Football rankings: Big Central Conference Top 15, through Week 1

(record in parenthesis)

1. Phillipsburg (1-0) – Last week No. 1 – The Stateliners opened up in dominant fashion, downing Westfield 44-17, scoring early and often at Maloney Stadium. Phillipsburg heads to Hunterdon Central (2-0) to open its American Silver Division slate.

2. St. Thomas Aquinas (1-1) – Last week No. 2 – The Trojans showed they can certainly score in a 53-28 win over Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.). STA trailed 8-7 after the first quarter but then took off with quarterbacks Roman Blanks and Zymere Weaver combining for five touchdown passes. The Trojans travel Friday to North Brunswick (0-2).

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3. Somerville (2-0) – Last week No. 3 – The Pioneers kept it rolling, this time with a 32-14 win over Cranford for their second straight impressive victory. Somerville will head to rebuilding Montgomery (0-2) next weekend.

4. Hillsborough (1-1) – Last week No. 4 --The Raiders got into the win column with a 21-14 victory over Union on Friday night in the home opener for Boro. A trip to Ridge (0-1) is on tap for Friday night, one of two teams Hillsborough shared the American Silver title last year.

5. Woodbridge (2-0) -- Last week No. 7 – The Barrons edged Watchung Hills 13-10 via a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Derek Anderson to his twin, Bryan, for their second-straight exciting win. Woodbridge beat Old Bridge 36-34 in Week Zero. Next up, the Barrons host Plainfield (1-1).]

6. St. Joseph-Metuchen (1-0) – Last week No. 10 – The Falcons trailed 21-7 in the first quarter but turned it on in a 37-34 win over Ridge. Justin Scaramuzzo threw for 392 yards with three touchdowns, and Ashton Irving and Jacob Pappas each had over 100 receiving yards. St. Joseph hosts Union (0-2) on Saturday.

7. Ridge (0-1) – Last week No. 6 – The Red Devils lost a barnburner at St. Joseph-Metuchen on Friday in a battle between teams working some key newcomers into the varsity rhythm. Ridge plays host to Hillsborough (1-1) Friday night in an American Silver showdown.

8. Plainfield (1-1) – Last week No. 9 – The Cardinals shook off their 8-6 loss to Newark Eastside in Week Zero by rolling over New Brunswick 48-0 last weekend with Kamai Lowery calling signals under center. Plainfield plays its third straight road game this week, heading to Woodbridge (2-0) on Friday night.

9. Colonia (2-0) – Last week No. 11 – The Patriots remained undefeated with a 35-7 win over North Hunterdon. Dylan Chiera surpassed 100 passing yards for the second straight week and Julien Jones had 18 tackles and returned an interception for a 24-yard touchdown. Colonia travels Saturday to Linden (1-1).

10. Old Bridge (1-1) – Last week No. 13 – The Knights rebounded from a tough Week Zero loss to Woodbridge, notching a 35-13 win over Edison last weekend. Brody Nugent tossed three touchdowns and added a rushing score. Old Bridge hosts Piscataway (1-1) on Friday.

11. South Brunswick (2-0) –– Last week not ranked – The Vikings are off to a 2-0 start, despite questions with several new starters and coaching staff. S outh Brunswick rallied to beat then-No. 5 North Brunswick 30-21 a week after opening with a win over Robbinsville. The Vikings host Monroe (1-1) on Friday.

12. Bridgewater-Raritan (1-1) –– Last week not ranked – The Panthers lead the conference in scoring through two weeks with 90 points, 11 points more than the next closest team (St. Thomas). That includes Friday night’s inspired 52-48 win at Piscataway in a game that featured punch and counter-punch throughout the contest. BR heads to Morris Knolls (1-0) on Saturday.

13. Piscataway (1-1) -- Last week No. 8 – The Chiefs showed they can be an explosive and exciting team in the 52-48 loss to Bridgewater-Raritan. Jahai Johnson returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in the shootout a week after beating Manalapan. Piscataway travels Friday to Old Bridge (1-1).

14. Summit (1-0) – Last week No. 14 – The Hilltoppers opened their season by cruising past Montgomery 46-7 Saturday. Summit heads to Hillside (1-1) for a huge United Gold Division contest Saturday.

15. North Brunswick (0-2) – Last week No. 5 - The Raiders suffered their second-straight close loss, falling to South Brunswick 30-21. Nyeem Houston took the opening kickoff for a 75-yard touchdown and recovered a fumble. Zak Cipot and Sal Fama-Linn also had turnovers and Anthony Walker forced a fumble for the Raiders, who host St. Thomas Aquinas (1-1) on Friday.

ALSO RECEIVING CONSIDERATION: Bernards (2-0), Cranford (0-1), Elizabeth (2-0), Hunterdon Central (2-0).

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@GannettNJ.com . Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Mendlowitz

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Football rankings: Big Central Conference Top 15, through Week 1