 Timber Creek (4-0) 4

5 Pascack Valley (4-0) 6

6 Nutley (4-0) 8

7 Irvington (3-1) 9

8 Wayne Valley (2-2) 10

9 Morristown (3-1) NR 

 10 Paramus (2-1) 9

Notes: No. 5 Freehold Boro (2-2) drops out after its 21-10 loss to No. 3 Middletown South. … No. 10 Paramus stays in. Hey, it was a 22-21 loss to No. 8 Wayne Valley that came down to a failed two-point conversion try in the final two minutes. … Morristown enters at No. 9, edging Monroe and Neptune for the spot. The Colonials have won three straight after losing to dangerous Seton Hall Prep 24-21 in the opener. They also have a signature win over West Morris (3-1). … Nutley’s offense continues to put up points, beating East Side 43-22. The Raiders are averaging 39.8 points per game. None of their opponents, however, has a winning record.

GROUP 2

1 Delsea (4-0) 1 (Previous Ranking)

2 Manasquan (3-0) 2

3 River Dell (4-0) 3

4 West Deptford (4-0) 5

5 Summit (4-0) 7

6 Rumson-Fair Haven (4-0) NR

7 Haddonfield (4-0) NR

8 Matawan (3-1) 8

9 Raritan (3-1) 10

10 Hillside (3-1) NR

Notes: The rankings were going smoothly until I reached Group 2. Not only were there four loses, but last week’s No. 8 Matawan lost to Non-Public, Group 4 Red Bank Catholic, 20-7. While No. 10 Raritan beat Pt. Pleasant Boro, 42-7. Two weeks ago, Matawan decisively beat Raritan, so I couldn’t leap Raritan ahead of Matawan. But I also didn’t want to move Matawan up after a loss. At the same time, No. 4 Governor Livingston lost 33-27 to Hillside, a team its own size. So I couldn’t rank Gov. Livingston ahead of Hillside. Follow? So … I kept Matawan in at No. 8, moved Raritan up to No. 9, entered Hillside at No. 10 (they were ranked 9 in the preseason), put in Rumson-Fair Haven at No. 6 and Haddonfield at No. 7. Then No. 4-Governor Livingston (2-1) drops all the way out. I dropped No. 6 Orange (2-1) because it lost 20-15 to a Group 1 team in Weequahic and No. 9 Cinnaminson, after its 28-20 loss to Non-Public Bishop Eustace. … Governor Livingston gets an immediate chance to show that I made a mistake with a game Friday at No. 5 Summit. … Also Friday, No. 4 West Deptford hosts No. 7 Haddonfield. … Another marquee game is No. 3 River Dell hosting Group 3 Tenafly (4-0). … Several undefeated teams loom, including Keyport, Lenape Valley, Lincoln and Long Branch. … Rahway (1-2) is also in the mix. The Indians beat Cranford 38-7 Saturday in their first Group 2 game of the season. It had earlier lost to bigger powers, Linden and Immaculata.

GROUP 1

1 Glassboro (3-0) 1 (Previous Ranking)

2 Cedar Grove (4-0) 3

3 Mountain Lakes (4-0) 4

 4 Penns Grove (3-0) 5

5 Paulsboro (4-0) 6

6 Secaucus (3-0) 7

7 Butler (4-0) 8

8 Hasbrouck Heights (3-0) 9

9 Asbury Park (2-1) 2

10 David Brearley (3-1) 10

Notes: No one drops out, but there was a loss. Group 2 Rumson-Fair Haven (4-0) beat No. 9 Asbury Park, 26-18, in a Shore Conference Patriot Division game. … A veteran Cedar Grove team got its third shutout in four games with a 29-0 win over Group 2 Caldwell. … No. 6 Secaucus plays Wallington in a key Bergen County Scholastic League National game Friday. Wallington (2-1) edged Wood-Ridge 32-29 in overtime Saturday. It earlier lost 22-20 to Becton. … Two unbeaten teams on the verge of getting ranked face-off Friday, with Dayton (4-0) traveling to Belvidere (4-0) in a Mid-State 39 crossover game.

NON-PUBLIC

1 Don Bosco (3-0) 1 (Previous Ranking)

2 St. Joseph-Montvale (3-0) 2

3 St. Peter’s Prep (2-1) 3

4 Bergen Catholic (3-1) 4

5 Paterson Catholic (4-0) 5

6 Saint Augustine (4-0) 6

7 Pope John (4-0) 7

8 Camden Catholic (2-1) 8

9 DePaul (2-2) 9

10 Bishop Eustace (3-0) 10

Notes: Nobody lost in a status quo week. It wasn’t without, however, some challenges. No. 5 Paterson Catholic beat previously undefeated Lodi, 22-12, after a scoreless first half.  No. 8 Camden Catholic edged Pemberton 34-31 on a Zach Sheard 3-yard touchdown run with 41 seconds left. No. 10 Bishop Eustace beat Cinnaminson 28-20. … Last week, I questioned if unbeaten Holy Spirit should get ranked ahead of DePaul. Well, St. Joseph-Hammonton (3-1) nipped Holy Spirit 19-14, and DePaul rebounded nicely with a 48-14 win over Ferris (2-2).