Summit's football team won big on Oct. 16 and still lost ground in the playoff race.
The Hilltoppers routed Scotch Plains-Fanwood 42-14 in Week 7 but slipped from seventh to 10th in the North Group 4 standings, according to Central Jersey Sports Radio. Their United Power Rating worsened from 8.0 to 9.0. In the UPR system, a lower number means a higher ranking.
That puts Summit on the bubble. Only the top eight teams in each supersection earn a home game in the first round of the NJSIAA state playoffs, and the Hilltoppers (6-2) sit just outside that cutoff heading into the final regular-season weekend.
Coach Kevin Kostibos' squad hosts Bernards (6-2) on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Tatlock Field in a game both programs need to protect their top-eight positioning. Bernards, competing in the North Group 2 supersection, carried a 5.20 UPR heading into Week 7 and needs the victory to shore up its own seeding, Central Jersey Sports Radio reported in an earlier analysis.
A Summit win would add a quality opponent's strength-of-schedule points to the Hilltoppers' résumé and could push them back inside the top eight before the NJSIAA Strength Index values lock in after Cutoff Weekend.
Central Jersey Sports Radio's Oct. 14 analysis described the Mountaineers as likely needing a road win at Summit on Cutoff Weekend to hold their top-eight spot in North Group 2.
Senior quarterback Matt McKeever threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Will Heil in the first quarter of a 20-0 home win on Sept. 25, according to the Summit High student newspaper. The Hilltoppers have won six of eight games since.
Saturday's remaining Week 7 games across the state will shift the standings again before Cutoff Weekend, Central Jersey Sports Radio noted. Summit's playoff fate comes down to the Bernards matchup.
