2025 BCG Season Preview – Small School Pre-Season Top Ten

Posted on by Big Central Gridiron
Bernards is looking to return to the winner’s circle in North Jersey Group 2 in 2025. The Mountainers are Big Central Gridiron’s Pre-Season No. 1 in the Small School Poll.

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ – Defending three-time BCG Small School Top Ten No. 1, Bernards continues its dominance among the small schools in the Big Central Conference. The Mountaineers finished 2024 at 11-1 after falling to Shabazz in the North Jersey Section 1 Group 2 Championship.

Over the past four seasons, Bernards has compiled an overall mark of 39-7. The Mountaineers have won the BCC’s Patriot Gold Divison three years in a row. Hillside comes in at No. 2 followed by New Providence at No. 3 and Delaware Valley at No. 4

Some other small school teams to watch this season will be No. 8 Metuchen, which opens its season at home against Delaware Valley on Saturday, sixth-ranked Voorhees, which has much of its talent back from a year ago, and unranked Manville, Middlesex, and Highland Park. View BCG’s pre-season rankings below:

  1. Bernards (11-1)
  2. Hillside (5-5)
  3. New Providence (9-3)
  4. Delaware Valley (6-3)
  5. A.L. Johnson (7-2)
  6. Voorhees (3-6)
  7. Governor Livingston (5-5)
  8. Metuchen (7-3)
  9. Spotswood (8-2)
  10. Belvidere (8-2)

Other Teams Considered: Manville (7-3), Middlesex (6-4), Highland Park (6-3), South Hunterdon (4-4), Roselle Park (3-7), Roselle (4-7), Bound Brook (1-8), Jonathan Dayton (4-6), South River (3-7), Brearley (0-10), Dunellen (0-10).