UNION COUNTY — The news was announced on Monday, July 27, that the fourth annual Big Central Conference Media Day was to be on Wednesday, Aug. 5, at Kean University’s Harwood Arena in Union.
It was to be the third consecutive year that the event was at Kean’s gymnasium.
The BCC includes 59 schools in 12 divisions. There were several changes to the divisions this year, with some teams leaving one division for another. Several divisions remained in the same alignment as last year.
Here are the BCC division alignments for the 2026 and 2027 seasons:
Big Central Conference for 2026 and 2027
American Gold (4 schools): Elizabeth, St. Joseph, Metuchen, Union, Westfield.
American Silver (4 schools): Bridgewater–Raritan Regional, Hillsborough, Phillipsburg, Ridge.
Liberty Gold (5 schools): Colonia, Linden, Plainfield, Rahway, Woodbridge.
Liberty Silver (5 schools): Hunterdon Central Regional, Montgomery, North Hunterdon Regional, Somerville, Watchung Hills Regional.
National Gold (5 schools): East Brunswick, Monroe Township, Old Bridge, Piscataway, South Brunswick.
National Silver (5 schools): Edison, Franklin, North Brunswick Township, Sayreville War Memorial, St. Thomas Aquinas.
United Gold (4 schools): Carteret, Cranford, Scotch Plains–Fanwood, Summit.
United Silver (4 schools): Bernards, Governor Livingston, John F. Kennedy Memorial, South Plainfield.
Patriot Gold (5 schools): Delaware Valley, Hillside, New Brunswick, North Plainfield, Voorhees.
Patriot Silver (6 schools): Arthur L. Johnson, Metuchen, New Providence, Perth Amboy, Abraham Clark, Spotswood.
Freedom Gold (6 schools): David Brearley, Jonathan Dayton, Highland Park, Roselle Park, South River, John P. Stevens.
Freedom Silver (6 schools): Belvidere, Bound Brook, Dunellen, Manville, Middlesex, South Hunterdon Regional.
Most of the schools were to be represented at the Wednesday, Aug. 5, Media Day at Kean.
The event, which was to kick off at 6 p.m., usually includes a head coach or assistant coach accompanied by one or more of his key players. They are then interviewed by media outlets to discuss the upcoming 2026 campaign.
The first BCC Media Day was in Hillsborough in 2023 and modeled after other conference media days that were produced across the state prior.
BCC Media Day is now designed to get to know the players and coaches of the conference teams before the first official day of practice. The first official day of practice for the 2026 season is Monday, Aug. 10.
The first day teams are allowed to schedule scrimmages is Monday, Aug. 17.
The 2026 season commences with Week Zero beginning on Thursday, Aug. 27.
Union County schools that had the most success last year were Summit and New Providence reaching sectional state championship games following first-round and second-round playoff victories.
Kevin Kostibos returns for his 14th season at the helm of the Summit Hilltoppers, while Anthony Conzentino was promoted from within to succeed Chet Parlavecchio Jr. as the new head football coach at New Providence. Parlavecchio returned to his alma mater, Delbarton, as an assistant coach.
Summit won the BCC’s United Gold Division championship last year with a perfect 4-0 record after division wins against Hillside, Carteret, Cranford and Scotch Plains–Fanwood.
Although New Providence defeated Arthur L. Johnson, 37-14, at home, New Providence and Arthur L. Johnson both finished 2-0 in the final Patriot Silver Division standings a year ago. New Providence and Arthur L. Johnson both beat the other two teams in the division, Abraham Clark and Metuchen.
Instead of the final standings showing New Providence, 3-0, and Arthur L. Johnson, 2-1, for some reason, the final standings show both at 2-0.
Arthur L. Johnson also has a new head coach this year with former J.P. Stevens mentor Mike Ryan now leading the Crusaders.
Photo by JR Parachini
