Football rankings: Big Central Conference Top 15, through Week 4

Top of the rankings stays the same, but there’s some movement the rest of the way, including two new teams joining the Top 15 as we hit the midpoint of the regular season.

Some juicy matchups on tap for Week 5 could shake up the rankings as division titles get clinched and playoff position is solidified.

More: Vote: Big Central Conference Readers’ Choice Football Player of the Week poll for Week 4

More: Football results: Big Central Conference and area roundup for Week 4

Here is the Big Central Conference ranking through Week 4 (record in parenthesis):

1. St. Thomas Aquinas (4-1) – Last week No. 1 – The Trojans beat Elizabeth 25-8 in a game that was originally suspended with 2:34 left in the third quarter after running back Chase Young collapsed, untouched, and was taken out in an ambulance. Head coach Tarig Holman said Saturday morning that Young was released from the hospital and is doing well. Young and Chukwuma Odoh each rushed for over 100 yards and Roman Blanks was 9-for-9 passing for 124 yards and two scores. The Trojans travel to fellow state-ranked Paramus Catholic (2-2) on Friday.

2. St. Joseph-Metuchen (4-0) – Last week No. 2 – The Falcons notched a dominant 35-16 win over Westfield after leading 35-3 headed to the fourth quarter. Justin Scaramuzzo threw for 280 yards and five touchdowns – to four different receivers.  Jaylen Frias led with seven tackles and Jason Gross had a sack and forced a fumbled. St. Joseph hosts North Brunswick (1-4) in their Friday night game of the season.

3. Ridge (3-1) – Last week No. 3 – The Red Devils continued to roll, reeling off their third straight victory, this one 47-10 over Bridgewater-Raritan to clinch the American Silver Division title, as Ryan Turner made six visits to the end zone. Ridge welcomes in Union (0-5) on Friday night.

4. Phillipsburg (3-1) – Last week No. 4 – The Stateliners shook off their Week 3 loss to Ridge by winning a slugfest at home against Hillsborough, as Jett Genovese and Matt Scerbo led the way in a 42-35 win. P’Burg heads to SFC power West Orange (4-1) on Friday night.

5. Somerville (5-0) – Last week No. 5 – The Pioneers offense gets a lot of accolades, and rightfully so, but it was the defense that led the way Saturday at Hillside in a 22-0 win. Somerville will take on Summit (4-0) in a big interconference game and a battle of undefeated clubs.

6. Woodbridge (5-0) -- Last week No. 6 –The Barrons scored over 40 points for the third straight game in a 42-14 win over Linden. The defense chipped in three interception returns for touchdowns. Bryan Anderson scored twice off picks of 40 and 97 yards, respectively, and Jeremiah Colon had a 15-yard return for a score. The Barrons travel to Perth Amboy (1-4) on Friday.

7. Colonia (4-1) – Last week No. 8 – Kyle Bell scooted for a 90-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter as the Patriots edged Perth Amboy 27-20. Bell finished with 143 rushing yards and had 98 receiving yards on two catches, including a 65-yard touchdown reception from Dylan Chiera. Colonia travels to Edison (2-3) on Friday.

8. Piscataway (3-2) -- Last week No. 10 – The Chiefs watched highlights from their undefeated 2004 team that featured three first-round NFL draft picks, then went out and shutout South Brunswick 25-0. It was Piscataway’s first shutout since Oct. 21, 2022. Riley Wingate led the way with seven tackles and two sacks. Up next, the Chiefs travel Friday to Sayreville (2-3).

9. Old Bridge (3-2) – Last week No. 11 – The Knights topped East Brunswick 35-7 in the “Battle of Rt. 18” rivalry game with a strong running attack. Quarterback Brody Nugent rushed for 110 yards and three scores and Jeremiah Dixon chipped in 104 yards on the ground. Old Bridge travels Saturday to non-conference Morristown (2-3).

10. Hillsborough (2-3) – Last week No. 7 --The Raiders put forth their second straight 35-point performance, but this time it wasn’t enough, as they dropped a barnburner at Phillipsburg, 42-35. Hillsborough faces another tough task this week as Westfield (2-2) makes the trip to Noonan Field.

11. Bridgewater-Raritan (2-3) –– Last week No. 9 – The Panthers ran smack into the league’s hottest team in Ridge on Friday night and the result was a 47-10 setback at Basilone Field. BR heads back on the road this week with a Friday night trip to Elizabeth (2-3).

12. Plainfield (2-2) – Last week No. 13 – The Cardinals were idle in Week 4. They’ll visit Franklin (3-2) this weekend.

13. Summit (4-0) – Last week No. 14 – The Hilltoppers scored a 21-7 win over Cranford on Saturday behind another big game from quarterback Cole Sabol. The victory not only keeps Summit undefeated, but it clinched the United Gold championship. Next up is a Friday night trip to Somerville (5-0).

14. Watchung Hills (4-1) – Last week not ranked – The Warriors were hit hard by graduation, but have hardly skipped a beat, with their lone loss coming 13-10 in Week 1 at sixth-ranked Woodbridge. Coming off its second straight shutout win, 17-0 over Montgomery, Watchung Hills heads to South Brunswick (3-2) this weekend with a chance to pick up a nice haul of power points against the Group 5 Vikings.

15. Bernards (5-0) – – Last week not ranked – The Mountaineers lost a big chunk of last year’s sectional-championship winning team to graduation, but have continued to roll, with last weekend’s 35-14 drubbing of J.P. Stevens netting Bernards its fourth straight conference title. South Plainfield (1-4) comes to Olcott Field on Friday night.

DROPPED OUT: South Brunswick (3-2), Westfield (2-2).

ALSO RECEIVING CONSIDERATION: Cranford (2-1), Delaware Valley (3-1), Rahway (3-1)

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 4