Deep into the second month of the New Jersey high school football season, things have stabilized, and a hierarchy has emerged at the top of the Central Jersey Top 10.
Notre Dame High School and North Brunswick Township High School have been the top two teams, in that order, for three weeks running. Two of North Brunswick’s Middlesex County rivals, Saint Joseph Regional High School and Old Bridge High School, have also turned into Top 10 mainstays over the past month.
Things are a little crazier down the Shore, where teams seem to rise and fall on a weekly basis. Mater Dei Prep started the season at 4-0, but then a three-game losing streak ended the Seraphs’ claim as the Shore’s dominant team.
The loaded area does still have plenty of contenders, though, as always, and that is reflected below.
(Ranking. Team, Record.)
1. Notre Dame, 7-0: Notre Dame quarterback Jake Renda had a big game in a 42-6 victory over Hopewell Valley Central High School on Oct. 18, going 11 for 16 for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
2. North Brunswick, 6-1: The Raiders won their fifth straight game with a 15-13 triumph over Linden High School on Oct. 18.
3. Saint Joseph Regional, 6-1: Running back Jordan Kinsler sparked the Metuchen school to a 23-0 victory over Carteret High School this week, racking up 147 yards and a touchdown.
4. Old Bridge, 6-0: Andrew Vera kicked a game-winning 25-yard field goal and Owen Haughney threw three touchdowns in yet another Knights victory this week, 25-23 over Sayreville War Memorial High School.
5. Manalapan, 4-2: The Braves have won two straight games to climb out of their 2-2 hole.
6. Jackson Memorial, 5-2: The Jaguars have won four straight games to climb out of their 1-2 hole.
7. Mater Dei Prep, 4-3: The reeling Seraphs, who have lost three straight games, will look to get back on track on Oct. 25 at Middletown High School North.
8. Rumson-Fair Haven, 4-3: After two straight victories, the Bulldogs dropped a surprising 20-3 home decision to Middletown High School South on Oct. 18.
9. Montgomery, 6-1: Montgomery has won five games this fall by double digits.
10. Hillsborough, 5-2: The Raiders ended a two-game losing streak with a 26-0 victory over Colonia High School this week.