New Jersey High School Football Top 25 Rankings – Sept. 21

New Jersey high school football is closing in on the midway point of the season as the picture of who the top teams are in the state has become a lot clearer. The top-ranked Bergen Catholic Crusaders blew away another stout opponent in Pope John XXIII, 35-0.

The remaining teams within the Top 5 along with the Crusaders remained mostly unchanged, other than St. Peter’s Prep entering at No. 5. Who else made the cut in the fourth set of the Top 25 rankings out of New Jersey?

The 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.

Here is the latest New Jersey high school football Top 25 rankings, according to Massey as of Sep. 21.

1. Bergen Catholic Crusaders

The Bergen Catholic Crusaders (4-0) had themselves a doozy of a regular season opener when they defeated East St. Louis (Ill.) at the Battle at the Beach Classic in Ocean City. Bergen Catholic followed up that with another impressive win down in South Florida, defeating West Boca Raton (Fla.), 21-14. Sophomore Jackson Vaughn is just heading into his second season of playing varsity ball has established himself as the top EDGE rusher in the Northeast and is making his case for on the East Coast. Bergen Catholic throughly dominated its most recent matchup versus Pope John XXIII in a 35-0 rout. This week is possibly game of the year in New Jersey when Bergen Catholic and Don Bosco Prep meet on Friday.

2. Don Bosco Prep Ironmen

For the first time in New Jersey high school football history, a team from the Garden State has gone to the Lone Star State and won. The Don Bosco Prep Ironmen (3-0) pulled off a thrilling 14-10 win over the Melissa Cardinals and followed it up with another out-of-state team in Monarch (Fla.), defeating the Knights 38-21 at home. The Ironmen soundly defeated St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) a couple weeks ago, 28-0. Looking ahead at Don Bosco Prep’s schedule, Don Bosco Prep have teams like DePaul Catholic, St. Joseph Regional and rival Bergen Catholic. When it comes to New Jersey high school football regular season schedules, not many schools can stack up to Ironmen. Don Bosco Prep takes on rival No. 1 Bergen Catholic this Friday night in what should be Game of the Year in New Jersey.

3. St. Joseph Regional Green Knights

St. Joseph Regional (4-0) stayed pat at the third spot after they soundly defeated Paramus Catholic, 20-7. The Green Knights got things rolling this 2025 season when they traveled down to the nation’s capital to face St. John’s College High coming away with a 34-19 win to kickoff the season and then followed it up with a 48-0 victory over Cardinal Hayes (N.Y.). The Green Knights feature one of the most talented secondaries around, led by Tennessee commit KJ McClain. St. Joseph Regional looks to improve to 5-0 when they take on No. 5 St. Peter’s Prep this week on Saturday.

4. Hun School Raiders

Through the first four games of the season, the Hun School (4-0) has proven themselves as one of the state’s top teams in the Northeast with a few impressive victories already.

The Raiders defeated The Pennington School 48-0 and then on Sep. 5 upended one of Maryland’s top teams, Archbishop Spalding, in a 35-28 win. Hun School relies on a stout defense, led by a pair of senior defensive ends in Luke Wafle (USC commit) and Seth Clarke (Rice commit).

The Hun School cruised past Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 42-0, last week and this week take on winless Mt. Zion Prep.

5. St. Peter’s Prep Marauders

So far through the near halfway point of the season for the Marauders, they’ve been a pretty dominant group.

St. Peter’s Prep has won by an average of 32 points through four games and their most recent win came over a talented Delbarton group, 42-7. The Marauders (4-0) have one of the Garden State’s most talented offenses, which includes a pair of four-star talents in offensive lineman Oluwasemilore Olubobola and running back Abdul Turay.

One of the best games in the state of New Jersey takes place on Saturday when St. Peter’s Prep takes on No. 3 St. Joseph Regional.

New Jersey High School Football Rankings: Nos. 6 – 25

6. DePaul Catholic (3-1)
7. Winslow Township(2-2)
8. Red Bank Catholic(4-0)
9. Washington Township(5-0)
10. St. Augustine Prep (3-1)

11. Northern Highlands(5-0)
12. Delbarton(1-3)
13. Phillipsburg(4-0)
14. Old Tappan(4-0)
15. Camden (3-1)

16. Rancocas Valley Reg H (4-0)
17. Holmdel(3-0)
18. Rumson-Fair Haven (3-1)
19. Paramus Catholic (1-3)
20. Kingsway (3-1)

21. Atlantic City(3-1)
22. Ramapo (2-1)
23. Brick Memorial (3-1)
24. Pope John XXIII (1-3)
25. West Morris Central (4-0)

How to Follow New Jersey High School Football

For New Jersey high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the Garden State, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Garden State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the gridiron excitement across the state of New Jersey.