Who will be No. 1 in South Jersey, St. Joseph or Williamstown?

Kevin Goldsmith has an idea for deciding the No. 1 football team in South Jersey.

"I wish we both had a bye the same week," Goldsmith said of St. Joseph and Williamstown. "We could find a field, find a couple refs who are off duty, and just play."

That would be one way to answer the question: Who's No. 1?

Right now, St. Joseph is No. 1 in The Inquirer Top 10. The Wildcats are 8-0. They are prohibitive favorites to cruise to another Non-Public 1 state title.

If they can beat crosstown rival Hammonton on Thanksgiving Eve - no sure thing, although they probably rate a two-touchdown edge on paper - they are looking at another undefeated season.

But are they the best team?

Williamstown is 8-0. The Braves are No. 2 in the rankings. They will need to run the table in the playoffs - and they've won just one postseason game in their history - and beat rival and eighth-ranked Washington Township on Thanksgiving to make their case for the No. 1 spot.

But if they finish 12-0, would they deserve it?

Nobody has a better perspective on this debate than Goldsmith, a senior two-way lineman at St. Joseph.

Unless it's Miles Pease, a senior running back/linebacker at St. Joseph.

Or maybe Anthony Giagunto, a senior quarterback/defensive back at St. Joseph.

They all live in Williamstown.

"We see those guys all the time," Giagunto said of Williamstown players.

Goldsmith, Pease, and Giagunto know all the Williamstown guys from youth football. They played with many of the Braves' key athletes in the town program.

"They are always saying they could beat us," Pease said.

It's an odd rivalry, since the teams have never played. They are in different conferences in the regular season and different groups in the playoffs.

But the rivalry is real. That's because through the years, St. Joseph has attracted so many players from Williamstown.

Williamstown coach Frank Fucetola and his assistants have worked hard to keep their homegrown players in the hometown program. And there's been a bit of a reverse pipeline in recent years, too - with players such as Temple-bound senior linebacker Buddy Brown and top junior defensive lineman Pete Halloran transferring from non-public schools to Williamstown.

Goldsmith, Pease, and Giagunto are three top Williamstown athletes who decided to attend the little private school in the heart of Hammonton and to suit up for the fabled program with 14 state titles since the start of the non-public state tournament in 1993.

All three have been instrumental in St. Joseph's success. Goldsmith leads the Wildcats in tackles with 57. Pease leads the team in interceptions with four and also has rushed for 491 yards.

Giagunto has passed for 704 yards and 10 touchdowns and run for five touchdowns. He is 25-0 as a starting quarterback since the middle of his sophomore season.

"This program has been everything I hoped it would be and more," Giagunto said of St. Joseph.

The three players are comfortable with their decision to attend St. Joseph. They have a chance to finish their careers on a 30-game winning streak.

Goldsmith said he remains close with many Williamstown players. He describes Braves senior linebacker and captain Derek Lauria as one of his best friends.

"We talk all the time," Goldsmith said of Lauria. "We both wish we could play each other."