New Jersey High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Sept. 15
The first weeks of the New Jersey high school football season has been full of good on matchups and some surprising results.
Bergen Catholic, the preseason No. 1, still holds down the state’s top spot according to the On3 Massey Ratings. But there has been plenty of movement elsehwere.
After three weeks, here’s a look at the updated top 25 teams in New Jersey:
The On3 Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory. According to the model — four teams from Alabama rank inside the nationwide top 100.
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1. Bergen Catholic
Previous Rank: 1
Bergen opened the season with a huge test against Florida’s IMG Academy, but fell to the Ascenders 27-14. After regrouping, they traveled to Ohio to face the No. 2 team in the Buckeye State: Washington. The Crusaders put on a dominant performance from start to finish, rolling to a 35-21 victory. But there was no rest on the schedule this weekend, with a showdown against New York’s No. 1 team, Iona Prep. The Crusaders rolled to a 31-10 win and now sit at 2-1 on the season.
2. St Joseph Regional
Previous Rank: 2
Week 1 was arguably their toughest test of the season for St. Joseph with an out-of-state road game at Baltimore St. Frances Academy. They fell in a 31-21 decision, but rebounded quickly with a decisive 28-7 win over then-No. 9 Seton Hall Prep. Top-10 New York program Archbishop Stepinac was the next victim on their list, as the Green Knights rolled to a 43-0 victory.
3. DePaul Catholic
Previous Rank: 3
DePaul opened against Pope John XXIII, routing the Friars 47-14. Then they headed down to Maryland to face D.C.-area powerhouse Good Counsel and came out with an impressive 28-17 victory led by Ohio State wide receiver commit De’zie Jones. They continued their winning ways over the weekend with a commanding 36-20 win over New York’s No. 3 team, Cardinal Hayes.
4. Don Bosco Prep
Previous Rank: 4
Don Bosco faces one of the nation’s most challenging schedules, which includes Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban, Red Bank Catholic, Bergen Catholic, St. Joseph and St. Peter’s. They opened the season on the road at Hoban, falling 21-7 to one of the premier programs in Ohio. The Ironmen were back on the road at Red Bank Catholic, a preseason top-10 team, and routed them 44-0 in Week 2. On Friday, they traveled across state lines to beat New York St. Anthony’s 49-10.
5. Hun School
Previous Rank: 5
The Raiders field a roster that features numerous Division I commitments, and they’ve made a huge move up the rankings early in the season. They opened the season with a massive upset win over Illinois powerhouse Mount Carmel, then followed it by beating Wyoming Seminary Upper School and Connecticut’s No. 2 team Avon Old Farms 35-7.
6. Millville
Previous Rank: 6
The Thunderbolts got off to a strong start in Week 1 by beating Holy Spirit 35-0, while Alabama wide receiver commit Lotzeir Brooks broke the state record for career touchdowns receptions in the process. In Week 2, they downed Atlantic City 49-6 and before dominating No. 12 Mainland Regional 40-7 in a rematch of last year’s Group 4 quarterfinals.
7. St. Augustine Prep
Previous Rank: 7
St. Augustine Prep avenged its lost to Donovan Catholic in Non-Public A quarterfinals a year ago by routing them 35-6 in Week 1. They were dominant again in Week 2, shutting out Paul VI 29-0. And it was more of the same in Week 3, beating top-25 opponent Cherokee 21-7.
8. Toms River North
Previous Rank: 8
The Mariners are one of the season’s biggest early rankings movers after after shutting down Downington (Pa.) East 31-2 in the season opener then following that with a 55-0 bludgeoning of Toms River East, beating their crosstown rivals handily. In Week 3, they rolled Jackson Memorial 54-10 to extend the winning streak to three.
9. Delbarton School
Previous Rank: 9
Delbarton opened 2024 in dominant fashion by beating Iona Prep, New York’s No. 1 team, 34-7 at home. They welcomed one of Pennsylvania’s top programs, Malvern Prep, the following weekend but came out on the wrong end of 27-17 final score. However, they rebounded quickly by beating top-25 Monsignor Farrell (N.Y.) 28-0.
10. Paramus Catholic
Previous Rank: 11
The Paladins have been a New Jersey powerhouse for years, but didn’t come into this season with high external expectations. It’s safe to say those projections can be thrown out the window after wins over St. Peters Prep and Pope John XXIII. Their biggest test to date will come this week when they travel to face No. 2 St. Joseph Regional.
Teams 11-25 in latest New Jersey High School Football rankings
11. Seton Hall Prep (-1)
12. Washington Township (+5)
13. Camden (+3)
14. Phillipsburg (-1)
15. Winslow Township
16. St. Peter’s Prep (+2)
17. Mainland Regional (-5)
18. Cherokee (-4)
19. Rumson-Fair Haven (+1)
20. Red Bank Catholic (+5)
21. Old Tappan (+1)
22. Holy Spirit (previously unranked)
23. Ridgewood (previously unranked)
24. Passaic County Technical Insititute
25. Willingboro (-2)
Dropped out: #19 Donovan Catholic, #21 Shawnee,