Summit High School's football team held on for a 23-21 win over Colonia in its season opener Friday, Aug. 28. Jackson Marx returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown and later intercepted a game-tying two-point conversion attempt.

The Hilltoppers looked dominant early. After Marx's return gave Summit a 7-0 lead with the extra point, the team kept rolling and built a 23-0 advantage late in the second quarter.

Then Colonia answered with three unanswered touchdowns.

Kyle Bell punched in a 10-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, cutting Summit's lead to 23-21 and setting up a two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game. Marx intercepted the conversion pass, sealing the two-point margin, according to Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Summit's lead remained in jeopardy after the Hilltoppers punted on their next possession. Colonia's offense couldn't advance past midfield before time expired.

The Hilltoppers, ranked No. 9 in Central Jersey Sports Radio's preseason Big Central Conference Top Ten, entered the season with high expectations after finishing 9-3 in 2025 and reaching the North 2, Group 3 final. Summit also moves up from the North 3 to the North 4 supersection classification for the 2026 and 2027 seasons under new NJSIAA groupings, placing the Hilltoppers in a section alongside Colonia, Rahway, Scotch Plains-Fanwood and others.

That reclassification means Summit's next opponent is also a section rival. The Hilltoppers travel to Rahway, which opened its own season with a 30-28 win over Willingboro on Thursday, Aug. 27.