Football rankings: Big Central Conference final Top 15

(record in parenthesis)

1.. North Hunterdon (11-2) – The Lions captured their first sectional championship since 2017, claiming the North 4 Group 4 championship with a 49-35 win over Randolph, before falling by one point in overtime to Northern Highlands in the state Group 4 semifinals. The Liberty Silver Division champ’s only regular-season loss came in Week 3 against Philipsburg.

FOOTBALL INDEX: Big Central Conference and area postseason honors links

2. Edison (9-4) - The Eagles’ regular-season run had its speed bumps, but the postseason was a high-velocity ride to their first state sectional title in 21 years. After regular-season losses to North Brunswick, Sayreville and St. Thomas, Edison soared through the playoffs, with impressive wins over Hillsborough, North Brunswick and Lenape, the latter coming 28-14 in the South 5 final. The Eagles finally succumbed in the state semifinals to eventual state Group 5 champ Toms River North.

3.. Phillipsburg (11-1) –The Stateliners tore through their regular-season schedule undefeated, before advancing to the North 2 Group 5 final, falling to West Orange. The American Silver Division champs then scored their biggest win of the year on Thanksgiving Day, topping Easton in the annual rivalry game, snapping a six-year slide.

4.. St. Thomas Aquinas (9-2) – After playing in a Group 2 division last year, the Trojans successfully infiltrated the Group 3 United Gold Division, claiming the crown. STA ran the table in league play, including notching victories over Edison, Cranford and Hillside, with its only regular-season loss coming by five points to Timber Creek in Week zero. St. Thomas earned a first-round bye in the Non-Public B playoffs, before falling to Holy Spirit in the semis.

5. Hillside (9-2) – The Comets continued to make the most of a Group 2 schedule, going 7-1 in the regular season, with a 17-7 setback to St. Thomas Aquinas in Week 5 the only blemish. Hillside then streaked through Parsippany Hills and River Dell, before checking out to eventual state champion Old Tappan 28-14 in the North 1 Group 3 final.

6. Cranford (7-3) – The Cougars ignored the departure of a massively talented haul of graduated stars, as a new crop stepped up and fueled a 6-2 regular season and a trip to the sectional semifinals, where Cranford came within a 14-7 loss to West Essex from advancing to the final. North Hunterdon and St. Thomas were the Cougars only regular-season defeats.

7. Ridge (7-3) – After a regular-season run that featured losses to only Phillipsburg and Hillsborough, Ridge scored a decisive 52-7 win over Roxbury to open the playoffs to reach the sectional semifinals for the fourth straight season.

8. North Brunswick (8-2) – The Raiders ransacked their way to a 7-0 start, before falling to Cranford in the regular-season finale. The National Silver Division champions beat Hunterdon Central in the first round of the playoffs, before falling to Edison in the semis, a team North Brunswick had beaten earlier this season.

9. Watchung Hills (7-3) – The Warriors notched their second winning season in three years, this one earning them their first home playoff game since 1989. Watchung Hills, which fell to eventual sectional champ West Orange in the first round of the playoffs, lost just twice during the regular season – by one point to North Hunterdon and by four to Morris Knolls.

10. Westfield (8-3) –The Blue Devils shook off two straight losing seasons, rebounding from an opening-week loss to Watchung Hills by reeling off five straight, and finishing the regular season with just one other setback – to Ridge. The American Gold Division champs handled Bridgewater-Raritan 28-7 in the playoff opener, before falling at Union City.

11. Hillsborough (5-4) – The Raiders followed up last year’s undefeated season with another winning campaign, despite massive graduation losses. Boro started 5-1, with the loss coming to Phillipsburg, before dropping a pair down the stretch and its playoff opener against eventual sectional champ Edison.

12. Bernards (8-2) –– The Mountaineers notched their fifth straight eight-win season and fourth straight playoff berth, claiming the Patriot Gold Division championship. Bernards’ only regular-season loss came Week 1 against Hillside.

13. Piscataway (6-3) –The Chiefs had not won a game since 2019, after skipping the 2020 COVID season and going 0-8 a year ago. Piscataway, which finished in a three-way tie for first place in the National Gold Division, finished the regular season with four straight wins, before falling to Paterson East Side in the first round of the playoffs.

14. Colonia (8-2) –– The Liberty Gold Division champion Patriots lost just once during the regular season – to top-ranked North Hunterdon, and made the playoffs, falling to state power Morris Knolls in the first round. It’s Colonia’s second consecutive eight-win season.

15. Brearley (10-1) –– The Bears finished the regular season undefeated, claiming the Freedom Gold title, and went to the North 1 Group 1 final, where they were edged by Mountain Lakes 16-6.

ALSO RECEIVING CONSIDERATION: Delaware Valley (6-3), Montgomery (7-3), South Plainfield (8-1).

Rankings by Simeon Pincus and Andy Mendlowitz

Simeon Pincus has been covering New Jersey sports since 1997. He can be reached at SPincus@GannettNJ.com. Follow him on Twitter @SimeonPincus

Andy Mendlowitz can be reached at AMendlowitz@NJPressMedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Mendlowitz

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Big Central Conference NJ Football rankings: final Top 15 for 2022