Top 10 Games of the 2025 New Jersey High School Football Season

We continue our look at the top games of the 2025 season with a tour of New Jersey high school football, where some of the best football in the Northeast is played. From programs like Bergen Catholic, Don Bosco Prep and others, we compiled what we believe are the best games being played in the Garden State this fall.

1. East St. Louis (Ill.) at Bergen Catholic, Aug. 28

A battle between a couple of the country’s top teams at the Battle at the Beach Classic, played at the historic Carey Stadium is a no brainer to start the season. Both the Flyers and Crusaders are considered by many as contenders on the national level and the meeting will be a good look at both programs right out of the gates. With plenty of Power 4 talent that will be on display, there will be no shortage of folks watching this one.

2. Don Bosco Prep at Bergen Catholic, Sept. 26

Only reason this isn’t No. 1 is because of another nationally-ranked team coming into town. Other than that, every time the Ironmen and Crusaders meet is straight cinema for the fans attending the contest. The 2024 regular season meeting between the New Jersey powerhouses ended with Bergen Catholic just edging out their counterparts, 24-20. They would later go on to defeat the Ironmen in the NJSIAA Non-Public A state championship, 25-7.

3. Bergen Catholic at Winslow Township, Sept. 12

Yep, another matchup involving Bergen Catholic. What can we say, the Crusaders put together quite the schedule and this matchup is one that’s been brewing. Private versus Public in New Jersey high school football as both the Crusaders and Eagles are both coming off state championship seasons. This one honestly could be easily second or even first in many arguments. We love this contest for many reasons and it’ll be a treat for the state come mid-September.

4. Don Bosco Prep at DePaul Catholic, Oct. 3

Hard to have the Ironmen-Crusaders anywhere lower than this because of how this one ended last season. Washington commit Derek Zammit threw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns, one coming with just over 10 minutes left in the ball game and being the go-ahead score. DePaul Catholic narrowly beating Don Bosco 21-20 in a nail biter leaves this year’s contest with high expectations to be another thriller.

5. Millville at Mainland Regional, Sept. 12

Talking season is over, but these two teams are sure to do some chirping once they both hit the turf for pregame warmups. Last year’s meeting was won handily by the Mustangs, 40-7, but we have a feeling this season’s contest will be a bit closer. The Thunderbolts have a slew of returners on offense, including quarterback Robbie O’Connor, who threw for 2,127 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2024. Get to the stadium early as we expect a better game this time around.

6. DePaul Catholic at Delbarton, Oct. 25

If last year’s game was any indication of how good this one could be in 2025, you better be ready for a long night of offensive fireworks. Delbarton defeated DePaul Catholic, 52-51, in overtime as the two teams combined for almost 600 passing yards and eight touchdowns through the air. The 2024 edition fell just shy of breaking 1,000 yards of offense, but with many of the same players back for this one, we could see it happening a week before Halloween.

7. Monarch (Fla.) at Don Bosco Prep, Sept. 5

Anytime you can get a team from South Florida to travel up to play a New Jersey program, it brings excitement to that very contest. This one is no different as it serves as one of two contests played between a high school team out of Broward County, Florida and the Garden State, with the other being Bergen Catholic-West Boca Raton. The Knights feature three-star wide receiver Jabari Brady (Missouri commit) on a very talented offensive group.

8. St. Joseph Regional at DePaul Catholic, Oct. 31

What you can expect out of this game is a seesaw scoring and solid senior quarterback play. Oh and it’s on Halloween so there’s an added incentive to what could be the best game in the state on that very day. DePaul Catholic was able to pull away in the final minutes of last year’s meeting, with Zammit throwing the go-ahead. Both signal callers returning equals some high level ball towards the season’s end.

9. St. Peter’s Prep at Pope John XXIII, Oct. 25

Now this game did produce over 1,000 yards of offense and 105 points in 2024, but the way the two teams go about doing so couldn’t be anymore contrasting. The Lions rolled up nearly 400 rushing yards, while the Marauders almost threw for as much makes this an offensive-minded high school football fan’s dream.

10. Ocean City at Atlantic City, Sept. 19

If you’re looking for a New Jersey high school football rivalry game to head over to, this one between the Vikings and Raiders is a can’t miss. Last season’s edition of the clash went to Atlantic City in a 21-14 defeat of Ocean City. Previously to 2024 meeting, the last time the two teams met was back on Oct. 23, 2015 with Ocean City upending Atlantic, 29-24.